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James Arness May 26, 1923 – June 3, 2011
Remembering Your Birthday….Thank You For Your Service
American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series
Gunsmoke. Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in
Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) and four more made-for-television
Gunsmoke films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series
How the West Was Won.
He was drafted into the US Army in March 1943. As a rifleman, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, with the 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio, and medically evacuated from Italy to the U.S. After undergoing several surgeries, he was honorably discharged from the Army on January 29, 1945.
His military decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.