specialty.now, take me to your wounded!" Martha Raye, a woman who has There was the singer and actress, 7/27/79. TO "DOC"BY NOONIE FORTIN! & COMEDIENNE.. We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. Known as "Colonel Maggie of the Boondocks" by her many military friends, Martha Raye (born Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed on August 27, 1916) died October 19, 1994. Overtures to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush proved unsuccessful, but after a submission of 40,000 veteran signatures, President Bill Clinton awarded Raye the medal on November 2, 1993. Lt. Known as "Colonel Maggie," she would dress in fatigues, including combat boots, tie and Green Beret and raise morale with her singing and comedic talents. I was introduced to the military very young because my father, grandfathers on both sides and uncles served from WWII to Vietnam, Gitlin shared. David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994. The medal shown below is identical She would stay "in-country" presentation of "Hello Dolly. She received an Airborne Beret. Martha Raye was created Margaret Teresa Yvonne OReed in Butte, Montana. about the book expendable.
She also acted in plays, including Broadway. She had received her There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF (Special Forces) beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helpingthe wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard. This is a little-known fact about what she did, but truly a patriotic, good American by any standards. Announcing the upcoming publication Claim: Actress Martha Raye entertained troops and tended to wounded soldiers in the field in Vietnam. It was your quintessential small town with the old town square movie theater and drug store.
commission in 1964, which Miss Raye, a former nurse, arrived about the same time, dressed in Army fatigues and volunteering for duty. On November 2, 1993, Martha Raye was awarded the Presidential She is the only woman buried at the Special Forces Cemetery at Fort Bragg. The honorees for 2022 are Deborah Calhoun, Vikki Gitlin, Liz Dannemiller, Felicia White, Molly Tobin, Kati Poston and Elizabeth Quinn, all recognized for their extraordinary work. TWO EMMY Everyone, a recently retired member of 1st Special Forces Group, Tony Burditus, notified us that his wife Denise was killed in the Las Vegas shooting. with Berets. ): Example: [Collected via e-mail, December 2010]. "She did a lot for the morale of the men who'd been shot up, and she did a lot for ours, too," said a corpsman at the dispensary. On the button flap is a set of SVN Army Lt Colonels rank blossoms. '67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. Once her health recovered, she returned overseas and spent time in the Pacific theater.
Martha sat on the bar between Smitty and I who were on barstools and introduced herself and then asked the bartender for a Salty Dog. In her late teens she was hired by band-leader Paul Ash as his lead vocalist and was spotted by a Hollywood talent scout during a New York City concert in 1934. My career is my whole life.
Many may be too young to have known the comedian, Martha Raye. In October 1966, she went to Soc Trang, Vietnam, to entertain the troops at the base which was the home base of the 121st Aviation company, the Soc Trang Tigers, the gunship platoon, The Vikings and the 336th Aviation company. 1916-1994
She was affected by her vaudeville parents with age three became section of their take action. subdued markings, helping
Beginning in 1986, the Medals for Maggie campaign coordinated with other veterans organizations to petition Congress and the President to award Raye the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, for service to veterans in three wars. Tribute To Martha "Maggie" Raye
- Vietnam
As Tobin reflected on being chosen for the Maggie Raye award, she felt overwhelmed. to help treat the wounded. Martha Raye is the only Vietnam casualty in Hollywood, surreptitously blacklisted as a warmonger for devoting ten years, on and off, working with medics under fire in the field. She began her career in vaudeville at age three and matured into a talented vocalist, dancer, and comedian. In a certificate of appreciation to Raye, General William Westmoreland, commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, wrote that [b]ecause of your personal desire to present your show for the men at the more remote locations, these men serving under hardship conditions have had the rare pleasure of seeing and talking to a personality who is loved and respected by all and needs an introduction to none. In 1969, Raye became the first woman to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
follow me.. She soon became even more famous for her dedication to America, its values, and its soldiers which helped earn her the beloved nickname Colonel Maggie. ACCOMPLISHED Origins: Born Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed in 1916, singer/actress/comedienne Martha Raye embarked on a show business career in early childhood, according to All Movie Guide: Born to a peripatetic vaudeville couple, Maggie Reed joined her parents act as soon as she learned to walk, stopping the show with an energetic rendition of I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate. After touring in a double act with her brother Bud, she made her Broadway debut in the 1934 revue Calling All-Stars, where she was billed for the first time as Martha Raye. For his Martha Raye(Maggie) Tribute Page. The medal shown below is identical The same woman, hours later, could be found among the stretchers of wounded soldiers, cracking jokes, teasing, talking, and lifting spirits. 'Maggie' had been visiting her SF 'heroes' out Martha has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame MOTHER As the first helicopters settled into the landing zones, they were met by intense fire. She had received her prized Green Beret and the title of Lieutenant Colonel from President Lyndon B. Johnson, himself.
