Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner is known internationally for his wildly popular Playboy magazines. This political activist and philanthropist was an advocate of freedom of expression and sexual liberation, which would explain the nature of his publication.
Hefner enlisted in the military in 1944, right after finishing high school, which can be hard to believe, based on the personality he has ultimately become known for. He became an infantry clerk, and contributed many of his artworks to US Army newspapers, which helped boost the morale of the soldiers. Most of his cartoons were very fun to read, and perhaps also laid some sort of foundation for his ideas in creating the Playboy magazines. He got discharged from the army in 1946.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Even before Sammy Davis Jr. became famous for his music and acting, he had that fizzle of energy in him that made people notice his infectious talent and skills. So when the Second World War started and Davis Jr. drafted, his immediate superiors thought he could serve better entertaining the troops weary from the war, than in the battlefield.
He reaped a lot of benefits out of it upon his return to America, because it reflected brilliantly well on his work. He was given a position in the Rat Pack, a group led by Frank Sinatra himself.
Mr. T
Laurence Tureaud, better known professionally as Mr. T, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler of the 1980s. He joined the army and became a military policeman back in the seventies, whereupon a punishment for a minor misdeed inadvertently got him a promotion to squad leader. He was the “Top Trainee of the Cycle,” in 1975.
After his military service, Mr. T worked as a highly-paid bodyguard for $3,000 a night, until Sylvester Stallone met him by happenstance and offered him the life-changing opportunity of playing Clubber Lang in Rocky III.
Fred Durst
Rollin, Rollin, Rollin, Rollin! A chant made famous by the band, Limp Bizkit. And lead singer, Fred Durst, is adored for it by fans. Best known for his career in music, this bad boy was a bit wayward during his younger years.
Because he loved music when was young, he started off appreciating many varieties of artistic expressions like rap, poetry, hip hop and punk. He couldn’t find a job after he graduated from high school, and that ended up rolling him into a clusterball of frustrations. He decided to enlist in the navy, where he spent two years of his life. After his discharge, he found a job as a tattoo artist, started a band in 1995, and the rest is nu-metal history.
Montel Williams
American actor and television talk show host, Montel Williams, has a stellar resume, all starting with a previous career you wouldn’t expect from such a celebrity. Prior to all the lights and glamour of show business that he now dwells in, he actually spent a full 22 years serving his country as a lieutenant of the US Marine Corps. This was from 1974 to 1996, a world away from the spotlight.
He earned his degree in general engineering with a minor in international security while he was at Annapolis. He even studied Mandarin Chinese, perhaps as a foresight to the sleeping giant’s future rise in power.