Editing James Stewart (section)

===1941–1947: Military service===
Stewart became the first major American movie star to enlist in the [[United States Army]] to fight in World War II.{{sfn|Resch|2005|p=180}} His family had deep military roots: both of his grandfathers had fought in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]],{{sfn|Eliot|2006|pp=11–12}} and his father had served during both the [[Spanish–American War]] and World War I.<ref>{{harvnb|Eliot|2006|p=13}}; {{harvnb|Dewey|1996|p=53}}</ref> After first being rejected for low weight in November 1940, he enlisted in February 1941.{{sfn|Fishgall|1997|pp=149–152}}{{efn|Stewart later confided that he had a "friend" operating the weight scales on his second and successful enlisting attempt.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=30}} }} As an experienced pilot, he reported for induction as a private in the [[United States Army Air Corps|Air Corps]] on March 22, 1941.<ref>{{harvnb|Dewey|1996|p=213}}; {{harvnb|Fishgall|1997|p=152}}; {{harvnb|Smith|2005|p=30}}</ref> Soon to be 33 years old, he was over the age limit for [[Aviation Cadet Training Program (USAAF)|Aviation Cadet]] training—the normal path of commissioning for pilots, navigators and bombardiers—and therefore applied for an Air Corps commission as both a college graduate and a licensed commercial pilot.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=31}} Stewart received his commission as a second lieutenant on January 1, 1942.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=273}}

[[File:Winning Your Wings.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=16:03|left|Lieutenant James Stewart in ''[[Winning Your Wings]]'' (1942)]]
After enlisting, Stewart made no new commercial films, although he remained under contract to MGM. His public appearances were limited to engagements for the Army Air Forces.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=31}} The Air Corps scheduled him on network radio with [[Edgar Bergen]] and [[Charlie McCarthy]], and on the radio program ''[[We Hold These Truths]]'', a celebration of the [[United States Bill of Rights]], which was broadcast a week after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]].{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=31–32}} Stewart also appeared in a [[First Motion Picture Unit]] short film, ''[[Winning Your Wings]]'', to help recruit airmen. Nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Documentary]] in 1942, it appeared in movie theaters nationwide beginning in late May 1942 and resulted in 150,000 new recruits.<ref>{{harvnb|Eliot|2006|p=181}}; {{harvnb|Eyman|2017|p=105}}</ref>

Stewart was concerned that his celebrity status would relegate him to duties behind the lines.{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=31–32}} After spending over a year training pilots at [[Kirtland Air Force Base|Kirtland Army Airfield]] in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]],{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=263, 271–273}} he appealed to his commander and in November 1943 was sent to England as part of the [[703d Tactical Air Support Squadron|703d Bomb Squadron]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebrities in Uniform |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196679/brig-gen-james-m-stewart/ |newspaper=National Museum of the United States Air Force |publisher=US Air Force |access-date=20 December 2023}}</ref> to fly [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|B-24 Liberators]]. He was based initially at [[RAF Tibenham]], before moving to [[RAF Old Buckenham]].{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=49–53, 73}}

[[File:Jimmy Stewart getting medal.jpg|thumb|upright|Colonel Stewart receiving the [[Croix de Guerre]] with Palm in 1944|alt=A military officer pinning an award to Stewart's decorated military jacket, among other uniformed soldiers]]

Stewart was promoted to major following a mission to [[Ludwigshafen]], Germany, on January 7, 1944.{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=86–87}}{{efn|While leading the 445th on this date, Stewart made a decision in combat to not break formation from another group that had made an error in navigation. The other group lost four bombers in a subsequent interception, but Stewart's decision possibly saved it from annihilation and incurred considerable damage to his own 48 aircraft. His decision resulted in a letter of commendation and promotion to major on January 20, 1944. [[Sy Bartlett]] and [[Beirne Lay]] used the episode in their novel ''12 O'Clock High''.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=273}}{{sfn|Bowman|1979|p=26}} }} He was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for actions as deputy commander of the [[2nd Bombardment Wing (World War II)|2nd Bombardment Wing]],{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=263}} the French [[Croix de guerre 1939–1945|Croix de Guerre]] with palm, and the [[Air Medal]] with three [[oak leaf cluster]]s.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=14}} Stewart was promoted to full colonel on March 29, 1945,{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=165}} becoming one of the few Americans to ever rise from private to colonel in only four years.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=16}} At the beginning of June 1945, Stewart was the presiding officer of the [[Bombings of Switzerland in World War II#Court-martial proceedings|court martial of a pilot and navigator]] who accidentally bombed [[Zurich]], [[Switzerland]].{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=173–177}}

Stewart returned to the United States in early fall 1945.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=13}} He continued to play a role in reserve of the Army Air Forces after the war{{sfn|Eyman|2017|p=306}} and was also one of the 12 founders of the [[Air Force Association]] in October 1945.<ref>{{cite news |title=Years of AFA |url=http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/1996/February%201996/0296fifty.pdf |access-date=August 8, 2019 |work=Air Force Magazine |date=February 1996 |pages=36–37 |archive-date=August 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808202430/http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Magazine%2520Documents/1996/February%25201996/0296fifty.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Stewart eventually transferred to the [[Air Force Reserve Command|reserves]] of the [[United States Air Force]] after the Army Air Forces split from the Army in 1947. During active-duty periods, he served with the [[Strategic Air Command]] and completed transition training as a pilot on the [[Boeing B-47 Stratojet|B-47]] and [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]].<ref name="Torch95">{{cite magazine|title=A Little Bit of All of Us|magazine=Torch: Safety Magazine of AETC|volume=2|issue=5|page=4|publisher=[[Air Education and Training Command]]|year=1995}}</ref>

Stewart was first nominated for promotion to brigadier general in February 1957; however, his promotion was initially opposed by Senator [[Margaret Chase Smith]].<ref name="Torch95"/> At the time of the nomination, the ''[[Washington Daily News]]'' noted: "He trains actively with the Reserve every year. He's had 18 hours as first pilot of a B-52."<ref>{{cite news|title=Promotion for James? Senate group should up Colonel Stewart's Air Force rank|author=James O'Neill, Jr|work=[[Washington Daily News]]|date=April 4, 1957|page=4}}</ref> On July 23, 1959, Stewart was promoted to brigadier general, becoming the highest-ranking actor in American military history.{{sfn|Smith|2005|pp=16, 199, 273}} During the [[Vietnam War]], he flew as a non-duty observer in a [[B-52]] on an [[Operation Arc Light|Arc Light]] bombing mission in February 1966.{{sfn|Eliot|2006|p=363}} He served for 27 years, officially retiring from the Air Force on May 31, 1968, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.<ref>{{harvnb|Eliot|2006|p=364}}; {{harvnb|Thomas|1988|p=21}}</ref> Upon his retirement, he was awarded the [[Air Force Distinguished Service Medal]].{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=205}} Stewart rarely spoke about his wartime service{{sfn|Fishgall|1997|pp=172–173}} but did appear in an episode of the British television documentary series ''[[The World at War]]'' (1974), commenting on the [[Second Raid on Schweinfurt|disastrous 1943 mission]] against [[Schweinfurt]], Germany.{{sfn|Smith|2005|p=60}}