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Before Green Acres, Eddie Albert was a war hero
The Green Acres star rescued dozens in the Battle of Tarawa.
As it turns out, Eddie Albert was much more than Oliver Wendell Douglas. He was also a hero of the United States Navy. However, it wasn't until much later in life that Albert got the recognition he deserved.
In November 1943, Eddie Albert was a Navy lieutenant, junior grade, aboard a troop transport off the coast of Tarawa Atoll. American forces were taking on heavy enemy fire, leaving the wounded nearly helpless. That is until Eddie Albert commandeered a small boat and set out on a rescue mission. He started pulling almost-drowned Americans up out of the water and into his tiny boat. When that first boat was full, Albert and his crewmate unloaded the men into the nearby U.S.S. Schroder before making a return trip to pick up more of the wounded men. In all, Albert made 30 trips.
One thousand fifty-six men were killed in the Battle of Tarawa. Eddie Albert rescued 79.
"I was shot in the belly, bleeding badly," WWII veteran Dean Snyder told the Quad-City Times in 1997. "Eddie Albert saved my life, pulling me on the little boat. The Japanese were using us for target practice."
York, Pennsylvania, was home to a makeshift reunion some 54 years after that fateful day. Albert was belatedly awarded the Bronze Star Medal along with an official presidential citation. It was the first time Snyder had the chance to speak with his rescuer since that day in Tarawa.
"We hugged and shook hands and hit it off just swell. He's a great guy. For years, we knew Eddie Albert was the one who saved all our lives, but nothing ever came of it," said Snyder.
Pennsylvanian George Thomas led the efforts to ensure the actor was properly commended.
"They could never find the records, so they said," Thomas remarked. "In the service, Eddie's name was Eddie Albert Heimberger. They could never find an Albert to be decorated." Finally, Thomas roped in a congressman and the medal ceremony was scheduled.
"I was watching this fellow with binoculars from another ship that November day," said Thomas. "We just saw this guy and couldn't believe how he was pulling wounded out of the water and not being killed."
27 Comments
After the war he became a rural mail carrier so that he wouldn't have to interact with people much. My grandparents had a ranch on his route and slowly befriended him and his wife.
They would come visit (in the 60s), and other than 'hello', 'goodbye', 'please', and 'thank you' he never said a word. My grandma and his wife would chat, meanwhile my grandpa would get him a beer and they'd watch a ballgame on the TV- never conversing. I think that's why they liked my grandparents- never any pressure to be sociable. I noticed all this even though I was only 9 or so. One day I asked my grandma why Mr. Shane never talked and she told me the story.
In time he got better. When my grandpa passed they came for the funeral and reception and he was genuinely gregarious- very chatty and even laughed once or twice. I was very happy to see his transformation. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, Mr. Shane- rest well, Marine.
Sgt. Dan Blocker and his squad held off a much larger Communist force all
night during the Korean War, they shouldn't have lasted 10 minutes.
(I think MeTV had a version of this story but someone claimed it had a minor error)
You see in later episodes Hoss didn't wear a gun much, it was Little Joe who got most
of the roles shooting it out with bad guys.
He didn't care for his rug either - just like "Adam" - and in one episode got away with
not wearing it in a couple of scenes, nobody noticed till it aired.
It's the one where Hopsing solves a case thru the use of "chops"(fingerprints).
In the 1st season Gomer Pyle episodes, when Gomer and the platoon were marching at the start,
those were real Marines borrowed for the occasion.
Shortly after they got sent to Vietnam and got ambushed, KIA or wounded almost to a man.
One of the mothers years later would watch the start to see her forever young son for a brief second, a torture/relief at the same time. I can't recall anymore where I read/heard this,
maybe someone here has more details?
Idiot 18 year old kids who swallow everything the recruiting sergeants tell them ought to
think about their own mom mourning for 40 years. Not knocking the service, but if your
kid is thinking of joining, ask a relative who is a vet or go down to the Legion Hall and
talk to them.
THIRTY trips in a small open boat in the face of heavy enemy fire to rescue wounded men? That's borderline Medal of Honor territory. At the very least Albert deserved a Silver Star AND the Navy Cross.
It should also be noted that Eddie Albert's commitment to his fellow human beings didn't end with his service in World War II: he was a passionate enviromentalist and contributor to social causes with his wife, María, who acted under the screen name Margo.
(No offense meant, Rerun Provider.)
Eddie Albert never sought out recognition for his heroism.
