Known for his leading role in ‘Magnum, P.I.’ and as Monica’s love interest in ‘Friends’, Tom Selleck is a household name whose career has spanned over four decades. He’s had numerous on-screen careers, but you know that Tom Selleck is a Vietnam War era veteran?
Tom Selleck’s Early Life
Thomas William Selleck was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1945, but his family moved to Sherman Oaks, California, in 1948. Raised by hardworking parents, Tom Selleck learned the values of the U.S. military from an early age. Tom Selleck grew up hearing tales of World War II. His father, Robert, was a B29 mechanic in the Army Air Corps. His uncle Lyle went missing in action during the Battle of the Bulge, and his uncle George flew the Hump, the aviation route from India to China.
Selleck graduated from Grant High School in 1962 and enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College. Later, Selleck, who stands 6 ft 4 in tall, transferred to the University of Southern California during his junior year to play for the USC Trojans men’s basketball team.
Selleck, beloved for his work on the long-running series “Magnum, P.I.” and “Blue Bloods,” began acting while in college at University of Southern California. It was at USC that an acting coach suggested that Selleck try acting. Selleck found early success, starring in a Pepsi Commercial and, in 1967, landing a spot in 20th Century Fox’s selective “New Talent” program.
What Branch of the Military Did Tom Selleck Serve In and When?
Selleck was in the middle of his contract with 20th Century Fox, studying at their talent school and filming TV pilots, when he was issued draft orders for the Vietnam War in 1967. He joined the California National Guard without hesitation, and served from 1967 to 1973 in the 160th Infantry Regiment of the California National Army Guard, before resuming his acting career. “Being in the service at that time was kind of like being in the belly of the beast of that war,” Selleck recalled.
He told Military.com, “I am a veteran, I’m proud of it. I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”
Selleck is thankful in many ways for his opportunity to serve, but has acknowledged in an interview that his military service was a “blessing”, in that it removed him from a peer group who were using drugs heavily. His peers were experimenting with drugs whilst he was entering active duty and that “the military provided a necessity, and the reality was that I was away from drugs.”
Tom Selleck Becomes Magnum P.I.
Selleck landed the biggest role of his career at 35: Thomas Magnum from Magnum, P.I. The series ran on CBS, which broadcast 162 first-run episodes over eight seasons, from December 11, 1980, to May 1, 1988. After his smaller acting jobs, Selleck’s new role propelled him to a new level of fame. Selleck’s signature look featured his infamous mustache, his Hawaiian Aloha shirt, that Detroit Tigers baseball cap, and his Colt MKIV/Series 70 Government Model handgun. For his role as Thomas Magnum, Selleck received multiple Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and multiple Gloden Globes nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama.
Selleck’s 10-episode stint as Monica’s love interest on the hit show Friends earned him an Emmy nomination in 2000 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
In more recent years, Selleck has appeared on the small screen as Frank Reagan, the police commissioner on Blue Bloods, a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. As it turns out, Selleck is often saluted by actual police officers when he steps out of the set. Officers are meant to salute every police commissioner they see, and it is a testament to Selleck’s acting skills and gravitas that he gets mistaken for a real commissioner.
A Proud Libertarian and NRA Member
Much has been said and speculated about Tom Selleck’s political affiliation and voting record. Selleck has run the gamut of political ideologies in his lifetime, from Democrat to Independent to Republican to Reform to Libertarian. In 1992, Selleck donated to the Democratic presidential campaign of Paul Tsongas and in 1999, Selleck donated $1,000 to Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley. But the bulk of Selleck’s financial political contributions has been to Republican candidates, including George W. Bush in 2004 and John McCain in 2008. In 1984, Selleck introduced Nancy Reagan at the 1984 Republican National Convention and endorsed John McCain in 2008.
