WWII Vet James Arness was born James Aurness in Minneapolis; in 1923; he dropped the "u" when he started acting. Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name.
Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, but he felt his poor eyesight would bar him. His height of 6 feet 7 inches ended his hopes, since 6 feet 2 inches was the limit for aviators. Instead, he was called for the Army and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota in March 1943.
Arness served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, and was severely wounded during Operation Shingle, at Anzio, Italy when he was hit in the right leg with machine gun fire.
According to James Arness – An Autobiography, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944 as a rifleman with 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Because of his height, he was the first ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist.
On January 29, 1945, having undergone surgery several times, Arness was honorably discharged. His wounds continued to bother him, and in later years Arness suffered from chronic leg pain, which sometimes hurt when mounting a horse. His decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
His wounds were not minor. He was bothered by the leg the rest of his life. Gunsmoke co-star Burt Reynolds remembered:
They would get ready to do a shot. Jim Arness would come limping on to the set, and Dennis Weaver [who played the lame Chester] would walk briskly. The director would yell ‘Action!’ and Arness would walk briskly, and Weaver would start to limp.
Climbing on a horse was always painful for him. And Arness did a lot of climbing onto horses.
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A giant waste basket in the middle Times Square shaming New Yorkers for their poor littering habits, 1955.
