The story of a man who had it all and risked it all to do what he thought was his duty is one we can all learn from. Stewart had fame, fortune and a bright future in Hollywood. His determined efforts to fly in combat, even after being initially rejected by the Air Force, are inspiring. Reading this book makes you appreciate Jimmy Stewart the actor even more.

Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot is a great book. It gives insight on not only Jimmy Stewarts leading abilities but also on what it took to fly and work on these flying offensive weapons of WWII. It is verry interesting and did not want to put it down. The author puts everything in perspective with interviews and accounts. I am a WWII buff and anyone with the same interest should also find this book an excellent addition to your collection. It should be of interest to Jimmy Stewart fans as well as anyone wanting to get an inside look at this dangerous job as bomber pilot and those who rode along in those machines.

I was given this book for Christmas (at my urging). I immediately started reading, excited to learn more about a truly wonderful person and war hero. By the time I got to the half way point I wanted to stop reading, only continuing as I was hoping it would redeem itself...It did not.

To me, Mr. Stewart's name was put on the cover simply to sell the book; it is nothing but a clip collection of excerpts from other books, disjointed commentary and other assorted oddness. I believe no research was done for this book, the author simply put his own recollections to paper, (at the authors own admission, they were not close and only served in proximity to each other, not together) to prove this, I spent a mere day online researching his wartime record and had gathered much more interesting and relevant information than the book, and that is too bad, Mr. Stewart was truly a war hero, just like all of the other Joe's in the Eighth, he never ducked his duty (as the other reviewer pointed out, he enlisted before PH).

I cannot recommend this book to anyone, if you want to learn about the air war in Europe pick up any number of excellent books on the subject (I can recommend), if you want to know more about Mr. Stewart, pick up his biography.

I was given this book for Christmas (at my urging). I immediately started reading, excited to learn more about a truly wonderful person and war hero. By the time I got to the half way point I wanted to stop reading, only continuing as I was hoping it would redeem itself...It did not.

To me, Mr. Stewart's name was put on the cover simply to sell the book; it is nothing but a clip collection of excerpts from other books, disjointed commentary and other assorted oddness. I believe no research was done for this book, the author simply put his own recollections to paper, (at the authors own admission, they were not close and only served in proximity to each other, not together) to prove this, I spent a mere day online researching his wartime record and had gathered much more interesting and relevant information than the book, and that is too bad, Mr. Stewart was truly a war hero, just like all of the other Joe's in the Eighth, he never ducked his duty (as the other reviewer pointed out, he enlisted before PH).

I cannot recommend this book to anyone, if you want to learn about the air war in Europe pick up any number of excellent books on the subject (I can recommend), if you want to know more about Mr. Stewart, pick up his biography.

Jimmy Stewart was one of a handful of major American film stars to see combat in World War II, flying B-24 Liberators with the 8th Air Force in England. Logging 20 missions with the 445th and 453rd Bomb Groups, he won various decorations including a DFC and Croix de Guerre. Given his splendid record, details of his combat career would make for interesting reading. Unfortunately you won't get those details in this book!

First things first. Smith's book is a warm tribute to a fine human being and patriot. He relates a number of stories that show Stewart to be a considerate, self-effacing, fair-minded and skillful pilot, aircraft commander and unit commander. The many photographs of Stewart, various aircrews, aircraft, commanders, etc. are a nice touch.

What you don't get is details on most of the 20 combat missions Stewart flew. The book is entitled JIMMY STEWART BOMBER PILOT so "where's the beef?" Smith describes two or three missions and alludes to several others and that's it! The mission summaries and individual crew reports for all missions flown by the 445th and 453rd Bomb Groups are available at Maxwell AFB and can be purchased by the general public. Why Smith didn't utilize those documents to flesh out the Stewart combat story is a puzzler.

Along with that failing, the book is way too padded with material, some of it on postwar developments, that add nothing to the 'Jimmy Stewart at war' story. All that padding often makes Stewart a bit player in a book devoted to him!

In short, Jimmy Stewart deserved better. Reading this book, you can't help but admire and like the guy. He was a class act. At the same time you wonder exactly what happened on all those missions but you never get "the rest of the story!"

