Audie Murphy
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Major Audie Murphy was not only an actor, but was also one of the most decorated American combat infantryman of WWII. Not only did he receive every military combat award for valor the U.S. Army has available, he was awarded French and Belgian medals for heroism. He volunteered after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and his older sister helped him to falsify birth documents in order to meet the minimum-age requirement for enlisting in the military. After the war, Murphy was plagued with insomnia and bouts of depression, and he slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow—all symptoms of what’s now known as PTSD. He went on to become an writer and actor, starring in his own biographical drama, based on a book he wrote in 1949 titled, “To Hell and Back” and other popular cult classics like “The Red Badge of Courage”.
Theodore Roosevelt
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If you know anything about Teddy Roosevelt, you had to know that he’d be on this list. In 1989, Roosevelt formed the first US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, known as the Rough Riders. Fighting in the Spanish American War, the Riders were largely responsible for the victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill, after they captured an important strategic position on foot. Then Colonel Roosevelt used this victory to launch his political career, a trajectory that ultimately made him the 26th President of the United States.
Once there, he considered himself responsible for his own security, carrying a pistol at all times even though he had a black belt in jujitsu and was a champion boxer. Even so, when he was campaigning (unsuccessfully) for a third term, Roosevelt was shot. He then proceeded to give his campaign speech before he bothered to have anyone treat the open chest wound.
Rutherford B. Hayes
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The 19th president of the United States volunteered to fight for the state of Ohio during the Civil War. He referred to this period of his life as his “golden years,” in spite of the fact that he was wounded four times, had several horses shot out from under him, and would go on to hold the highest office in the land. He rose to the rank of Major General during his service. He apparently felt that was a greater honor than his election to Congress since he refused to actually go to Washington until the war was won, saying, “An officer fit for duty who at this crisis would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress ought to be scalped.”
Chuck Norris
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The “Walker, Texas Ranger” star got his start while he was stationed in South Korea as an Air Policeman. Upset that he had to draw his sidearm in order to handle a drunk, he began studying martial arts as a way to do his job better. Over time, Norris became more proficient, which included studying with Bruce Lee himself and holding the world middleweight karate champion title for six years. In his entire career, he lost only ten bouts, out of nearly two hundred.
John F. Kennedy
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In an era where we expect to hear that presidential candidates did something to dodge the draft, whether that’s simply refusing to go, joining the National Guard, or having bone spurs, it’s surprising to see that JFK went the other way. When his bad back disqualified him from service, Kennedy had his father pull strings to get him into the Navy.
While there, he wasn’t limited to desk jobs either. At one point during WW2, Kennedy’s patrol boat was hit by enemy fire and torn apart. JFK, bad back and all, swam for four hours while pulling an injured crewman to safety with his teeth. There’s not much more badass than that.
James Polk
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The eleventh president rarely makes anyone’s lists. In fact, you might even forget that he was president. It’s easy to do. Running against him, the Whigs actually used the slogan “Who is James K. Polk?”
Unfortunately for them, Polk may have been the most successful president in American history. He made four major campaign promises: cut tariffs, make the US Treasury independent, secure Oregon, and claim California and New Mexico from Mexico. Unlike most political candidates, he managed to fulfill all of these promises. But it’s his fifth promise that makes him a badass: he left office and went home after only a single term. That’s right. He made four promises no one thought he could keep and fulfilled them all in one term.
Andrew Jackson
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While President Jackson became famous for his efforts in the War of 1812, he began his military career fighting in the American Revolution. He and his two brothers went off to fight in the South Carolinian regiments, leaving their single mother behind. After losing the older brother, Hugh, Andrew and Robert were captured by the British in 1781 and were afflicted with smallpox. Shortly after their mother managed to secure their release, both Robert and their mother died, leaving Jackson alone in the world… at the age of fourteen.
With a start like that, it’s no wonder that he was able to become such a powerful figure in American history.