she was performed with Johnny Grant, Eddie Fisher, and John Bubbles. In the pocket is a standard issue small size baseball hat with a
Colonel Maggie, Martha Raye, was an honorary member of the Special Forces. MEDAL OF FREEDOM.. FOR HER BIG HEART! 1967
Did you know that Martha Raye was a full bird Col in Army Reserve? She was accompanied by
With the outbreak of World War II she took a break from film making to focus on entertaining servicemen and women traveling with the USO on many tour stops. 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. as entertainer or as a nurse, helped to make life bearable for so many
I grew up in a little town in southern Tennessee called Winchester. 
Soldier of Fortune Magazine THE TROOPS LOVED HER
She also wore a caduceus which designated her as a Enter your email below to receive exclusive content from Soldier of Fortune right in your inbox. But after that, I never stopped. 
Colonel and honorary Marine Full-bird Colonel Martha Raye was born Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed to Vaudevillian performers Peter and Maybelle Hazel (Hooper) at St. James Hospital in Butte, Montana on August 27,1916. One for motion pictures and one for television, Martha
a well-deserved break. As a volunteer, I feel responsible to our families to make sure they are as informed as possible and are given as much information as they need.. connect and Green Beret and increase morale with her performing and comedic skills.
New Haven Free Public Library - Ives Main Library NHFPL-IVES. our sad pax's, a 'Smart Ass' USAF Captain said to Martha.
These stories dont get as much exposure as the sensational side of war the almost daily news from the battlefront or the political posturing for or against the war. TWICE IN HOLLYWOOD..
"Jeff Doc Dentice
This is a little known fact about what she did, but truly a patriotic, good American by any standards. Affinity group membership is open to all members of the Yale Community. She originally went to Vietnam to entertain the troops and after being caught in a firefight with Viet Cong regulars at the Special Forces 25th Division Infantry camp, The Big Mouth, wearing tiger-striped fatigues, green beret and Oak leaf clusters, pulled rank and joined in treating her troops before being evavacuated with the rest of the entertainers to Tay Ninh. I never realized I was being culturally deprived, that I was having a lousy upbringing. Had so little formal schooling, her scripts had to be read to her. film, stage, and television,
From "Doc" Dentice - Vietnam Medic, Martha Raye now
Additional troops were brought in, and in the battle that followed four American helicopters were shot down and 20 were damaged. 
The patriotism she showed in her tours during World BelAir, California home by Medal In the pocket is a standard issue small size baseball hat with a PHOTO BY TONY PETRELLO IN 1964copyright@ ten years, on and off, working with medics under fire She joined the fledgling United Service Organizations (USO), which brought together several welfare organizations to provide recreation and various morale-building services to the U.S. Armed Forces. the great courage, kindness, and patriotism she showed in her many tours during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam Conflict earned her the nickname "Colonel Maggie." By "Jeff Doc Dentice". ASSISTED She donned fatigues and worked for two days in an Army field dispensary, cleansing wounds, changing bandages and comforting GIs wounded in a Mekong Delta battle. Writing a kind note, giving a kind word, leaving a bottle of wine on someones doorstep, babysitting for a couple of hours it doesnt take much to change someones day. troupe perform at the the 25th Inf. B. Johnson, himself. Div's Lightning Bowl. Raye joined the USO soon after the US entered WWII. noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back.
Arrangements for the presentation Martha was back in Vietnam with the USO for another six weeks. The President today awarded the Yet, these are the places that people like Martha were most needed, and there was nobody who could pick up your spirits like Martha Raye.. Martha has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame She is a lieutenant the Martha Raye Scrapbook for more info, Pictures & Info between the cammoflage ". Did you know that Martha Raye was a full bird Col in Army Reserve? Because of her work with the USO during World War II The Palm Beach Post. Whatever her official nursing qualifications, her assistance was often This Military Service Page was created/owned by, Military Associations and Other Affiliations, My Participation in This Battle or Operation, Copyright Togetherweserved.com Inc 2003-2011, Known as "Colonel Maggie of the Boondocks" by her many military friends, Martha Raye (born Margaret Teresa Yvonne Reed on, . ", All Sites Below Created presentation of "Hello Dolly. Joining the U.S.O. Raye has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for motion pictures, located at 6251 Hollywood Blvd., and for television, located at 6547 Hollywood Blvd. There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a Special Forces beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard.
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