An optional purchase.

In reading the other reviews of this book, I found something very interesting: both the positive and negative are basically correct. This book is a near love letter to Stewart, but it also really fails to describe his military experiences. Stewart was the Pat Tillman of another era. He enlisted--enlisted--in the U.S. Army before--I repeat--before Pear Harbor. This after he was an Oscar winning movie star. The book is good at building up and describing Stewart's early career in Hollywood and his initial training. You get a good feel for his leadership ability. Then, the author fails to deliver. There is nothing about the missions Stewart flew. The book reads like a series of articles from unit alumni newsletters. It strikes me that Smith used this book as a post-retirment mechanism to renew old friendships from the war, and while everyone seems to agree that Stewart was an amazing man of integrity and character, they fail to provide any meaningful evidence to support their position.

The first step towards writing a good book is to pick a good subject. Chances are, even if you are not that great of a writer or do not have something especially compelling to say, if you have picked a good subject then the book will float on its own. Jimmy Stewart is a good subject and Starr Smith's brief biography of him, focusing primarily on his service as pilot in World War II, floats. Starr Smith served as an Intelligence Officer with the Eighth Air Force and became acquainted with Jimmy Stewart in London when they were stationed together. Stewart served in London as a Bomber pilot with the Eighth Air Force. It's a little known fact that service as a Bomber Pilot in World War II was more dangerous than service as an infantryman. For an Oscar-winning movie star to brave those risks was exceptional. For me, this was an uplifting and enjoyable book.

Jimmy Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and grew up in Indiana. He became entranced with acting during his senior year of high school and continued to act when he went on to Princeton University. After graduation, Stewart worked as an actor in Massachusetts with a small acting company where he met another aspiring actor who would become his room-mate when they subsequently went to New York. That actor was Henry Fonda. The two actors shared a love of airplanes and flying and often spent evenings in their small New York apartment building model airplanes.

Stewart and Fonda both landed in Hollywood in 1935 and launched upon successful movie careers. Stewart had gotten wide acclaim for his role in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and later won an Academy Award for his role in the "Philadelphia Story" in 1939. But when war came, Stewart volunteered for service with the Army. He was initially turned away because he was too light but, undeterred, he gained the required weight and joined up, eventually earning an officer's commission as a pilot. Despite frequent attempts to get to combat duty in Europe, Stewart served as a flight instructor in the states until he finally got his wish and landed a combat assignment with the Eighth Air Force in London. The Eighth Air Force -- which is featured in the classic war film "Twelve O'Clock High" (a must own) -- had the mission of flying the precarious daylight bombing raids over Germany.

This brings us to the best part of the book: first-hand testimonials from Stewart's men on what type of officer and leader he was. Unsurprisingly, he was a very competent pilot and an active leader who was very involved in the details of his job. The below quote from one of Stewart's men says a lot about his leadership style:

"Jimmy Stewart walked all through the airplane, checking us all out, and returned to the flight deck. On the intercom he asked each crew position questions about our routine. He asked me, "What are you doing now, Sergeant Robinson? What do you see out the waist window? Can you see the supercharger position? Are the exhausts smoking? What color is the engine exhaust? How much fuel do we have on board? Are you checking it? Are the fuel gauges off and drained?"

Stewart wanted to see every engineer on the flight deck. I went forward. Then more questions. "Robinson, can you fly as first engineer? Can you operate all turrets? Can you arm the bombs?" He had a question about everything. Stewart really knew this airplane. He wanted us to know it too."

After the war, Stewart married at the age of 41 and raised a family with twin daughters in Hollywood. He had a stepson killed in action in Vietnam while serving as a Marine officer. Stewart went on to become a Brigadier General in the Air Force reserve and remained most proud of his service during the war - much more so than his many acting accomplishments. In conclusion, this book leads us to believe that the camera captured Stewart's true essence in his most famous role as Frank Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life." Like Bailey, Stewart lived a wonderful life; and it is this fact more than anything else that makes this book such an inspiring and enjoyable read.

