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It's Veterans Day, a day for honoring all those uniformed men and women who have served our country bravely. As we thank the real-life heroes for their service, we thought we'd also take a moment to call out a few of our favorite TV characters with military histories, ranging from those a few months in basic training to years as distinguished service members.
Enjoy the rest of your day, and once again we extend our thanks to everyone who's served and given so much!
Ichabod Crane (Sleepy Hollow): The seemingly gentle 19th century hunk was a professor at Oxford before joining the British in the American Revolution, and later became a spy for the patriotic rebels. His military service was understandably interrupted when he shot a headless horseman, died and then came back to life some 250 years later. Now, his knowledge of combat is rather outdated, but he still has that stylish military jacket to remind himself of his former life (and perhaps to protect himself from his new one).
Seeley Booth (Bones): Booth has a long history with the military. His father and grandfather served in the Vietnam and Korean Wars respectively, and he enlisted in the Army sometime in the 1990s as a sniper, serving in the Gulf War, Somalia, and Kosovo, and was eventually awarded a Purple Heart. He left the Army with the rank of master sergeant, and then joined the FBI. He may have softened a bit and settled down with a small family, but he's never lost that patriotic spirit.
Huck, Jake, and Fitz (Scandal): Scandal's loaded with military veteran characters—some honorable, and some not-so. Huck served briefly as a Private First Class in the Marines in Kosovo before being called back for a secret position with the CIA. Fitz Grant served in the U.S. Navy as a pilot in the Gulf war, along with Jake Ballard. Jake was later also recruited for a secret position with the CIA, while Fitz went on to be president, and they all got entangled with Olivia Pope.
Don Draper (Mad Men): We learned in season four of Mad Men that Don Draper was actually Dick Whitman, an abused kid who dropped out of high school and eventually ran away to join the Army. He served in the Korean War, under the command of Lt. Donald Draper. Close to the end of his tour of duty, Draper was killed in a gasoline explosion that Whitman accidentally caused, and Whitman switched their dog tags, allowing people to believe that it was Whitman who died instead.
John Watson (Sherlock): Watson was wounded in Afghanistan while serving as an army doctor. He had returned home from service just before the series started, and the character has spent time dealing with PTSD. Luckily, he's got a (mostly) good friend in Sherlock to turn to for comfort.
Nicholas Brody (Homeland): He may be one of our favorites (sometimes) but Nick Brody has also got to be one of the worst guys in TV history. He was a sergeant in the marines before being captured by al-Qaeda terrorists, turned against the United States, wore a suicide vest in a bunker full of government officials that only wasn't detonated because it didn't work, became a member of Congress, acted as a spy for a terrorist, and helped to kill the Vice President. He also had an affair with the CIA agent investigating him, and when he was accused of something he didn't actually do, he ran away. He may not be such a good (or accurate) example of a veteran, but he sure does make for an interesting character.
Buster Bluth (Arrested Development) : Buster may not have successfully completed basic training for army, but he was honorably discharged after a seal ate his hand. At least he tried, sort of.