Selleck is a member and a former board member of the National Rifle Association. He resigned from the board on September 18, 2018, though he has remained a member of the organization. In 2002, Selleck donated the rifle he used in Quigley Down Under (a custom 13-pound, single-shot, 1874 Sharps Rifle, with a 34-inch barrel), along with six other firearms from his other films, to the NRA. The firearms are part of the NRA’s exhibit “Real Guns of Reel Heroes” at the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia.
In the 2016 presidential election, Selleck did not support either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. Instead, he wrote in former Dallas Police Department Chief David Brown, noting that he was deeply touched by the grace and leadership Brown showed through the 2016 Dallas police shooting.
Tom Selleck’s philanthropy supports a wide range of organizations, including The Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics, the National Fatherhood Initiative, the Character Counts Coalition, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and New York City’s Student/Sponsor Partnership Program.
Tom Selleck Remains A Strong Supporter of U.S. Troops, Advocates Hiring Veterans
As a veteran, Tom Selleck appeared on California National Guard recruiting posters. The military left a strong impression on Selleck, who recalls his service with pride, “I am a veteran, I’m proud of it,” he said. “I was a sergeant in the U.S. Army infantry, National Guard, Vietnam era.
He remains an outspoken supporter of U.S. troops and feels a strong sense of solidarity with other people who served. “We learned a lesson as a country over time, that we need to welcome our troops home regardless of whether you have political problems with whatever mission they’re on, they just served and we need to thank them for it”.
The Emmy and Golden Globe Award Winner is grateful for the role he has been able to play in our nation’s treatment of Vietnam-era vets. We’ve come a long way in the treatment of veterans, Selleck reflects. “We don’t blame the people who served for the mission that some politician sent them on. We thank them for their service.” But the battle for open understanding and acceptance of veterans isn’t over; the lines have simply shifted.
Selleck is a vocal advocate for hiring veterans, and preparing veterans for the workforce by addressing such important issues as PTSD. “We perceive our returning soldiers differently. [ ] We consider the group as a whole to be coming back with damage,” Selleck shares. “That’s not the fact. It’s not a failing to be diagnosed with PTSD, but most troops aren’t coming back with that.”
A veteran on and off the screen, Tom Selleck is characterized by his friends and co-stars as determined, reserved, and altruistic. TogetherWeServed salutes Sgt Thomas William Selleck’s service during the Vietnam War, his tireless work on behalf of veterans, and the illustrious acting career that has provided him with the opportunities and the voice to support the causes he believes in. Read about other Vietnam War era veterans and other celebrities who served on our blog.
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I have admired Tom Selleck for years on and off screen he is truly an advocate for us veterans and a great American
Enjoyed learning these details about Tomm Selleck.
There’s not ONE copIn the NYPD who actually thinks Tom Selleck is mistakenly a commissioner. That’s fake news. They salute him because they are fans. What a stupid comment!
Enjoyed learning these details about Tom Selleck.
I have always admired Tom Selleck. Thank you for your service.I become a Nurse after my service. Just to take care of our Veterans
I AM PROUD TO HEAR THAT HE SERVED IN VIETNAM. I AM SSG MORALES AND I SERVED WITH THE 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS FOR 13 MONTHS IN 1966-1967. I SERVED AS A MILITARY POLICEMAN, I JOINED WHEN I WAS 17 IN 1961 WHEN I JOINED THE MILITARY. AND WHEN I GOT OUT I WANTED TO BE A NYPD POLICEMEN BUT I WAS WORKING ON WALL STREET AND I DECIDED TO STAY ON WALL STREET FOR 20 YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS ADMIRED MR SELLECK ON MAGNUM PI AND NOW ON BLUE BLOODS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE MR. SELLECK
Read it again, EDUVIQUES MORALES, He did NOT serve in the ‘Nam! He dodged the draft by enlisting in the National Guard!
One key point I noticed in the blog and Selleck’s comments is stating he is a Vietnam War era veteran, not a Vietnam War Veteran. I have seen too many say they are a Vietnam War veteran, which connotes they served in Vietnam, when they didn’t. It is a small point, I suppose, but I have to assume not so small to those who actually saw action. It is nice to see someone like Tom Selleck understand the difference and seems to go out of his way to show it.
