Thanks to Marine Paul Sutton for bringing this video to our attention.
Ernest Borgnine died on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at age 95. He joined the Navy after graduating from high school during the Great Depression and was discharged in 1941, but re-enlisted after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II. He served until 1945, accumulating a total of ten years in the Navy and reached the rank of Gunner’s Mate 1st Class in the process.
He served aboard the destroyer USS Lamberton. His military decorations included the Navy Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. In October 2004 he received the honorary rating of Chief Petty Officer from Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott for his support of the Navy and naval families worldwide.
Borgnine’s acting career spanned decades. Americans of all generations remember him as sadistic Sergeant “Fatso” Judson in From Here to Eternity, the sensitive butcher Marty (for which he won an Academy Award), LCDR Quinton McHale in McHale’s Navy, and even as the voice of elderly superhero Mermaid Man in SpongeBob SquarePants, paired with his McHale’s Navy co-star Tim Conway. Despite his stardom, he maintained a down-to-earth attitude and was always happy to spend time with fans.
Please enjoy the following poem, I Am The American Sailor, which he performed on October 14, 2006 with the United States Navy Band at the U.S. Navy’s 231st birthday concert at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The music was written by Master Chief Musician Jefrey Taylor and the poem by Master Chief Musician Jere Wallace.