Let's discuss the editing here please. Charles Durning will be honored for lifetime achievement by the Screen Actors Guild. he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the . The stockily built Charles Durning was one of Hollywood's most dependable and sought after supporting actors. Again, am reluctant to cast aspersions, but not many men advertise their valor awards, but refuse to clearly state what units they served in. I really think that this aspect of the massacre is well documented and available to every historian. Durning began his career in 1951. It's hard to say for certain, but as many as 50 Americans were able to escape, including Charles Durning, Malmedy-Massacre-survivor-turned-character-actor after World War II. [AlanM1(talk)] 00:56, 29 July 2013 (UTC), More Durning documents have turned up. Durning was born in Highland Falls, New York. But simply because I am interested in the Malmedy massacre for several years, which means I have spend much time on the question and read a lot of books. Records describe a badly wounded G.I with a severe concussion, multiple lacerations to the face, and fragmentation shrapnel wounds to the right frontal region of his head, left chest-wall, both legs, left foot, knee, fingers, and hands. I have known of Charles Durning as an accomplished actor for many years. I've posted on this in the Military History WikiProject in the hope that maybe some better sourcing can be found. PFC Durning, Charles E. 32726378 was received at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Le Cambe on June 15th. The rest of the Wikipedia article on World War II service is, as others have noted here, quite inconsistent. All rights reserved. If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with, If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with, This page was last edited on 22 April 2022, at 10:34. Wedinm (talk) 21:22, 29 March 2011 (UTC), Regarding the lengthy Malmedy survivor? Mr. Steve Karras, among other researchers, has accessed primary sources such as Durnings discharge papers, his medical records, unit personnel rosters and morning reports, Army General Orders, and other records, as well as secondary sources such as unit official histories, to assemble an accurate record of Durnings military experiences. he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans opened fire on almost 90 prisoners. (2000). One one side they are based on the testimonies made by the American survivors, which must been seen as relations made by guys who had escaped to an almost promissed death, who were under shock, often wounded and who had some difficulties to make a coherent relation of the facts. Before the war was over, Durning received a third Purple Heart and the Silver and Bronze Stars for valor. He cut his teeth in Shakespearean productions staged by Joe Papp and, in 1972, won a Drama Desk award for his performance in That Championship Season on Broadway. We'll never know the whole story of his war years.I used to hear the difference between a "sea story" and a fairy tale was a fairy . a former professional boxer and a decorated world war veteran who took part in the d-day invasion at omaha beach, the battle of the bulge and was one of few survivors of the malmedy massacre,. Thinking about how veterans of that era typically talk about the Army with regard to administrative matters only confirms this feeling that such records may be largely inaccurate. Kudos to Oldbubblehead for excellent original source efforts! However, I just recently found out about his heroism during WWII which included being in the first wave on Omaha Beach at Normandy, being one of the few survivors of the Malmedy Massacre and being awarded the Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. Sadly, Durning made a number of statements during his lifetime and was present when statements were made about his military service which cannot be reconciled with the undisputed facts in his military records. Anyone have any further information??? I would however draw you attention to the fact that this sentence merely concerns the way the event has been related in many books, i.e. We don't have to resolve the discrepancies, but we should at least note them. and "Inherit the Wind.". Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 - December 24, 2012) was an American actor, with appearances in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Unfortunately, Durning is very frail and his conversation is a bit wandering and imprecise. There are links to articles on the medals with pictures of them there. The statement of Reynolds does however not mean that the name of the survivors are wrong or unknown. 1935). Durning, 84, will receive the award for fostering the "finest ideals . David T Tokyo (talk) 16:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC), 12th Repl. He was discharged in 1946 as a private first class. "Hollywood Stars at D-Day", Soldiers Online Army.mil. The Battle of the Bulge started on 16 Dec 44, and the Malmedy massacre happened on 17 Dec 44. Asteriks (talk) 18:46, 10 August 2008 (UTC). Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), The Muppet Movie (1979), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990), and O Brother, Where Art Thou? May he Rest in Peace! They had three children together before divorcing in 1972. On the other side there are based on what the Germans say (at least those who are ready to admit they actually were there: curiously if you listen at the men of Peiper, almost all were miles away from that particular place a that particular time): most of the times, this is presented as an unfortunate accident due to the fact that some US PoWs had tried to escape. Plus, he has appeared in the role of "Santa Claus" in five different television movies. the men in the pasture, and the other men who escaped the massacre because for one or other reason they were not at the crossroads when and where they were supposed to be when the massacre occured (I think for instance to a man the artillery observer battalion who had been left in Malmedy because he suddenly fell ill: he escaped the massacre but is not a survivor). And even though the obituaries now are saying he didnt like to talk about his war experiences, he shared everything with me. - Are we supposed to believe - as some accounts hold - that after being levied out of the 386th AAA (AW) Bn, after being sent to Normandy as a replacement, after being wounded and after spending five months in a hospital recovering, that Mr. Durning returned back to the very same 386th AAA (AW) Bn he joined in '43? I hope to get some kind of interview with him that can be published in order to cite these things, but with his current condition, I'm not sure it can be accomplished. Beginning in 1961, he appeared in 35 plays as part of the Shakespeare Festival. Working through Hollywood contacts we heard that veteran character actor Charles Durning was a keen Democrat (even though his wife was a staunch Republican and literally tried to keep him from associating with us). Related:To create a personalized transition plan for yourself, and for transition guides and checklists, visit theMilitary.com Transition Center. Verify your free subscription by following the instructions in the email sent to: Search the largest free Veteran Job board to find jobs with veteran-friendly companies. Charles Durning, a two-time Oscar nominee known for a wide-range of character roles on film, television and stage, died of natural causes on Christmas Eve. He also played the voice of recurring character Francis Griffin, the religious zealot father of Peter in the animated series Family Guy. Born in Highland Falls, New York, Charles Durning was the ninth of ten children. 98.255.89.22 (talk) 09:00, 6 July 2013 (UTC), Oldbubblehead. Languages Editions (L) We would do three plays in Central Park for the summer. In 2005, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a Marine veteran in "Call of Silence," an episode in the television series NCIS, first broadcast November 23, 2004. And the Rangers were not a dumping ground for disciplinary problems. According to Wikipedia, 43 men escaped. But it was thought be of value in the areas where they knew the mercury issue was relevant. See more ideas about charles durning, charles, movie stars. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). I made the following changes: When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs. The Hollywood Historic. Being a fellow member of The Screen Actors Guild with Mr. Durning, I hope one day to meet with him again. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). I'm afraid that's where your argument runs out of steam. That can cause a number of types of confusion. Both his war record and his acting career were mentioned. #VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran Charles Durning - VA News Today's #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Charles Durning, who served as an infantryman during World War II and later became a prolific actor. Crazy humans. I am proposing the following as a new section on the Charles Durning page: "Controversy Surrounding Military Service - While Oldbubblehead's research apparently verifies the Silver Star, the issue will not be put to bed until the GO (with its citation extract) can be located. [18] The Huffington Post compared the two men, calling them "character actor titans".[19]. Who played Les in Tootsie? Again, Durning is not listed. He was one of the military masterminds of The Invasion of Normandy that also landed at Omaha Beach. Soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper summarily killed eighty It isn't clear if he were a replacement en route to a line unit, or a member of the replacement detachment's cadre when he was wounded in Normandy on 15 Jun (the initial replacement detachments were displacing to operate from Normandy during this same week). Charles Durning Malmedy How To Teach You. Born in Highland Falls, NY, Durning was reared solely by his mother Louise after his father, John, died when he was very young, leaving Louise to support her and her son by working as a laundress at the nearby West Point military academy. He was the son of Louise (ne Leonard; 18941982), a laundress at West Point, and James E. Durning (1883 c. The fact is mentioned, but a reliable source (e.g. http://nmisscommentor.com/random-firings/charles-durning-obit-in-the-new-york-times/comment-page-1/#comment-126171. [1](No mention made of service with an antiaircraft unit), In populating the Infobox, I made the assumption that Frances is Charles' sister because of the spelling of the name (instead of Francis), based on my experience (admittedly OR) and "Frances is a human name, the feminine version of Francis." I got to direct a TV commercial for the Kerry Campaign in 2004 starring the late Charles Durning. His wife is Mary Ann Amelio (1974 - 24 December 2012) ( his death), Carole Doughty (27 June 1959 - 1972) ( divorced) ( 3 children) The piece on Durning does not refer to any military units, does not claim that he landed in Normandy on D-Day and credits him only with a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts. Actor. It is possible that a riflemen might be reclassified as a driver due to the extent of his injuries and be given limited duties in a FAOB, so it is not inconceivable, but the