He was inducted into the United States Army February 27, 1942. He served 38 months in the United States Army during World War II, rising from private to the rank of captain, and seeing action in Belgium, France and Germany. Following the war, he returned to Rochester, and appeared in an amateur production of "Soldier's Wife", a quiet comedy by Rose Franken about a veteran returning from the Pacific, presented in January 1946 by the Rochester Community Players. Wilcox, according to a contemporary news report, was considering whether go back to Hollywood or to work in professional theater. his post-war work was mostly on the stage.