Before they were famous, most of our favorite stars held regular jobs or even served in the military. A look back at their history, and some A-listers at a point chose to enlist when they were financially strapped. Others decided to offer their service out of a sense of duty to their country.

A couple of them even went on tours around war-torn regions, and fortunately, they lived to tell the tale. Some didn’t end up serving overseas, and others never made it past the training phase. Regardless, we all respect and appreciate every single person who responded to the call of duty. Here’s a list of celebrities you might not have known held military designations in the past.

Pat Sajak – U.S. Army

These days Pat Sajak has become almost synonymous with the show he hosts – Wheel of Fortune. Long before his game show hosting days, he responded to the call of duty, and in 1968, he joined the U.S. Army. Sajak, however, wasn’t caught up on the battlefield, and instead, he was a disc jockey.

Sajak hosted Dawn Buster, the same Armed Forces Vietnam Network radio show that Adrian Cronauer previously hosted. For the 14 months he hosted the show, Sajak would sign on using the now-famous words “Good Morning Vietnam.” Sajak would later admit that he botched the 1969 Christmas broadcast by Richard Nixon to the troops when he accidentally cut off the feed.