He was a Navy vet, like a lot of the old actors. Very few of the actors in Hollywood that were veterans complained about the country, that is to their credit.
The actor, who was born Justus McQueen in Beaumont, Texas, in 1929, served in the U.S. Navy from 1945-1946 and later studied law at the University of Texas, where he roomed with Marine Corps veteran and future "Daniel Boone" star Fess Parker.
To this day if there's something on tv with Ben Johnson or Slim Pickens or any of the old cowboy stars I will watch it no matter how many times I've seen it. It's proven everytime we lose one they can't be replaced.