Was Tom Selleck in the Military? Inside His Service and How It Shaped Him: ‘I’m Proud of It’
The 'Blue Bloods' star served in the California Army National Guard from 1967 to 1973 as an infantryman
Key Takeaways
- Selleck served in the California Army National Guard from 1967 to 1973 as an infantryman.
- Selleck says his military service—not his Emmy—is one of the things he is proudest of.
- Selleck urges employers to hire veterans saying they are the most employable people.
Long before he became known for roles on Magnum, P.I. and Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck served in the California Army National Guard during the Vietnam War era. While he ultimately built a successful Hollywood career, Selleck has often spoken about the impact his military service had on his life, crediting it with helping shape the discipline, values and work ethic that guided him both on and off screen. Here’s what the actor has said about his years in uniform and the lessons he carried with him long after his service ended.
Was Tom Selleck in the military?
Selleck served in the military from 1967 to 1973. He was a part of the California Army National Guard and worked as an infantryman in the 160th Infantry. Prior to enlisting, he had signed with Twentieth Century Fox, something that he hoped would launch him to fame.
“When I went to Fox, I was on my own with no frame of reference, no connection,” Selleck told Military.com in June 2023. “I’d never done a play in my life. I started at about 35 bucks a week, and every six months, you either got fired or renewed. If you get renewed, you get a raise on their term contracts.”
“And then I was going to be drafted, and I got into an infantry National Guard unit and did six months active duty in the middle of my time at Fox,” he continued. “I had my job when I came back, and then they fired me.”
Even after decades in Hollywood, Selleck has said that his military service remains one of the accomplishments he is proudest of. Not his Primetime Emmy Award, not his years of television success and not the many accolades he earned as an actor. Instead, he has repeatedly pointed to his time in uniform as one of the experiences that shaped him most and one that continues to hold a special place in his life.
“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. We’re all brothers and sisters in that sense.”
Tom Selleck’s work with veterans
Along with acting, Selleck has spent the later years of his life advocating for veterans. He also appeared on a variety of California National Guard recruiting posters.
“We learned a lesson as a country over time, that we need to welcome our troops home,” he said. “Regardless of whether you have political problems with whatever mission they’re on, they just served and we need to thank them for it.”
Along with respect, Selleck has always stressed how important it is for people to hire veterans.
“We’re not hiring veterans,” he told Impacting our Future in 2019. “We consider the group as a whole to be coming back with damage.That’s not the fact. It’s not a failing to be diagnosed with PTSD, but most troops aren’t coming back with that.”
“The responsibility and training our veterans are getting makes them the most employable, the best hire you can possibly have,” he continued. “Hire vets. You couldn’t do better.”
How Tom Selleck’s military career impacted his acting
Some of Selleck’s most famous roles were in crime procedurals. This includes the hit series Magnum P.I. (1980 to 1988), the Jesse Stone films (2005 to 2015), and the TV show Blue Bloods (2010 to 2024). And if you think he put everything he had into those projects, you’d be right. And the place he learned that passion? The service.
“I was in Magnum, and I was a veteran, and something in that legacy made me fight. The message is never as important as your obligation to entertain,” Selleck told Impacting Our Future.
Thank you for your service Tom Selleck!
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