Martha Raye

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

Martha Raye – Not Just a Pretty Face

You may hear the name and think – hmmm – that name rings a bell and you would be right. Martha Raye was an American comic actress and standards singer who performed in movies and later on television.

Who Was Martha Raye

What isn’t so commonly known is that she was honored in 1969 with an Academy Award as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recipient for her volunteer efforts and services to the troops. During World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War Martha Raye traveled extensively to entertain the American troops, even though she had a lifelong fear of flying.

It wasn’t for her entertaining abilities that she received such an honor but for her selfless contribution to helping wounded troops in her capacity as a Nurse.

It is almost unfathomable to image the likes of Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton or Jessica Simpson doing what this woman (and the other USO women, including Ann Margaret & Joey Heatherton) did for our troops in past wars.

Most of the old time entertainers were made of a lot sterner stuff and absolutely beamed with natural talent unlike that of today’s selection of less than naturally talented budgies.

The Real Martha Raye

The following excerpt is from an Army Aviator who takes a trip down memory lane:

“It was just before Thanksgiving ’67 and we were ferrying dead and wounded from a large GRF west of Pleiku. We had run out of body bags by noon, so the Hook (CH-47 CHINOOK) was pretty rough in the back.

All of a sudden, we heard a ‘take-charge’ woman’s voice in the rear.

There was the singer and actress, Martha Raye, with a SF (Special Forces)

beret and jungle fatigues, with subdued markings, helping the wounded into

the Chinook, and carrying the dead aboard.

‘Maggie’ had been visiting her SF ‘heroes’ out ‘west’. 

We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku.

As we all started unloading our sad pax’s, a ‘Smart Mouth’ USAF Captain said to Martha…. “Ms Ray, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!”

To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said …..

“Captain, see this eagle?  I am a full ‘Bird’ in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a ‘Caduceus’ which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty….now, take me to your wounded!”

He said, “Yes ma’am…. follow me.” 

Several times at the Army Field Hospital in Pleiku, Martha Raye would ‘cover’ a surgical shift, giving a nurse a well-deserved break.

Martha Raye is the only woman buried in the SF (Special Forces) cemetery at Ft Bragg.

Hand Salute! A truly amazing lady.

We bet you didn’t know this about Martha Raye either…

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we may as well dance”
Martha Raye