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Army Life: Celebs With Military Backgrounds - Before deciding to be all that they could be in Hollywood, many celebs did stints in the armed services or came from military families. For Memorial Day, we salute the following stars, who gave their all for our country.

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MC Hammer - When a professional baseball career didn't pan out as he had hoped, Hammer turned to the Navy. He served for three years before he was honorably discharged, trading in his dress whites for Hammer pants.

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Canibus - Born Germaine Williams, this Jamaican rapper already had a successful music career when he was inspired to drop everything and join the Army in 2002. He later told journalists he enlisted because he "wanted to get away from music...and do something different." Canibus was 28 when he enlisted, but discharged two years later after being caught smoking marijuana. (Photo: Hayley Madden/Redferns)

Photo By Hayley Madden/Redferns

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Sammy Davis, Jr. - The iconic entertainer experienced his first brush with racism during a stint with the US Army in World War II. "Overnight, the world looked different," he explained. "It wasn't one color anymore."   (Photo: Gilles Petard/Redferns)

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Mystikal - Before he became a No Limit soldier, the Louisiana native donned Army fatigues and served in Operation Desert Storm. Rumor has it he was dishonorably discharged for going AWOL. (photo: John Ricard)

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Sunny Anderson - The celebrity chef developed her palate traveling around the world as an Army brat during her childhood. She also served in the Air Force, where she honed her broadcasting skills as a radio host at the Air Force News Agency. Anderson turned her attention to cooking full-time after she was honorably discharged in 1997. (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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Donnis - The rap prodigy perfected his flow while stationed in Tokyo as a member of the Air Force, where he recorded music and performed on base. He credits his time in Japan with influencing his sound, saying that he still looks east to "find out what's next."(Photo: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images Samsung Galaxy S III)

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David Robinson - The NBA center spent his pre-basketball years studying mathematics at the prestigious US Naval Academy. Though he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs during college, the team had to wait until he finished his active duty before he could trade his Navy uniform for a Spurs one. (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

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Wiz Khalifa - Both of Wiz's parents served in the U.S. army and he grew up in Germany, England, and Japan before moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after his parents' divorce. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Tia and Tamera Mowry - The twins were born in West Germany where their parents were stationed. Their mom, Darlene, was a drill sergeant, and their dad, Tim, was a first sergeant. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards)

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Tiger Woods - Tiger Woods' dad, Army Lt. Col. Earl Woods, nicknamed his son "Tiger," the same name he gave a deputy province chief he advised in Vietnam.(Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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Tank - The R&B singer's father was enlisted in the Air Force.(Photo: AdrianSidney/PictureGroup)

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Blair Underwood - Blair Underwood's dad was a U.S. Army colonel.(Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Ciara - The singer's father was in the U.S. Army while her mom was in the Air Force. The singer was born in Austin, Texas and went on to live in Germany, New York, California, Arizona, Nevada, and Atlanta.  (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Shaquille O'Neal - Shaquille O'Neal's mother, Lucille O'Neal, married U.S. Army sergeant Phillip Harrison shortly after Shaq was born. He grew up in Germany while his stepfather was stationed with the Army as a drill instructor.(Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images)

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Trey Songz - Trey Songz' mother, April Tucker, married a member of the U.S. Army when the future singer was seven years old.(Photo: Bryan Steffy/Getty Images)

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Hines Ward - NFL player Hines Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea after his military dad met his mom while stationed there.(Photo: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

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Shaggy - The reggae star signed up for the Marines and served in Desert Storm for five months.(Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

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Ice-T - Ice-T served in the Army right after high school, but later said he "didn't like total submission to a leader other than myself."(Photo: Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Harry Belafonte - Harry Belafonte served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and then went on to attend The New School for Social Research in New York City using his GI Bill benefits.(Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

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Bill Cosby - Bill Cosby joined the Navy and trained as a hospital corpsman. He worked at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and treated Korean War casualties.(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation)

Photo By Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation

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Jimi Hendrix - After issues with the law, Jimi Hendrix was forced to enlist in the Army for for two years. He had trained as a paratrooper at Fort Campbell in Kentucky for less than a year when he broke his ankle and had to be discharged. (Photo: Evening Standard/Getty Images)

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Montel Williams - Montel Williams enlisted in the U.S. Marines and eventually became a lieutenant and supervising cryptologic officer with the Naval Security Fleet Support Division at Ft. Meade. It was during this time that he discovered his gift for motivational speaking.(Photo: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for USANA)

Photo By Photo: Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images for USANA

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James Earl Jones - James Earl Jones became a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images/Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

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Mr. T - Mr. T enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Military Police Corps. in the mid-70s and was eventually promoted to Squad Leader.  (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)