Bridges To Somewhere:Thespian Family Receive Navy Memorial Honor

The Bridges family,who have lent their talents to American dramatic arts for over 60 years,are receiving the U.S. Navy Memorial's Lone Sailor Award on September 22 in Washington,D.C.The late Lloyd Bridges and his two sons,Beau and Jeff,will be saluted for their decades of service to country and community.All three are U.S. Coast Guard veterans.
Lloyd Bridges,who died in 1998,served in the Coast Guard from 1941-45;Beau Bridges served in the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserves from1959-1967;Jeff Bridges followed with his service in the Coast Guard and USCGR from 1967-75.It's a fact that may surprise many of their fans.One doesn't necessarily associate Hollywood with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The family has several hundred television,record and film credits to their name,from Lloyd's hit TV series Sea Hunt(1958-61)to Beau's Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award for "An Inconvenient Truth"(1989) and Jeff's Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Crazy Heart"(2009).
Beau and Jeff also have a sister,Lucinda Bridges.
Lloyd Bridges received an Honorary Commodore Award from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary,11th Coast Guard District Los Angeles.Son Beau served aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dexter(WHEC-385).
Also receiving the Lone Sailor honor for 2011 are baseball legends Jerry Coleman and Bob Feller,who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy,respectively;as well as Brian Lamb,C-Span founder and U.S. Navy veteran.

Noted Actor Was Navy Vet

Tony Curtis,the critically acclaimed actor who was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II,died September 29.He was 85.
Mr.Curtis,born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx,New York,peaked as a film actor in the 1950s and 60s.In later years,he made a number of T.V. appearances.Among his most highly regarded films were Houdini(1953),The Defiant Ones(1958)and The Boston Strangler(1968).
Tony Curtis was a submariner from 1942-1945.He served aboard the USS Proteus(AS-19)in the Pacific Fleet.In September 1945,he witnessed the surrender of Japanese forces in Tokyo Bay.
Attaining the rank of SM3,Mr.Curtis was an ardent supporter of the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. after the war,lending his celebrity to the Memorial on a number of occasions.Survived by his wife Jill,he was married five times,including to actress Janet Leigh.
Actor Ernest Borgnine also served in the Navy in World War II,and comedian Bill Cosby was a Navy corpsman in the 1950s.

Navy Memorial Honors EOD

The U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington,D.C. will be honoring the Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal(EOD).EOD counters Weapons of Mass Destruction,Improvised Explosive Devices and other Unexploded Ordnance.They are currently playing a pivotal role in the Afghan War,just as they did in Iraq.An all-weather,all-terrain force,the EOD operates worldwide,and can parachute or dive to any location where they are needed.They are the tip of the combat operations spear.
Beginning in March,an exhibit at the Memorial will highlight the EOD's history,current operations,mission and training.Both a diving suit and high-tech bomb disposal suit will be on display,as well as numerous photographs.The exhibit will run for one year at the Memorial,which is located on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Operation Moshtarak,in which bomb disposal has been so prominent,is taking longer than had been hoped,U.S. officials admit.Islamic militants have broken into squad-size units and attacked U.S. Marines from bunkers and even roofs amid the houses of Marjah,using the town's residents as human shields.It could go on for at least another month,even though significant advances have been made.Concern for collateral damage has slowed the NATO campaign considerably.