The first step towards writing a good book is to pick a good subject. Chances are, even if you are not that great of a writer or do not have something especially compelling to say, if you have picked a good subject then the book will float on its own. Jimmy Stewart is a good subject and Starr Smith's brief biography of him, focusing primarily on his service as pilot in World War II, floats. Starr Smith served as an Intelligence Officer with the Eighth Air Force and became acquainted with Jimmy Stewart in London when they were stationed together. Stewart served in London as a Bomber pilot with the Eighth Air Force. It's a little known fact that service as a Bomber Pilot in World War II was more dangerous than service as an infantryman. For an Oscar-winning movie star to brave those risks was exceptional. For me, this was an uplifting and enjoyable book.

Jimmy Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and grew up in Indiana. He became entranced with acting during his senior year of high school and continued to act when he went on to Princeton University. After graduation, Stewart worked as an actor in Massachusetts with a small acting company where he met another aspiring actor who would become his room-mate when they subsequently went to New York. That actor was Henry Fonda. The two actors shared a love of airplanes and flying and often spent evenings in their small New York apartment building model airplanes.

Stewart and Fonda both landed in Hollywood in 1935 and launched upon successful movie careers. Stewart had gotten wide acclaim for his role in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and later won an Academy Award for his role in the "Philadelphia Story" in 1939. But when war came, Stewart volunteered for service with the Army. He was initially turned away because he was too light but, undeterred, he gained the required weight and joined up, eventually earning an officer's commission as a pilot. Despite frequent attempts to get to combat duty in Europe, Stewart served as a flight instructor in the states until he finally got his wish and landed a combat assignment with the Eighth Air Force in London. The Eighth Air Force -- which is featured in the classic war film "Twelve O'Clock High" (a must own) -- had the mission of flying the precarious daylight bombing raids over Germany.

This brings us to the best part of the book: first-hand testimonials from Stewart's men on what type of officer and leader he was. Unsurprisingly, he was a very competent pilot and an active leader who was very involved in the details of his job. The below quote from one of Stewart's men says a lot about his leadership style:

"Jimmy Stewart walked all through the airplane, checking us all out, and returned to the flight deck. On the intercom he asked each crew position questions about our routine. He asked me, "What are you doing now, Sergeant Robinson? What do you see out the waist window? Can you see the supercharger position? Are the exhausts smoking? What color is the engine exhaust? How much fuel do we have on board? Are you checking it? Are the fuel gauges off and drained?"

Stewart wanted to see every engineer on the flight deck. I went forward. Then more questions. "Robinson, can you fly as first engineer? Can you operate all turrets? Can you arm the bombs?" He had a question about everything. Stewart really knew this airplane. He wanted us to know it too."

After the war, Stewart married at the age of 41 and raised a family with twin daughters in Hollywood. He had a stepson killed in action in Vietnam while serving as a Marine officer. Stewart went on to become a Brigadier General in the Air Force reserve and remained most proud of his service during the war - much more so than his many acting accomplishments. In conclusion, this book leads us to believe that the camera captured Stewart's true essence in his most famous role as Frank Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life." Like Bailey, Stewart lived a wonderful life; and it is this fact more than anything else that makes this book such an inspiring and enjoyable read.

The first step towards writing a good book is to pick a good subject. Chances are, even if you are not that great of a writer or do not have something especially compelling to say, if you have picked a good subject then the book will float on its own. Starr Smith's brief biography of Jimmy Stewart, focusing primarily on his service as pilot in World War II, floats. Starr Smith served as an Intelligence Officer with the Eighth Air Force and became acquainted with Jimmy Stewart in London when they were stationed together. Stewart served there as a Bomber pilot. For me, this was a quick and uplifting book that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Jimmy Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and grew up in Indiana. He became entranced with acting during his senior of high school and continued to act when he went to Princeton University. Stewart worked as an actor in Massachusetts with a small acting company following graduation and met another aspiring actor there who would become his room-mate when they went to New York - Henry Fonda. The two actors shared a love of airplanes flying and, together, they spent their evenings in their small apartment building model airplanes. Stewart and Fonda landed in Hollywood in 1935 and launched upon successful movie careers. Stewart had gotten wide acclaim for his role in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and won an Academy Award for his role in the "Philadelphia Story" in 1939. When war came, Stewart volunteered for service with the Army but was turned away because he was too light. Undeterred, he gained the required weight and joined up, eventually earning an officer's commission as a pilot. He served as a flight instructor in the states, despite frequent attempts to get sent to combat duty in Europe. Finally, he got his wish and landed a combat assignment with the Eighth Air Force in London, with the mission of flying bombing raids over Germany.

