Before They Were Stars, These Celebrities Earned Stripes—in the Service

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Josh Gracin in the Air Force; Josh Gracin—Today

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Josh Gracin in the Marines; Josh Gracin—Today

An unknown Josh Gracin was already enrolled in the Marine Corps when auditioned for the 2nd season of American Idol and later placed fourth on the show. But because of his military commitment, Gracin missed the lucrative American Idol Finalists Tour, but by a stroke of luck, Rascal Flatts was watching the show on their tour bus when he covered their song. Impressed, they put him in touch with their producer, which led to his self-title debut album Josh Gracin, released on June 15, 2004, which went gold!

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Johnny Cash in the Air Force; Johnny Cash—Today

Johnny Cash may have been known as “The Man In Black” and fostered an outlaw image by performing (and recording) at U.S. prisons, but the influential singer was also a military man and enlisted in the US Air Force on July 7, 1950. Cash was also a bit of a hero since he was the very first morse code operator to pick up the news of the death of U.S. enemy Joseph Stalin.Cash was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant on July 3, 1954.

Rodney Wright

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Adam Driver in the Marines; Adam Driver—Today

Adam Driver enlisted in the Marines shortly after 9/11 and served his two years. After Marine life, Driver went to Julliard to study acting. Now, he's everywhere from his role as Adam on HBO's Girls to recently being cast as the villain in the new Star Wars film.

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J.R. Martinez in the Army; J.R. Martinez—Today

J.R. Martinez’s inspirational story undoubtedly helped him win the title of Dancing with the Stars champion earlier this year. Initially hoping to play pro football but derailed due to an injury, Martinez enlisted in the United States Army in 2002. Only a few months later, he deployed to Iraq, where his Humvee hit an IED, causing severe burns on over 40 percent of his body. It was Martinez’s real-life story that also helped him get a role on All My Children as a former soldier injured in combat.

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Clint Eastwood in the Army; Clint Eastwood at Los Angeles at the Premiere of J. Edgar

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Clint Eastwood in the Army; Clint Eastwood—2011, at the Premiere of <em>J. Edgar</em>

Before he was an award-winning actor and director, Clint Eastwood was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and was discharged in 1953. You have to love a man in uniform! And is it just us or did Eastwood, in his Army days, look a lot like Jude Law?

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Drew Carey in the Marines; Drew Carey—Today

Drew Carey may have made a name for himself in the entertainment world as a stand-up comedian who went on to star in his own sitcom and improv television show and now hosts The Price Is Right. However, his professional life started much more seriously when he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1980, serving and protecting for six years.

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George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard; Former President George W. Bush—Today

George W. Bush has made history books for declaring a war on terrorism against Afghanistan and Iraq after the September 11 attacks, but decades earlier he was making a name for himself in the armed services in a very different way. Bush served with the Texas Air National Guard for two years starting in 1968 and then drilled with the Alabama Air National Guard in the early 1970s. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1974.

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Jimi Hendrix in the Army; Jimi Hendrix—1969

Pop culture has deemed Jimi Hendrix “the Michael Jordan of the electric guitar,” and his smooth and soulful but still raw style made him a welcome headliner at Woodstock. Yet the psychedelic rocker had a history that was much more in tune with “the man”: He enlisted in the Army in 1961 to avoid jail time after an arrest. Hendrix only served a year before being discharged, but the effects of his time in the service were long-lasting, and he often spoke of his dislike for the institution, despite forging some very strong friendships with fellow soldiers.

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Johnny Carson in the Navy; Johnny Carson—1992

Johnny Carson was arguably the most famous and beloved man in late-night television, helming The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson for 30 years, but long before he ever graced television screens—or even began broadcasting of any kind on smaller stations—Carson was a member of the United States Navy. Carson joined in 1943, but luck was on his side, and he never saw combat during World War II. In fact, always the showman, Carson was better known among his Navy buddies for his magic act and amateur boxing record aboard the U.S.S. Pennsylvania.

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Morgan Freeman in the Air Force; Morgan Freeman—Today

Morgan Freeman is one of the best actors of our time. We are comfortable stating that as a fact. But had things gone just a little differently, he might never have become an actor at all. In 1955, he opted to turn down an acting scholarship to college to instead work for the Air Force. We can’t imagine him being bad at anything, but we’re certainly glad that, for whatever reason, that whole service thing didn’t turn into a lifelong career!

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Owen Wilson at the New Mexico Military Institute; Owen Wilson—Today

Every good rom-com needs a bad boy with a heart of gold, and long before he headed out to Hollywood, it seems Owen Wilson was preparing for that part. When he was a teenager, he was expelled from school for cheating on a geometry test and shipped off to a New Mexico military academy, where his surfer blond locks were buzz-cut close to his scalp. But in case you’re wondering if his broken-nose-that-never-quite-healed-right was a result of tactical training gone awry… he insists otherwise.

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Orville Burrell, a.k.a. Shaggy, in the Marines; Shaggy—Today

Though it's been said he was discovered singing in the streets in 1988, Shaggy joined the Marine Corps that year and served as a field artillery cannon crewman in Operation Desert Storm. He credits wartime with the inspiration behind his 1995 hit single “Boombastic,” but he is perhaps best known for his 2000 single “It Wasn’t Me,” a reggae-inspired track based on convincing a guy you weren’t the one cheating with his girlfriend.

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Elvis Presley, a.k.a. The King, in the Army; Elvis Presley—1970

Elvis had already broken out into the music scene when he was inducted as a private in the U.S. Army—so much so that he was met by hundreds of fans and photographers as he entered the base. The Army, which is where he met his eventual wife Priscilla, allowed him (in theory) to be just one of the regular guys again for a short time. His songs may have been topping the charts outside, but in his ranks, he still had to answer to his commander and partake in exercises like everyone else.