Health & Fitness
Martha Raye- entertainer extradinare
Hollywood folks have volunteered to travel with the USO to foriegn countires and to bring a "touch of home" to our service personnel. Martha Raye was one of those individuals- and then some.
I usually contribute information pertaining to current veteran issues or events and activities. However, for this edition, I thought a story a fellow veteran forwarded to me would be of interest to the reader.
Ms. Martha Raye appeared in movies and on the radio beginning in the 1930's in comic roles. She appeared with Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello and Jimmy Durante and other leading comics. When WW II began, she joined the USO. This is a little known fact about one Martha Raye- thought you might like to read it.
It was well recognized that Martha Raye endured less comfort and more danger than any other Vietnam entertainer.
Find out what's happening in La Grangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The most unforgivable oversight of TV is that her shows were not taped.
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.
Find out what's happening in La Grangefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Most of the old time entertainers were made of stern stuff.
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 SF (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 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 'Smart Mouth' USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms Ray, 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 Raye is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.Hand Salute! A great lady..
Martha Raye toured quite often with the USO during WW II, Korea and Viet Nam. On November 2, 1993, President Clinton presented Ms.Martha Raye with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
To learn more about Ms. Raye, please visit the Wikipedia site.