This brings us to the best part of the book: first-hand testimonials from Stewart's men on what type of officer he was. Unsurprisingly, he was a very competent pilot but, also interestingly enough, was an active leader very involved in the details. The below quote from one of Stewart's men says quite a bit about his leadership style:

"Jimmy Stewart walked all through the airplane, checking us all out, and returned to the flight deck. On the intercom he asked each crew position questions about our routine. He asked me, "What are you doing now, Sergeant Robinson? What do you see out the waist window? Can you see the supercharger position? Are the exhausts smoking? What color is the engine exhaust? How much fuel do we have on board? Are you checking it? Are the fuel gauges off and drained?"

Stewart wanted to see every engineer on the flight deck. I went forward. Then more questions. "Robinson, can you fly as first engineer? Can you operate all turrets? Can you arm the bombs?" He had a question about everything. Stewart really knew this airplane. He wanted us to know it too."

After the war, Stewart married at the age of 41, fathered and raised twin daughters in Hollywood, and had a stepson serving as a Marine Officer killed in action in Vietnam. Stewart went on to become a Brigadier General in the Air Force reserve and remained most proud of his service as an officer during the war - much more so than his many acting accomplishments. In conclusion, this book leads us to believe that the camera captured Stewart's true essence in his most famous role as Frank Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life." Like Bailey, Stewart lived a wonderful life; and it is this more than anything else that makes this book an inspiring and enjoyable read.

The first step towards writing a good book is to pick a good subject. Chances are, even if you are not that great of a writer or do not have something especially compelling to say, if you have picked a good subject then the book will float on its own. Starr Smith's brief biography of Jimmy Stewart, focusing primarily on his service as pilot in World War II, floats. Starr Smith served as an Intelligence Officer with the Eighth Air Force and became acquainted with Jimmy Stewart in London when they were stationed together. Stewart served there as a Bomber pilot. For me, this was a quick and uplifting book that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Jimmy Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and grew up in Indiana. He became entranced with acting during his senior of high school and continued to act when he went to Princeton University. Stewart worked as an actor in Massachusetts with a small acting company following graduation and met another aspiring actor there who would become his room-mate when they went to New York - Henry Fonda. The two actors shared a love of flight and, together, they spent their evenings in their apartment building model airplanes. Stewart and Fonda landed in Hollywood in 1935 and launched upon successful movie careers. Stewart had gotten wide acclaim for his role in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and won an Academy Award for his role in the "Philadelphia Story" in 1939. When war came, Stewart volunteered for service with the Army but was turned away because he was too light. Undeterred, he gained the required weight and joined up, eventually earning an officer's commission as a pilot. He served as an instructor, despite frequent attempts to get sent to combat duty in Europe. Finally, he got his wish and landed an assignment with the Eighth Air Force in London.

This brings us to the best part of the book: first-hand testimonials from Stewart's men on what type of officer he was. Unsurprisingly, he was a very competent pilot but, interestingly, an active leader very involved in the details. The below quote says quite a bit about Stewart's leadership style:

"Jimmy Stewart walked all through the airplane, checking us all out, and returned to the flight deck. On the intercom he asked each crew position questions about our routine. He asked me, "What are you doing now, Sergeant Robinson? What do you see out the waist window? Can you see the supercharger position? Are the exhausts smoking? What color is the engine exhaust? How much fuel do we have on board? Are you checking it? Are the fuel gauges off and drained?"

Stewart wanted to see every engineer on the flight deck. I went forward. Then more questions. "Robinson, can you fly as first engineer? Can you operate all turrets? Can you arm the bombs?" He had a question about everything. Stewart really knew this airplane. He wanted us to know it too."