I too am a Vietnam War era veteran who proudly served nearly 4 years in Kansas making sure one of our final lines of defense, the Titan II Missile, stayed on alert and ready to protect the borders, but I would never try to make more of that than what it was.
This blog is just begging for comment on Selleck’s jumping to the National Guard after receiving his draft notice in order to avoid active duty possibly in Viet Nam… but I won’t… I won’t… The hell I won’t. I will not criticize Selleck but I will criticize the author for repeatedly bringing that fact to note in the article, begging for comment. You succeeded. Here I am. Those who did the same may have understood Daddy Bird’s decisions to not call up any National Guard in order to avoid the war hysteria that he felt would come if he did call up the Guard. Reserve units were called up out of pure necessity and served mostly in combat support and combat service support units such as Transportation and similar support units. This was unavoidable because of the configuration of most Army Divisions at that time who were really 2/3rd of full divisions as the planning then was to make the other third those Reserve units that were combat support and combat service support units if ever needed. The Army just didn’t have them on active duty at the time to deploy so that 1/3 of the divisions were called up. None of this was pointed out in the article and for that reason, it is rated as divisive. I rate the article as fanfare, not factually complete.
Still a No Good National Guard ducking Nam, not my idea of notable service
Tom Selleck was a true hero and a supporter of our part in fighting for our country. We were Vietnam Era Veterans!
Never knew Mr. Selleck served in the military. Now I respect him more. I served 16 years in my beloved Marine Corps 1973-1990, so I can say what the hell I want. I highly doubt that Mr. Selleck had a crystal ball to predict if his national guard unit would or wouldn’t deploy to the RVN. But he chose his own destiny rather then let the corrupt draft board do it for him. Total props to Sgt. Selleck from a big fan.
Mr. Selleck would perhaps think twice about his fondness of weapons of war had he been a ‘grunt’ (AKA 11B, military peak for ‘foot soldier’) under direct fire combat. Conscripted as a ‘non-combatant’ infantry medic with 8 combat awards to include a Purple Heart during 6 months of foot patrol in War Zone C (a ‘free fire’ zone – if it moves kill it), brings me to the conclusion infantry weapons have no place in our society beyond military units. If hand held automatic weapons, are such fun, think what a thrill it would be to fire shoulder fired rocket, assuming your life was not on the line, or it was being fired at you.
Personally, I don’t begrudge anybody who took the oath and wore the uniform in any capacity. I volunteered and I went but in my estimation that doesn’t make me any better than anybody else. Every job had to be done, and somebody had to do it. At the same time I have little respect for those who fled to Canada, Oxford or elsewhere, and no respect at all for those who actively supported the enemy, either at home or in person in North Vietnam. To me they are traitors. And if we had enforced our laws they would have been punished. We’re making the same mistake today with traitors all the way to the top. As a result we are being led to surrender our national sovereignty, and that was predictable from the start. Thanks to our spineless politicians we are headed down the same path to defeat and destruction. That’s my two cents, for whatever it’s worth.
He was between a rock and a hard place.
Give him credit, he could have been called to VN.
He did his duty, fair play to him.
@ Joe C.,….Once again per the sheeple being “led to the slaughter” by the lying media…fully automatic weapons are NOT legally accessible to anyone other than those who can justify their purchase of same, thru obtaining a Federal Firearms License! All OTHER weapons are, @ best, SEMI-automatic.
I noted that Tom William Selleck and I were both born in 1945. We are both Veteran’s. He was in the Army and I was in the Marine Corps. He moved to Sherman Oaks, Ca. In 1948. I moved to Sherman Oaks Ca. In 1952. We would both have been in the third grade. I can’t help but wonder if we both attended Sherman Oaks elementary school and at the same time. I moved back east with 6 weeks to go in the 4th grade and didn’t return to Ca. untill I was 33years old. I married at 35 and have lived in Manhattan Beach for 44 years.