# @johnwayneofficial on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DKIEWZdBVYJ
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/38475716-johnwayneofficial-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/9bf214a80a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-05-26T18:00:38.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** John Wayne "The Duke" (@johnwayneofficial) — https://gondola.cc/johnwayneofficial

## Caption

Today is John Wayne's Birthday and Memorial Day. On Memorial Day we honor the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom while serving our country in the United States Armed Forces.​​​​​​​​​

John Wayne is pictured in a series of photographs from his various USO Tours including his trip to Saigon, South Vietnam in 1966 and his tour of the South Pacific in 1942 and 1943. During WWII Duke visited American bases in New Guinea, New Britain, and Australia.

During World War II, John Wayne dedicated himself to volunteering whatever spare time he had to the war effort. Some of his contributions included serving up Thanksgiving turkeys at the Hollywood Canteen, going on tour with the USO and, most importantly, portraying the American serviceman with dignity, bravery and rectitude.

Decades later, Duke continued to lift troops’ spirits by visiting the frontlines of Vietnam, proving his lifelong commitment to America’s soldiers.

“They’re where 130 degrees is a cool day, where they scrape flies off, where matches melt in their pockets and daisy cutter bombs take legs off at the hips. They’ll build stages out of old crates, then sit in mud and rain for three hours waiting for someone like me to say, ‘Hello, Joe.’ ” —John Wayne on his South Pacific USO tours during WWII

“Someone should explain to our industry that these men deserve the best shows possible. When you look out and up into a natural bowl that only recently was jungle and see 5,000 and 6,000 men sitting in the rain and mud, you wish you had the best show on Earth. These are wonderful guys when the going gets tough. They get back to fundamentals out here. It’s the greatest thrill and privilege anyone can ever have to see them yell and relax in front of a show.” —John Wayne on his Vietnam USO Tour

#JohnWayne #MemorialDay #JohnWayneQuotes #USOTour #Vietnam

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## Tags

johnwaynequotes, usotour, memorialday, johnwayne, vietnam

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