Editing Johnny Carson (section)

== Military service ==
[[File:U.S. Navy portrait of Johnny Carson.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Navy portrait of Carson{{r|tynan19780220}}]]
Carson joined the [[United States Navy]] on June 8, 1943, and received [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]] officer training at [[Columbia University]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/military-transition/famous-veteran-johnny-carson.html |title=Famous Veterans: Johnny Carson |publisher=Military.com |access-date=October 23, 2018}}</ref> and [[Millsaps College]].<ref name="millsaps">{{cite web |url=http://www.millsaps.edu/admissions/timeline.php |title=Timeline |publisher=Millsaps College |access-date=April 22, 2019 |archive-date=April 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422023916/http://www.millsaps.edu/admissions/timeline.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> Commissioned an [[Ensign (rank)#United States|ensign]] late in the war, Carson was assigned to the {{USS|Pennsylvania|BB-38|6}} in the [[Pacific Theater of World War II|Pacific]], serving as a [[military communications|communications]] officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. While in the Navy, Carson posted a 15–0-1 amateur [[boxing]] record, with most of his bouts fought on board ''Pennsylvania''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxing-scoop.com/show_boxer.php?boxer_ID=12192 |title=Johnny Carson Amateur Boxing Record |publisher=Boxing-Scoop.com |access-date=May 22, 2012}}</ref> He was en route to the combat zone aboard a [[troop ship]] when the war ended.

Carson later said that the high point of his military career was performing a magic trick for [[United States Secretary of the Navy|U.S. Secretary of the Navy]] [[James V. Forrestal]]. In a conversation with Forrestal, the Secretary asked Carson if he planned to stay in the Navy after the war.<ref name="Carson: Biography">{{cite book |last1=Corkery |first1=Paul |date=August 1, 1987 |title=Carson: The Unauthorized Biography |publisher=New York, Kampmann & Co. |isbn=978-0-942101-00-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/carsonunauthoriz0000cork }}</ref> In response, Carson said no and told him he wanted to be a magician. Forrestal asked him to perform, and Carson responded with a card trick.<ref name="Carson: Biography" /> Carson made the discovery that he could entertain and amuse someone as cranky and sophisticated as Forrestal.<ref name="Carson: Biography" />