Famous Veterans Celebrating Birthdays Today (August 13th):

Famous Veterans Born August 13, 1936:

Raymond Serra – Actor: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – (Marine Corps) – Died: June 20, 2003

Born August 13, 1930:

Donald Tai Loy “Don” Ho – Hawaiian Singer: Tiny Bubbles – (Air Force 1954-1959) – Died: April 14, 2007

Did you know that before #DonHo [born on this date (August 13th) in 1930] became famous for his music and acting (many times starring as himself), he served in the #UnitedStatesAirForce? Yes… Don Ho… another on a long list of FamousVeterans.com

1st Lt. Don Ho’s Military Experience:
Ho was a singer of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and German descent. He was born in the small Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaʻako to Emily (Honey) Leimaile Silva and James Ah You Puao Ho, but he grew up in Kāneʻohe on the windward side of the island of Oʻahu. He was a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools in 1949 and he attended Springfield College on a football scholarship in 1950, but returned home to earn a Bachelor’s degree in sociology at University of Hawai’i in 1953. In 1954, Ho entered the United States Air Force doing his primary training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi and spent time flying C-97s with the Military Air Transport Service. Transferred to Travis AFB, California, he went to the local city of Concord and bought an electronic keyboard from a music store, and recalls, “That’s when it all started.”

Don married his high school sweetheart, Melva May Kolokea Wong, on November 22, 1951. She was the mother to his first six children. They were married for 48 years, until Melva’s death on June 8, 1999. While in the military, Ho traveled from state to state with his young family until he was called home to help his mother with the family bar business called Honey’s.

Ho left the United States Air Force in 1959 due to his mother’s developing illness and began singing at her club in Kaneohe. Honey’s became a hotspot for the local entertainment and the growing customers from the Kaneohe Marine Base servicemen.

And what seems to be true for many celebrities who served: Ho always honored the military remembering his own years of military service!

Born August 13, 1920:

Neville Brand – Actor: Birdman of Alcatraz – (Army 1939-1945) – Died: April 16, 1992

Born August 13, 1917:

Sid Gordon – Major League Baseball Player – (Coast Guard 1944-1945) – Died: June 17, 1975

Born August 13, 1904:

Charles “Buddy” Rogers – Actor/Musician: Oscar Winning Movie: Wings – (Navy Flight Instructor – WWII) – Died: April 21, 1999