Summary Tyrone Power, a Hollywood Walk of Fame awardee, served in the Navy as a US Marine in the Pacific battles during World War II. Power, a renowned box office star pre-war, enlisted at age 28 and flew missions during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After World War II, Power starred in 20 movies, like "American Guerrilla in the Philippines" and rose to Captain in the Marine Reserves.
Tyrone Power has a distinction that few have earned—a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. People in the movie industry often rue the fact that his life was tragically cut short at the age of 44. The actor descended from a long list of theater actors: his great-grandfather was William Grattan Tyrone Power, who also had the stage name Tyrone Power.
However, not many people know that the Hollywood star also served in the Navy during World War II. By popular demand, these are the WW2 6-engine aircraft you seek. From early childhood to naval aviation service during World War II Tyrone Power was born the year World War I started, 1914.
He had strong ties with the literature and movie scene, as his family, besides having a strong lineage in the theater circle, was also related to novelists such as Evelyn Waugh, Sir (William) Tyrone Guthrie (the first director of the Stratford Festival in Canada), and Laurence Olivier, among others. Power went to Hollywood in 1936, and his strikingly good looks, alongside his prowess as an actor, led him to star in various movies. Some of the most popular include: A Yank in the RAF The Mark of Zorro The Black Swan 1939 was the year W.
H. Auden came up with his imperishable poem "September 1, 1939" (the day the second of the great war of the century started) with words that still echo today: "Waves of anger and fear Circulate over the bright And darkened lands of the earth, Obsessing our private lives; The unmentionable odour of death Offends the September night." In 1939, Power was named the second-biggest box-office draw.
A few years later, Power would be serving the very war about which Auden had written ominously. Enlisting in the US Marine Corps a few years after WWII started On August 28, 1942, Power enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He was aged 28.
It has been reported that “he refused his studio's offer to obtain an Officer's commission and enlisted as a Private.” At the request of 20th Century Fox, Power enacted the movie Crash Dive in 1943. This movie was released a year later and credited to him as Tyrone Power, USMCR.
People still feel the impact today. Before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, Tyrone Power had attended boot camp at a recruit depot for the Marine Corps in San Diego. Even before enlistment, Tyrone was already an accomplished pilot who had logged 180 hours.
This helped him undergo an accelerated training program at Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. According to the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation : "In July 1944, First Lieutenant Power was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 as an R5C transport co-pilot at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The squadron moved to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California in October 1944.
Power was later reassigned to VMR-353, joining them on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in February 1945. From there, he flew missions carrying cargo in and wounded Marines out during the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.” Early commercial flights were a luxurious affair that is arguably not matched in today's First Class flights.
Tyrone’s accomplished service and his humility are attested by officers like Verner Chaffin, who describes Tyrone Power in his letters to his wife : “He’s quite a nice guy, with a wonderful physique and dark brown eyes, dark complexioned, sparkling white teeth – everything you could expect of a Hollywood star. I think he rather enjoyed not being recognized and catered to by us because later he seized every opportunity to come over and chat. He’s not conceited at all, and everyone at the airfield likes him.
On top of that, he’s a very good pilot and takes his business seriously.” Post-war movies After the end of the war in 1945, Power returned to the United States. Half a decade after being released from active duty, he rose to the rank of Captain in the Reserves.
Tyrone starred in 20 movies after World War II. One of the movies in which he starred as a US Navy member was “American Guerrilla in the Philippines.” He played the role of a marine stranded by the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Some of the movies he went to star in after the end of the war include: Nightmare Alley, which is based on a novel of the same name. Prince of the Foxes, a historical adventure movie. The Black Rose, based on Thomas B.
Costain’s novel of the same name. Death and Honors Major Tyrone Power, who remained in the Marine Corps Reserve till the day he died, was buried with full military honors. Power was a heavy smoker and had inherited heart disease.
He died of a heart attack on November 15, 1958. A week later, he was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Some of the medals bestowed upon Tyrone Power for his services include: American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze stars World War II Victory Medal.