After the war, Stewart married at ther age of 41, fathered and raised twin daughters, and had a stepson serving as a Marine Officer killed in Vietnam. Stewart went on to become a Brigadier General in the Air Force reserve and remained most proud of his service as an officer during the war - much more so than his many acting accomplishments. In conclusion, Stewart lived a wonderful life; and it is that fact more than anything else that makes this book an inspiring and enjoyable read.

This book is lousy with a Capital "L". Shallow, superficial, with almost no detail about the missions flown. Even includes one totally irrelevant chapter about Army maneuvers conducted in Lousiana- that Stewart had no part in at all! There are no insights into Stewart's personality- all we find out is that he conducted excellent pre-mission briefings, and that he was a skilled pilot- which most Jimmy Stewart fans know already.

Almost a third of the book deals with other irrelevancies, like the Jimmy Stewart museum and how he married and raised a family- after the war.

Don't waste your money.

I was well aware of Jimmy Stewart's military record when I set out to read this book. I was, however, anxious to learn a bit more about Stewart's combat exploits during World War II. In that regard, this book was somewhat disappointing. Rather than let us get inside Stewart's heart and mind and sense what he experienced, it appears to chronicle Stewart's time in service, letting us know where, when, and in what capacities he served; what a great guy he was, how dedicated and successful he was, and when and to what ranks he was promoted; and, in general, what many of those who served with him thought of him, but it never gets down to the nitty-gritty of what he actually did at a personal level. The reader, it would seem, is always looking from the outside in.

I was also disappointed by the fact that much of the book isn't even about Jimmy Stewart. Stewart seems to be a thread running through a broader story about World War II in Europe and, more specifically, the air war as fought by our B-24 Liberator bomb groups. I say that because more often than not the author deviates from his presumed subject, Stewart, and goes off on a tangent (e.g., Eisenhower's appointment, George C. Marshall, one officer or another, the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1940, manufacturing B-24 bombers, the Wright crew, Churchill and Roosevelt at Casablanca, and various reminiscences of one person or another). Perhaps I'm being too critical, but I would estimate that only about 30% of the book actually deals directly with Jimmy Stewart while the remainder concerns other topics. And much of the 30% is a bit repetitive.

All that said, this is still an interesting history of the air war in Europe, much of it in the words of men who actually served with Jimmy Stewart. From that standpoint, it is well worth reading. After doing so, the reader will know where Stewart served, in what capacities, how many missions he flew, when he was promoted, what people thought of him, what medals and commendations he won, and where the Brigadier General James Maitland Stewart museum is located, but he or she probably won't have a real sense of the man, himself. But, maybe only Jimmy Stewart could have told that side of the story, and he was much too unpretentious a man to ever do so.

Smith does a nice job recounting the days the Jimmy Stewart spent in the military during WWII. I found it very detailed oriented and less filled with anecdotes than I would have thought all these years removed from WWII. I knew a bit about Stewart's involvement in the Army Air Corps, which became the Air Force, but this book really filled in the details of his time during the war. Guys like Jimmy Stewart are a far cry from the phonies like Alec Baldwin who threaten to go back to Canada but wind up sticking around the USA to sap of of our money with second rate films.

I think you will be amazed to find out all that Stewart had to do in order to become the hero he was. He was not drafted as a previous review claims, rather he inlisted against the will of the studio. He also had to endure undesired special treatment because no one wanted to put him in harms way. Eventually his desire to train for and see active duty prevailed and some forty odd years later this film star retired as Gen. Stewart, donating all of his retirement money back to the Air Force.

This is a great book about an American hero. Like many of his day, Glen Miller, Ronald Reagan. Stewart did not wait he willingly enlisted!

This is a very well written book about a true American hero. Jimmy Stewart has long been a great hero and idol to me. This is an awesome account of one of the worlds most awesome people. I highly recommend this not only for Jimmy Stewart fans, but for everyone. But anyone who reads this will be a Jimmy Stewart fan!