Abraham Lincoln
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Our 16th President never fought on the battlefield, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t ready to. In addition to serving as a captain during the Black Hawk War, Lincoln was an accomplished fighter. Upon being challenged to a duel by a political opponent (largely over comments made by Mary Todd, Lincoln’s future wife), Lincoln selected the largest broadswords possible. When the day of the duel arrived, the much taller Lincoln used his sword to cut off a branch right over his opponent’s head, demonstrating that he was certain to win and forcing his opponent to concede. This same strategic skill showed itself when he served as Commander in Chief a few years later.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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“Ike” was one of the most popular presidents in American history. While he served as a Republican, it was widely known that the Democrats were considering nominating him as well. And it’s no wonder, given that he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War Two. It was his command, “Okay, let’s go,” that launched the D-Day invasion of Normandy in spite of the poor weather and likely resulted in the Allies winning the war. At this point in time, no other man has ever commanded so many troops in battle.
Ulysses S. Grant
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Hiram Ulysses Grant is one of the few presidents who is actually better known for his earlier accomplishments. During the Civil War, Lincoln had been rotating through a number of generals for the Union army, trying to find one who could actually win battles. Eventually, he looked westward, to where a renegade General that few people liked was actually making progress. When it was protested that Grant was a drunk, Lincoln reportedly responded, “Send all my generals a case of whatever he’s drinking.” Drunk or not, Grant would go on to turn the tide of the war and accept the surrender of Robert E. Lee to effectively end the Civil War.
John Quincy Adams
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The son of John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers, John Q. Adams was certainly going to be a major political figure. He served as a diplomat for several years before becoming president for only a single term. However, unlike most presidents who lose reelection, Adams did not retire from public life. He went on to become a member of the House of Representatives and a vocal opponent of slavery, in spite of House gag rules that forbade speaking on the subject.
George Washington
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While we think of George Washington as a mythical figure now, we may forget that he was considered that way even in his own time. After a long career of military service, which had, of course, included nearly a decade of fighting against Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, Washington was President of the Constitutional Convention, presiding over the drafting of the rules which would eventually elect him president. According to James Madison, everyone in the room knew that Washington would be the first to hold that position, even John Hancock, who argued that it should be held for life.
King George III said that if Washington did not seize power “he would be the greatest man that ever lived.” When even your enemies will say things like that about you, you’re definitely a badass.
Harrison Ford
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Ford is famous, in part, for piloting a spaceship, but most people don’t know that he also pilots helicopters. He’s been involved in multiple rescue operations, including saving a woman who was trapped on top of a mountain in Idaho and searching for a Boy Scout who was lost in the woods. When he’s not adventuring around the world looking for lost treasure, he apparently spends at least some of his free time flying around the Hudson River, looking for people who are polluting the water. How’s that for a hero?
Arnold Schwarzenegger
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While he’s now known for his rules as Terminator and Governor of California, Schwarzenegger was born in Austria and started training as a bodybuilder at the age of 14. Even after he was drafted into the Austrian Army, he continued his training and was named Junior Mr. Europe.
Coming to America, he quickly began working in Hollywood on the side, even though he didn’t yet speak English. Somehow, this Austrian immigrant, in addition to being one of the world’s strongest men and an immensely successful actor, managed to find the time to become a naturalized US citizen and run for office in the most populous state in the country… and win.
Julia Child
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That’s probably not a name you expected to see on this list. Child is known for her cooking skills, not for being a badass. However, when the US joined WWII, Child was desperate to serve. And since she was too tall for the options that normally accepted women, she decided to join the Office of Strategic Services, which would later be turned into the CIA. There, she discovered ways to cook chemicals that repelled sharks from both soldiers and underwater mines, saving many lives and helping fight the Nazis with her cooking skills.
Mel Brooks
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He’s best known for movies like “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein,” but Mel Brooks was also a minesweeper in WWII. The seventeen-year-old Jewish boy went out to clear landmines that were placed in front of the allied forces as they marched across Europe. Additionally, to counter German propaganda, the young comedian, on his own initiative, set up loudspeakers to play various Jewish artists back at them. This mockery continued to show itself during his long film career.
Roy Benavidez
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During the height of the Vietnam War, a small team was deployed into the jungle to scout the enemy when it was attacked by Viet Cong forces. Benavidez wasn’t on that team.