point here is that there needs to be some reliable evidence. The suggestion that it should now be considered "definitive" is laughable, given that its origins are completely spurious.139.48.25.60 (talk) 18:33, 5 May 2009 (UTC), Some insight (OR) This information isn't currently usable in the article itself, since I'm not aware of a published source that can be cited. Oldbubblehead (talk) 06:18, 18 June 2013 (UTC). Go for it - its obviously a field of study that you enjoy and you have the chance to make your name. Following your training period in 1943, you were sent to England in February of the following year. WWII veteran, dance instructor and diversely talented stage & screen actor were all inclusions on the resume of this perpetually busy US actor who didn't get in front of the cameras until around the time of his fortieth birthday. Veteran character actor Charles Durning died yesterday in his Manhattan home. Five of his siblings died due to scarlet fever and smallpox, and much of his early life was spent in hardship. Durning's unit guarded German POW's in Krippe, Germany until after VE Day, June 23, 1945. But, there is no way Durning is the second most decorated hero of WWII, see Audie Murphy and Matt Urban. Born: 28-Feb-1923 Birthplace: Highland Falls, NY Died: 24-Dec-2012 Location of death: New York City Cause of death: unspecified. He was not a witness at the war crimes trial and he is not mentioned in any of the first person accounts of any of the survivors. But while I don't know Durning and have only met him once, he is close with several close friends of mine, and I asked them to ask him about the Malmedy thing. and will get the relevant/readable pages uploaded ASAP. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, Durning, was one of the few survivors of the Malmedy massacre when German troops opened fire on dozens of American prisoners. Charles Durning is indeed a great actor and served his country honorably during WWII, including his landing at Normandy on D-Day. Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.18.160.21 (talk) 03:07, 7 July 2009 (UTC), Every time I watch Star Wars episode IV (1977), I am certain I see Charles Durning as a foot soldier, Trying to defend the ship as Princess Leia records her message to Obi Wan in R2D2. That place that no one knows about horrifying things we keep secret. During the German attack, Durning reported that a particularly young soldier charged him, but Durning couldnt bring himself to fire. Durning is not listed. I repeat one last time, if you "know" - as you insist you do - why don't you contact the French Embassy and get them to retract the statement? 5. And yet I am still very far from being convinced. The biggest joy of the experience was getting to spend the day chatting with Mr. Durning. Durning stated he took part in the D-Day landings, and the article notes he was with 1st Infantry. I don't see this as accurate or fair. With the 398th Infantry Regiment he moved into Germany where he was again seriously wounded in March 1945 and evacuated to the United States. It also states that Durning was drafted in 1943 at the age of nineteens shortly before his twentieth birthday. Durning served as a soldier in World War II, during which he was awarded a Silver Star, three Purple Heart medals, and a Good Conduct Medal. The inability of anyone, to include his family, to produce these General Orders, or even cite the GO#, must arouse curiosity, to put it mildly. [8] After being wounded by a German anti-personnel mine in the Bocage, he spent six months recovering. There are no original sources, official documents or corroborating accounts by those he served with that validate his stories. The two fought with their bayonets, and Durning suffered further injury during the fight. From there he worked in a variety of plays. PFC Durning was one of only a few soldiers to escape and survive the subsequent notorious Malmedy massacre. Born in Highland Falls, N.Y., adjacent to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where his mother was a laundress for the cadets and his father a Soldier, Durning was the fourth of 10 children.. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, he and the rest of his company were captured and forced to march through a pine forest at Malmedy, the scene of an infamous massacre in which the Germans . [9], For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. Like Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, Charles Durning was a highly-decorated soldier in World War II before he began an acting career. By June 17 he was back in England at the 217th General Hospital. The Cat! Charles Durning's first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. You can hear a story from one of the survivors, Ted Paluch, below. Drafted at age 21, he was first assigned as a rifleman with the 398th Infantry Regiment, and later served overseas with the 3rd Army Support troops and the 386th Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA) Battalion. The & quot ; finest ideals at Omaha Beach war was over, Durning reported that a particularly young charged..., New York by those he served with that validate his stories talk ) 18:46 10!, but we should at least note them charles durning malmedy had three children together before divorcing in 1972 available every. Think that this aspect of the survivors, Ted Paluch, below i have known of Durning. Durning as an usher at a burlesque house recipient Audie Murphy, Charles E. 32726378 was received at 24th. German anti-personnel mine in the entertainment field was as an accomplished actor for many years is the second decorated! 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