The details of Jimmy Stewart's military career read like a movie script. you know, one of those sentimentalized 'biographies' that Hollywood used to grind out in the '40's. Actually, it probably would have been made into another one of those wartime films that dramatized the heroic deeds of numerous All-American boy heroes. The fact is, Stewart was a bona fide hero and this book does an excellent job of providing the details of Jimmy's remarkable accomplishments in the Army Air Force...starting as a private, drafted 9 months before Pearl Harbor (which like so many Hollywood types, he could have easily avoided), to leading his bomber group on more than 20 missions over Nazi Germany.
Written by a former Intelligence Officer at Jimmy's base in England, this easy to read narrative avoids unnecessary exaggeration and provides a quiet, detailed account of Jimmy Stewart's military career. As Jimmy always avoided discussing this aspect of his life, this book provides details that might have never become available about the life of a true American Hero, James Maitland Stewart

As a person, and as a great American and patriot, there is no equal to Jimmy Stewart, and he is truly one of my heroes, and by virtue of him leaving Hollywood to fight during WWII embodies him greatly in the history of this nation. Having said that, I found the book on my hero boring, devoid of any substance for his incredible service, and lacking any in-depth research into this extraordinary person. The entire book talks more about other people than it does about Jimmy Stewart. I bought the book thinking I was going to learn more about this man during WWII than about his Hollywood career, but the entire book falls short of any reading pleasure. I was sorely disappointed, and I would encourage no one to buy it. Save your money for Jimmy Stewart's biography. I'm sure it's much more impressive.

Jimmy Stewart was in the Air Force. I knew that; it's not a big secret. He was a general; again, I knew that, it's not a secret either. But he served in combat, at a time when he didn't have to, and was something of a hero. *That* was news to me, and frankly I'm somewhat surprised at how far into the warzone he got, and what he was able to do once he got there.

Stewart led 20 missions over Germany and occupied Europe during World War II, and flew one during the early days of the Viet Nam War, also (truly a surprise to me). He was apparently regarded by the other officers and men of the various outfits he served with as intelligent, brave, and very cool under fire, in addition to being more than a bit lucky. You'd think this last would make people jealous, but in a war, the reaction instead is to try and get next to the lucky guy, be on his plane or in his orbit: if he's lucky, if you're next to him maybe you will be too.

Unfortunately Starr Smith's book doesn't really measure up to Stewart's career. The author conducted a few interviews, but only a few, and sprinkled the story with his own recollections of Stewart. The two served together in England for a while: Stewart was Operations Officer of a Bomber Wing, and Smith was the Intellgence Officer. There is not much in the book about the actual missions he flew or anything like that: the mission to Berlin (probably his most dangerous) is described in perhaps a page. Since the author apparently realizes that this will leave readers thinking the book a bit thin, there's a lot of padding. One completely extraneous portion is a chapter on Dwight Eisenhower in Louisiana, which has almost nothing to do with the rest of the story. The last fifty or sixty pages of the book is a mishmash of recollections, appendices, short bios of people Stewart knew, and letters the author received about Stewart. Much of it repeats what's already in the text.

The book does have the virtue of having 64 photographs in it. I guess Stewart was shy, but couldn't prevent people from taking his photo. While the book overall does perform a useful service in informing people as to Jimmy Stewart's combat record during World War II, it also isn't that readable or interesting.

