He was a hero to me... Nobody ever speaks of his Military Service. Grabbed this from his wiki. An Actual American Hero... Rip Mister Garner.


He never graduated from high school, explaining in a 1976 Good Housekeeping magazine interview: "I was a terrible student and I never actually graduated from high school, but I got my diploma in the Army."[7]

Later, he joined the National Guard serving seven months in the United States. He then went to Korea for 14 months in the Regular Army, serving in the 5th Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. He was wounded twice, first in the face and hand from shrapnel fire from a mortar round, and second on April 23, 1951 in the buttocks from friendly fire from U.S. fighter jets as he dove headfirst into a foxhole. Garner was awarded the Purple Heart in Korea for the first injury. For the second wound, he received a second Purple Heart (eligibility requirement: "As the result of friendly fire while actively engaging the enemy"), although Garner received the medal in 1983, 32 years after his injury.[10][13][14][15] Garner was a self-described "scrounger" for his company in Korea, a role he later played in The Great Escape[16] and The Americanization of Emily.

A great actor, veteran, and racing enthusiast, RIP!

Good reminder that I've been meaning to watch his racing documentary again:
The Racing Scene