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  • 2022-06-17 (xsd:date)
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  • Did Actor Russell Johnson Fly 44 Combat Missions in WWII? (en)
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  • The 1960s television series Gilligan's Island, a sitcom about castaways on a desert island, enjoyed a solid run on the CBS network from 1964 through 1967 and went on to become even more popular in syndication, entertaining multiple generations of Americans. Over the years, readers have asked Snopes to verify an assortment of Gilligan's Island trivia, usually concerning the personal lives of the series' actors. Most recently, we were asked to investigate a claim about the military service of Russell Johnson, who played the super-intelligent, absurdly resourceful character known as The Professor. According to a popular internet meme, Johnson, who died in 2014 at the age of 89, served as a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps and flew 44 combat missions during World War II. This claim is true. We found the basics confirmed in Johnson's 2014 obituaries. The Associated Press reported, for example, that: Similarly, Parade magazine reported that: According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Johnson served in the 100th Bombardment Squadron, 42nd Bombardment Group, 13th Air Force, until his discharge in 1945. We found the most complete account of his service as an airman, and of his calamitous final mission over the Pacific, in an interview with Johnson published in The Times-Leader of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2007. Reporter Sherry Long wrote: But Johnson survived, recovering from two broken ankles from the impact of the bomber hitting the water. For his honorable service, he was decorated with Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, an Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, a good conduct medal, an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, and a World War II Victory Medal with Honorable Service Lapel Button. Upon his discharge in November 1945, Johnson immediately began taking acting lessons with the money he received via the GI Bill. The rest is pop culture history. (en)
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