In Jimmy Stewart's hometown of Indiana, PA, there's a museum dedicated to this memory, and in the museum there's a guestbook for the visitors to sign. One of the most touching comments contained therein is: "I was always impressed at what a great American and genuine person he was." I think that about sums up Stewart's life. Most people remember him as George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life." But they don't know that here was a movie star who in 1941, just having won the Oscar for best actor in "The Philadelphia Story," enlisted as a private in the U.S. Army despite the objections of the studios. As he put it, "It may sound corny, but what's wrong with wanting to fight for your country. Whay are people reluctant to use the word patriotism?" Stewart's grandfather had fought in the Civil War, and his father volunteered both for the Spanish-American War and World War I. Prior to the war, Stewart had become a licensed pilot, and he was soon commissioned in the Army Air Force. What worried him, however, was that he would be left on the homefront doing public relations or training pilots. He wanted to go into the front lines of the war. Starr Smith, the author, writes: "He was determined to prove he could measure up as a man doing a really important job in the military crucible and not just a celluloid hero." Smith served with Stewart during the war, and this book contains a number of interviews with other men who served alongside Stewart during the war in Europe. Stewart proved to be a competent, unassuming capable officer who looked after the welfare of his men. He wasn't in it for himself. By the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of Colonel (at age 37) and was a wing commander, having flown 20 bombing missions over Germany. When he came home, he stayed in the reserves. When he retired in 1968, he was a Brigadier General. Stewart went back to making movies, but he wouldn't star in war movies nor would he allow the studios to exploit his war record. The author notes that when Stewart was in the war, he never talked about Hollywood. When he was in Hollywood he never talked about the war. One of the most touching stories in this book is about the letter Stewart's father gave him before going to the war, which he told his son not to open until he was in the air. Try not to cry when you read that! Starr Smith has written a truly inspirational book about a great American who was a rare thing: he really was what he appeared to be. It also says something about today's movie stars. Can you imagine them doing what Stewart did? I kind of doubt it. Jimmy Stewart really had a wonderful life!

World War II writing at its best from a man who was there. Starr Smith does an outstanding job of capturing a side of Jimmy Stewart that many Americans have never known. There are lessons in this volume on service and leadership that our present and future generations can and should learn and put into common practice.

Stewarts skill as a pilot and leader are well documented by this book and it should be required reading for all ranks in all branches of the American military.

This book spells out in the course of a life why so many of us choose to serve this great nation of ours.

I very nice written short history of Jimmy Stewarts military service. I had known he was active in the reserves, but had never looked into his entire military service. A selfless patriot.

Well written, easy to read of a private side of Jimmy Stewart rarely seen. Mr. Stewart was the epitome of the citizen-soldier who rose up thru the ranks to have a distinguished military career, seperate and distinct from his acting. He did this no for personal gloy, but because he felt it was his duty to serve.

He could have easily avoided military service due to his age, and due to his Hollywood connections. But instead, he accepted being drafted and asked no special treatment. After training as a bomber pilot, he seeked out and accepted an assignment to a unit preparing for movement overseas. Once deployeed, he flew numerous missions and served in key staff ssignments that were critical to the war effort.

After World War II, he remained active in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and became a jet pilot, and finally retiring at age 60 as a Brigadier general.

If you are a fan of Jimmy Stewart, read this book to learn about an unseen side.

This book is almost a love letter to Jimmy Stewart. And it may well be that the love is justified in this case. The mild "aw shucks" demeanor of an honest, average middle class individual thrust into crisis seen so often on the screen is reported here over and over by people who knew him during WW II. It's clear that he was no dummy, graduate of Princeton.

This book though is on his wartime career. Entering the Army early in 1941 (and seeing his salary drop from $6,000 a month to $21) he was by the end of the war a seasoned bomber pilot with 20 missions behind him, including a visit to Berlin.

In part this book has to concentrate on the differences a movie star has to see (the Army didn't want him killed), but most of it is on the way Jimmy Stewart handled himself in the War. It's a view of the war seen in movies like 12 O'Clock high, but this one is a personal view as seen by one man. If even half of what the book says is true, Jimmy Stewart clearly deserved his decorations.

This book on the military life of Jimmy Stewart is long over due. Jimmy Stewart was one person on this earth that if you had ever met him you could never forget him. Stewart was the same in real life as he was in his movies. Stewart would never talk about his WWII years in the Air Force or allow Hollywood to exploit it. Stewart once said "How can I send an Airman into combat with out knowing it myself." That was Jimmy Stewart
Starr Smith in his unique way of writing has captured the real James Stewart. Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot is a must read. Stewart is a true Silent American Hero. Star Smith's Jimmy Stewart Bomber Pilot tells the story of Stewart's military career as it happened. If you want to know the real Jimmy Stewart this is the book you will want to read.
Stewart is one of the real down to earth G I's American Airman of WWII.
This is really a must read book.
Robbie
John Harold Robinson