14 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Are Veterans

1. Sheryl Underwood (Army)

Co-Host of CBS’s The Talk and comedian Sheryl Underwood served in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from college. Following her success as a stand-up comic, she completed two USO tours in Kuwait and Afghanistan, entertaining the troops and even spoke at the ACM’s All-Star Salute to the Troops in April.

2. Shaggy (Marines)

In 1988, Shaggy (born Orville Richard Burrell) joined the U.S. Marines after reportedly wanting to leave his job at Baskin Robbins. During his service, he earned the rank of lance corporal and served in the Persian Gulf War.

While on active duty, he recorded his track, “Oh Carolina,” which landed him a multi-million dollar contract with Virgin Records after he left the military.

3. Ice-T (Army)

Ice-T (born Tracy Marrow) wanted to earn enough money to support his girlfriend and their child. So, he enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school in 1979. He spent four years in the 25th Infantry Division in Honolulu where he served as a squad leader before starting his rap career.

4. MC Hammer (Navy)

MC Hammer (born Stanley Kirk Burrell) enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the early 1980s. He served in the U.S. Navy for three years as a petty officer third-class aviation storekeeper before trading in his uniform for his iconic parachute pants.

5. Sinbad (Air Force)

Before becoming a successful comedian and actor, Sinbad served in the United States Air Force as a boom operator aboard KC-135 Stratotankers.

6. Nate Dogg (Marines)

Before joining 213 alongside Snoop Dogg and Warren G, the late rapper Nate Dogg (born Nathaniel Hale) joined the U.S. Marines after graduating high school in 1987. He served as a munitions specialist at Camp Henoko in Okinawa, Japan for four years.

7. Marvin Gaye (Air Force)

After a difficult childhood 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.

8. Mr. T (Army)

Mr. T (born as Laurence Tureaud) served in the U.S. Army’s Military Police Corps in the mid-70s where he served as squad leader.

Once discharged, he tried out for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers but didn’t make the team due to a knee injury. He ended up working as a bouncer at various Chicago nightclubs. During this time, he developed his “Mr. T” persona after he began collecting and wearing discarded jewelry he found at the clubs. Mr. T’s persona would eventually land him work outside of the nightlife and on the big screen.

9. Berry Gordy (Army)

Before founding Motown Records, Berry 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 Records was founded.

10. Sherman Hemsley (Air Force)

Sherman Hemsley enlisted in the United States Air Force after dropping out of high school in the 10^th grade. He left the military after four years of service to pursue a career in the arts.

He returned to his hometown in Philadelphia and attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts at night while working for the United States Postal Service during the day. He soon moved to New York, continuing to work for the Post Office during the day while working as an actor at night.

11. 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 U.S. Navy.

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.

After his Navy career, he became a motivational speaker and that launched him into daytime TV fame during the late eighties and nineties.

12. James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones enrolled in ROTC at the University of Michigan before joining the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He became a second lieutenant before being honorably discharged.

13. Morgan Freeman (Air Force)

Morgan Freeman was so in love with his dream of flying that he turned down a scholarship to major in drama at Jackson State University so he could, instead, enlist in the United States Air Force in 1955. During his service, he worked as a radar technician but eventually landed an opportunity to train as a fighter pilot. Turns out, it wasn’t all he hoped it would be.

Freeman felt like he was “sitting in the nose of a bomb,” he said in an interview with AARP magazine. “I had this very clear epiphany…You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this.”

In 1959, Freeman left the Air Force and turned to acting.

14. Harriet Tubman (Union Army)

Harriet Tubman not only led slaves to freedom but she was a military leader and Union spy during the Civil War, according to National Geographic.

In 1863 along with Colonel James Montgomery, Tubman led a group of soldiers to free slaves from plantations along the Combahee River in South Carolina. She was noted as the only woman in U.S. history to lead such a raid. During her military service, she also worked as a spy and recruiter for the Union Army. In 1899, Tubman received compensation for her service with the military.