He also wasn’t on the team sent to rescue them, until he heard what was going on and ran to the helicopter preparing to take off, carrying only his knife and medical supplies. Roy managed to save several lives that day and survived himself, in spite of receiving seven gunshot wounds and being hit with twenty-eight pieces of shrapnel while he worked to rescue the men. He would later receive the Medal of Honor for his efforts.
Alvin York
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Sergeant York would later become famous due to the 1941 film about his life, but his actual accomplishments deserve fame on their own. In spite of originally being a conscientious objector when he was drafted into WWI, York managed to single-handedly eliminate a machine gun nest, kill six charging German soldiers with his pistol, and then capture 132 prisoners, which he and his seven men marched back to their command post. York received the Medal of Honor, the French Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honour, the Italian Croce al Merito di Guerra, and numerous other medals for his exploits.
Mary Walker
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Dr. Mary Walker is the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. A field surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War, Mary considered anyone who was injured to be her responsibility. She constantly went behind enemy lines to care for the wounded, even though the protections that we currently give medics didn’t exist at the time and the men she worked with were afraid that they would be captured. Their fears were for a good reason. In 1864, she was arrested for espionage by the Confederacy and held for more than four months, after she had helped a Confederate surgeon with an amputation. General Sherman himself pushed for her to receive the Medal of Honor in recognition of her bravery.
Vernon Baker
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For the most part, we really don’t hear about what went on in Italy during World War Two. The fighting was rough there, due to the mountains in Northern Italy, which prevented the Allies from making much headway. However, Vernon Baker managed to distinguish himself in the last days of the war. While his company was under fire from an enemy machine gun nest, Baker managed to crawl to the position and single-handedly take out the soldiers inside. After that, he removed the spotters from an enemy observation post. With the help of one of his men, he then did the same to two more machine gun emplacements. Finally, in order to ensure that the wounded could be extracted, he intentionally drew enemy fire to himself. It’s no wonder that he received the Medal of Honor.
Randall Shughart & Gary Gordon
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When we see that movies were “based on a true story,” we tend to assume that the exploits were exaggerated. However, “Black Hawk Down” had to tone back exactly how badass Shughart and Gordon were. They were supposed to be providing overwatch from a helicopter in a relatively safe position but instead radioed command to let them go in on foot to rescue the occupants of two helicopters that had been shot down. With just their sniper rifles and sidearms, they traveled almost a hundred yards under heavy fire and rescued the crew, holding off hundreds of attackers. While both were unfortunately killed in the struggle, they were posthumously awarded Medals of Honor.
Clark Gable
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Most of those on this list who have multiple careers will serve in the military first, then use that as a springboard for their later careers. However, Clark Gable already had a full career when he decided to join the Army Air Force in 1942. The Army wanted him to just make movies that they could use for training and recruitment, but he decided that he needed to fly missions over Europe in B-17s in order to obtain the footage for the films. At forty-two years old, that’s pretty impressive.
Ryan Pitts
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Alone in an isolated observation post in the mountains of Afghanistan, Pitts was no doubt shocked when he was attacked by more than two hundred Taliban fighters. Rather than surrendering or giving up when he was almost immediately injured by shrapnel, he started fighting back with nothing but his rifle and hand grenades against their heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Eventually, two more men arrived to assist him, after which Pitts crawled to the radio so that he could provide updates on the ongoing firefight to the main base.
Bennie Adkins
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The Army isn’t sure how many men Adkins killed during the 86-hour ordeal that earned him his Medal of Honor. The estimates range from 135 to 175. He was working with South Vietnamese forces in 1966 when they were attacked by the enemy. In spite of taking eighteen wounds from enemy fire, Adkins continued to man the camp’s mortar until he’d fired every single round at the enemy. At that point, he used his rifle to hold off as many of the enemy as he could before carrying a wounded comrade into the jungle, where he and some other soldiers hid for forty-eight hours before they could be rescued by helicopter.
Bob Ross
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He’s known for his calm and serene paintings and gentle nature, but Bob Ross spent twenty years as a sergeant in the US Air Force. He was responsible for training thousands of young men to be disciplined soldiers, which involved copious amounts of yelling, punishments, and rigorous training. In his own words, he was “a mean, tough person.”
Fortunately, he also spent time painting the wilderness around him, which ended up being a much more lucrative career than yelling at hapless cadets.