Here are the stories of the surprising military service behind some of America's most beloved entertainers:
1. Morgan Freeman
Freeman told Military.com he always dreamed of war films, particularly pieces about fighter pilots. In love with the idea of flying, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955 and was a radar technician. His interest in flight was so strong that he turned down a Jackson State University scholarship for drama. Despite his initial occupation not living up to his dream, he held on to his romantic visions for over a year.
Eventually, Freeman got his chance to train as a fighter pilot. Though he dreamed of that moment he told AARP magazine he had a "distinct feeling he was sitting in the nose of a bomb … I had this very clear epiphany -- You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this."
Freeman left the Air Force in 1959 and has since gone on to become one of the most recognizable faces and voices in Hollywood.
2. Berry Gordy Jr.
Gordy was best known as the founder of the Motown record label.
Gordy dropped out of school to pursue a career as a boxer. But his boxing career was cut short when he was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
When Gordy's service in the Army ended in 1953, Gordy worked on an assembly line at the Ford Motor Company and as he worked, he wrote songs in his head. Some were recorded by local singers. At the suggestion of a friend, teenage singer William "Smokey" Robinson, Gordy borrowed seven hundred dollars from his father and formed his own company to make and sell records … and the legendary Motown sound was born.
Motown Records produced more than 110 number-one hit songs and countless top-ten records.
3. Ice-T
Now known as a prominent actor and musician Ice-T, Tracy Marrow was born in Newark, New Jersey. Marrow's mother and father died while he was young so he moved around with various relatives until settling with an aunt in South Los Angeles at the age of 12. While in high school, Ice-T didn't drink or do drugs but he did affiliate himself with members of the Crips. An avid reader, by high school he began writing rhymes.
After high school, Ice-T struggled to support his girlfriend and daughter so he joined the Army where he served four years in the 25th Infantry Division. During his deployment in Hawaii, Ice-T purchased stereo equipment including turntables, a mixer, and speakers while serving as a squad leader.
After having huge success as a rapper in the late eighties, he has become a series regular on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit."
4. MC Hammer
Long before he wore the infamous "Hammer Pants," MC Hammer wore a U.S. Navy uniform. After a brief time at a local college in Oakland, CA. Stanley Kirk Burrell spent three years as an Aviation Storekeeper 3rd Class. He practiced his skills writing and rhyming while in the Navy. Within a few years after the Navy, he developed his MC Hammer persona and went on to become one of the most successful rappers and dancers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
5. Montel Williams
Before Montel was one of the most watched shows in daytime talk history, he was a Marine and an Intel Officer in the Navy.
Raised in Baltimore, MD he joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. After his command noticed his natural leadership skills, he was recommended for the Naval Academy Preparatory school at Newport, Rhode Island. He eventually graduated from the Naval Academy and served as a Cryptologic Officer for Naval Intelligence. Williams also served at the National Security Agency and was involved with US invasion of Grenada in 1983.
After his Navy career, he became a motivational speaker and that launched him into daytime TV fame during the late eighties and nineties.
He currently hosts Military Makeover on Lifetime television and is a spokesperson for MS Awareness (a disease he has battled for decades) and is a powerful advocate for veterans and medical marijuana.
6. Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye grew up in Washington D.C. After a difficult youth and a tough relationship with his father, Gaye left home at 17 to join the Air Force in 1956. Gaye quickly learned he didn't like the military lifestyle and according to his biography, he faked mental illness and was discharged shortly afterward.
Lucky for music fans, Gaye did not make the Air Force his career as he went on to record legendary hits like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" "Let's Get It On" and the 1982 Grammy Award-winning hit "Sexual Healing".
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