Thomas William Selleck (Actor)

b. 29 Jan 1945
US National Guard, 1967-1973, Served in Infantry
Honorary First Lieutenant, 2002

Tom Selleck served in the 160th Infantry of the California Army National Guard and was activated at the breakout of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. Selleck left a six-month contract he had signed with 20th Century Fox to join the military, only to be let go for good when he returned.

While a member of the Guard, Selleck attended the California Military Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Later, he appeared on recruitment posters for the California National Guard and the California Military Academy.

“I am a veteran, I’m proud of it,” Tom Selleck says. “I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”

Throughout his career, Selleck continued his allegiance to the California National Guard and the military community, volunteering countless hours for public service announcements documenting National Guard contributions to the Nation, encouraging civilian employer support, and promoting recruitment and retention. In 2008, as the Spokesperson for the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund, he announced the campaign to build an educational center near the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.