Real American Heroes?

[donaldb]

I thought the following was interesting, I have no idea if it is true. Makes for a good story.

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76, which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27.) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National Cemetery. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions,

Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin.

Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima...and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting' shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.

That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?' Well Bob... if you make it home be fore me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"

Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.

The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed; kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.

 

[radman]

"Search

Urban Legends and Folklore

Urban Legends and Folklore

Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper/Navy Seal

From the mailbag...

Dear Guide:

I've been listening to the radio today, and a couple of speakers made mention of the 'fact' that Mr. Rogers was a Marine sharpshooter; some even said he's supposed to have had something like 150 'kills' in the Vietnam War. I don't think that can be true, because I think he was on TV during the war — in any case, he would have likely been too old to serve in Vietnam.

I was wondering if you'd heard the story, whether it — or any part of it — was true.

Dear Reader:

Unless all the biographical information available about him is wrong, Fred McFeely Rogers never served in the military in any capacity, let alone as a Marine sniper (or Navy Seal, as another version of this apocryphal story claims). Some cynical folks may be loathe to believe that the gentle, soft-spoken host of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" was exactly what he seemed, but he was.

Rumors to the contrary have circulated since the early 1990s. It's unknown where, precisely, they began, but starting in 1994 stories about Fred Rogers' supposed military exploits became a hot topic on the Internet, escalating as the decade wore on. For example:

1994: "A note on Mr. Rogers. He would be a tough competitor. He has 42 confirmed sniper kills (in Korea?)."

1998: "So this fellow at work (retired Army vet) says that Mr. Rogers of childrens' TV fame served three tours of duty in 'Nam as a sniper and has been credited with kills in excess of 1500 meters."

1999: "Interesting side note about Fred Rogers. He was the number three Marine sniper in the Vietnam war. And one of the reasons he always wears long sleeve clothing is because his arms are covered in tattoos."

Predictably, Rogers' death in February 2003 sparked a resurgence in the rumors, but with a new twist: now, he was an ex-Navy Seal instead of a Marine sniper. This variant circulated far and wide when it hitched a ride with an newer email hoax making similar claims about Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan. The relevant portion of the text went as follows:

2003: "On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeve sweater to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat. He hid that away and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm."

Fred Rogers won our hearts, true enough; but the rest is hogwash. After graduating from Rollins College in Florida with a degree in music in 1951, he immediately embarked on a broadcasting career — a career that went uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, even while he studied for a Bachelor of Divinity degree, eventually becoming an ordained minister in 1962. Far from hiding a secret past as a trained killer, Fred Rogers was an exemplary individual who devoted his entire adult life to educating and bettering the lives of children, and as such he deserves to be remembered.

Last updated: 05/05/03 "

And as for The Captain and Tenille there.........More Bull

The Net giveth-and the Net taketh away..........

 

[Calabash]

I joke with my friends whenever his name comes up and I say " I saw Mr. Rogers naked" that always stops the conversation till I explain that while living up in Pittsburgh, PA I was a member of the Jewish Community Center there. I would play raquetball with my friends on Sunday morning. Mr. Rogers was a member there as well.

One morning I heard this voice saying "good morning" but like I had heard it somewhere before, around the corner comes Mr. Rogers! He stopped a couple of lockers down and started to change his clothes to go exercise.

I introduced myself and I thanked him for all he had done with children and we talked some as we were both changing.

Now I wasn't checking him out or anything but I think I would have noticed if he had tatoos on his arms. It would have been so out of place to see any tatoos on this guy. I can't swear to it, but I don't think I saw any tatoos on Mr. Rogers.

Just adding to the Urban Legend...

 

[donaldb]

Well that just sux! another good story shot to hell, what about Lee Marvin? where did you find that legends and folklore site Rad? I need to bookmark it.

 

[radman]

Well that just sux! another good story shot to hell, what about Lee Marvin? where did you find that legends and folklore site Rad? I need to bookmark it.

Clickarooni

 

[Fallen Jim Rides again]

Dang it

 

[NoCage]

Here's another site about urban legends. Snopes site

 

[twowheelnut]

My mom worked briefly for Mr. Rogers at KDKA in Pittsburgh. And, IIRC, The Captain was based there too, until his move to PBS in the mid eighties...

Tom Terrific and Bunny Rabbit rocked!

 

[grnarrowe]

Mr Rogers a Marine sniper? :huh: Come on, everyone knows he and I were running drugs & guns in Laos at the time, I mean really! :trinibob:

 

[Calabash]

Mr Rogers a Marine sniper? :huh:   Come on, everyone knows he and I were running drugs & guns in Laos at the time, I mean really! :trinibob:

:rolf: :rolf: