First Motion Picture Unit
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The First Motion Picture Unit (FMPU) was a nickname for the 18th Air Force Base Unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first unit of the United States Military to be made up entirely of motion picture personnel.
[edit] Organization
The unit was organized shortly after World War II began, when the Army's public relations office in Washington DC contacted Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles and asked for help in creating a series of short films for the purpose of educating the public about the different branches of the military. Jack Warner (a newly commissioned Lieutenant Colonel) and Owen Crump (a Captain in the US Army) were ultimately assigned to assemble the unit in Culver City, California, where many widely-known movie actors served during the war making training films.
[edit] Veterans
Members of F.M.P.U. included
- Maj. Clark Gable
- Maj. Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss
- 2Lt. Van Heflin
- Capt. William Holden
- Sgt. Alan Ladd
- Capt. Ronald Reagan
- Sgt. George Reeves
- Maj. Gen. James Stewart
- Corporal Gene Hilliard
- Jules Engel
- John Hubley
- Bill Hurtz
- Herb Klynn
- X Atencio
- Arthur Kennedy
- DeForest Kelley
- Edward Anhalt
- James Seay
- Don Porter
- George Montgomery
