Johnny Carson

Let us agree that Johnny Carson doesn’t look like a military man, even by a long shot! But the fact remains that the prolific talk show host was inducted as an apprentice shipman in the navy and soon after promoted to the rank of midshipman.

During his time on the USS Pennsylvania, he worked as a communications officer who spent most days decrypting messages. Even back then, he had a flair for comedy and often found himself tasked with entertaining the fleet members. Now, we know that Carson deserved his Presidential Medal of Freedom for more than one reason!