Found this on another site ~ Salute to Martha Raye ```

[valley ranch]

A Salute To Martha Raye....
It was well recognized that Martha Raye endured less comfort more than any other Vietnam entertainer.

Most young wippersnappers won't remember her, but here's a bit of nostalgia joining other Hollywood entertainers of the past.

The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped.I was unaware of her credentials or where she is buried. Somehow I just can't see Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton, or Jessica Simpson doing what this woman and the other USO women, including Ann Margaret & Joey Heatherton did for our troops in past wars. Most of the old time entertainers were made of a lot sterner stuff than today's crop of activist bland whiners. The following is from an Army Aviator who takes a trip down memory lane:"It was just before Thanksgiving '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back. All of a sudden, we heard a 'take-charge' woman's voice in the rear. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a Special Forces beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard. Maggie' had been visiting her Special Forces (SF) 'heroes' out 'west'. We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms. Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!" To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said "Captain, see this eagle? I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a 'Caduceus' which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty.... now, take me to your wounded!" He said, "Yes ma'am.... follow me." Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, she would 'cover' a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break.


Martha is the only woman buried in the (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.

Hand Salute! A great lady.


In case you case you didn't know this about Martha Raye....
Thought you might enjoy reading about her as I did . It's refreshing to be reminded of how many Hollywood entertainers of the past served our country in one form or another. Unlike these liberal 'cardboard' phonies of today that tear down this country at every opportunity...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was a finger salute to them~ I did not include ```
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martha Raye was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway.


WikipediaBorn:
August 27, 1916, Butte, MTDied: October 19, 1994, Los Angeles, CA Buried: Fort Bragg Main Post Cemetery, Manchester Township, Cumberland County, North Carolina, NCSpouse: Mark Harris (m. 1991–1994),

MORE

Awards: Presidential Medal of Freedom, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award

 

[valley ranch]

.

 

[so lucky]

Very interesting but I wish the author hadn't felt the need to denigrate young people. It would have been a compelling story even without that.
But I was wondering why her grave stone says "civilian" if she was US Army Reserve? Or was she impersonating an officer? It is unclear to me.

 

[valley ranch]

Yeh ~ I thought that as well ~ was she in the reserve ``` Not sure who the author was ``` I didn't read anything about young people ```