SillyDog701

[Lorraine]

Who would have known?

You'll be glad if you take the time to read this!!

Captain Kangaroo turned 76 recently, which is odd, because he's never
looked a day under 76. (DOB:6/27/27) He passed away on January 23rd, 2004.
It 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 did not 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 ass 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 gettin' 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.
The dumbass actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move
forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by and mortar
rounds
landing every where and he stood there as the main target of gun fire 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 before 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 peaceful 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
on his show 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. 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 the tattoos and his past life away 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. Look around and see if you
can
find one of those heroes in your midst. Often, they are the ones you'd
least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever
happened. Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom.
With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers

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[Ron Williams]

Very good truth.

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[EddiePaxil]

Hey Lorraine,

First of all you should be commended for recognizing Memorial Day here in the US. It's an important day where we remember those who gave more for their country in a couple of years than most do in a lifetime. Some never fully returning to the person they once were.

Now, sorry to rain on your parade, somewhat, but some of what you have here is an urban legend. Lee Marvin did fight as you say, and he received a Purple Heart (Not a Navy Cross) for his actions in Saipan (Not Iwo Jima), and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Rightfully so. Yes, President's and Generals are buried at Arlington National Cemetery but so is anyone meeting certain requirements. They are also entitled to an Honor Guard. (A group of soldiers from their branch of military service who will escort the casket, covered in the US flag, to the burial plot and fire a salute of gunshots in honor of their lost brother. The flag is then given to the closest living relative or spouse.)

Here are the requirements from the US Army on burial at Arlington National cemetery.

For decorated honorably discharged veterans, a copy of the last discharge document is needed. A copy of the order awarding the decoration if it is not on the discharge document.

For a former prisoner of war, a copy of the last discharge document and an official military document that confirms former-prisoner-of-war status are required.

Active-duty service members require an official active-duty statement.

Military retirees are nor required to provide documentation unless the military retirement is combined with civil-service retirement. Then a copy of the retirement order and last discharge document must be provided.

Retired reservists must provide a discharge document copy that verifies active military service for other than training purposes.

For veterans who held Executive Level I and II positions in the federal government or federal elective office, a copy of the last discharge document is required. 

The Navy Cross is the Navy's third highest award and is awarded for acts of heroism and other distinguished service. See here the History of the Navy Cross http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/navcross.htm. The Purple Heart is the award handed out in the US for being wounded in battle. The Purple Heart and his Honorable discharge means that Lee Marvin has every right to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

As for Captain Kangaroo and Fred Rogers well, read the tangled web of the entire urban legend that has arisen from Lee Marvin's distinguished service.

Claim:   Lee Marvin, actor, and Bob Keeshan, television's "Captain Kangaroo," fought together at the battle for Iwo Jima.

Status:   False.

Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 2002]

Dialog from a Tonight Show... 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."

And you know how Lee was..."Yeah, yeah...I got shot square in the ass 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 gettin' 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. The dumb bastard actually stood up on Red Beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. That Sgt. and I have been life long friends...When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sgt. and he lit a smoke and passed it to me lying on my belly on the litter..."Where'd they get you Lee?"...."Well Bob...if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse."..... "Johnny, I'm not lying...Sgt. Keeshan was the bravest man I ever Knew - Bob Keeshan....

You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

Variations:   A

later version tacked on a prologue about Lee Marvin's burial in Arlington National Cemetery:

Many people have always been a bit offended that Lee Marvin is buried in a grove of 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else.

I thought to myself, damn 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 did not know the extent of his Corps experiences. Including award of the Navy Cross. There is only one higher award...the Medal Of Honor.

Origins:   We can't say for sure whether actor Lee Marvin ever related something like the story described above to Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show (Marvin was a guest on the show seven times during Carson's tenure as host), but the details of the anecdote are undeniably false.

Lee Marvin did enlist in the U.S. Marines, saw action as Private First Class in the Pacific during World War II, and was wounded (in the buttocks) by fire which severed his sciatic nerve. However, this injury occurred during the battle for Saipan in June 1944, not the battle for Iwo Jima, which took place several months later, in February 1945. (Marvin also did receive a Purple Heart, and he is indeed buried at Arlington National Cemetery.)

Bob Keeshan, later famous as television's "Captain Kangaroo," also enlisted in the U.S. Marines, but too late to see any action during World War II. Keeshan was born on 27 June 1927 and enlisted two weeks before his 18th birthday, months too late to have taken part in the fighting at Iwo Jima. A 1997 interview with Keeshan noted that he "later enlisted in the U.S. Marines but saw no combat" because, as Keeshan said, he signed up "just before we dropped the atom bomb."

In 2003 someone thought to throw Mr. Rogers into the mix by add the following bit to the existing e-mail about Lee Marvin and Bob Keeshan:

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 tattoo's 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. 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. Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst. Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.

Numerous rumors about children's host Mr. Rogers having a violent or criminal past have been bandied about for years, but there is nothing to any of them. As our Mr. Rogers page explains, Fred Rogers never served in the military.

Last updated:   13 January 2004

 

So sorry to say, Captain Kangaroo's service was minimal, and Fred Rogers never served in the US military. That doesn't mean that remembering those who did (like Lee Marvin) don't deserve to be remembered and honored.

I would like to honor and remember a man I once met named John, who served in Vietnam and was a P.O.W. he received the Purple Heart and the Prisoner Of War Medal. http://www.americal.org/awards/pow.htm Sadly, he was never quite the same after his experience. For that kind of sacrifice there is no amount of honor or remembrance that is enough. He will one day reside in peace at Arlington National Cemetery.

Regards
Eddie

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[Lorraine]

Eddie take another pill
How can you be sure that Snopes is correct?
I remember hearing Lee Marvin on TV, I don't remember which show, there was also Merv Griffin show.
I remember him telling the story, whether true or not, I don't know but then nearly every soldier will embellish his story telling.

I just found the message in my junk. I thought I would post as nothing had been posted for ages.
As it is Memorial Weekend and my time is consumed by other things, I was unable to write an essay about Memorial Day.

I didn't expect to get the history of the U.S.A and their Military. Show, show and more shows!
I think I have seen enough of it in TV shows and Movies.

The American's won World War 2 and the British and the rest of the Commonwealth did absolulely nothing.
I think nearly every soldier in the U.S. Military has a Purple Heart, they seemed to give them out if you tripped and fell down.

I know they had a hard fight in the Pacific. But if the Commonwealth hadn't fought the Nazi's you might not be writing so freely.
-Lorraine

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[EddiePaxil]

Eddie take another pill

lol. I'm in the music business, plenty of pills amongst other things around. I try to stay far away from them.

How can you be sure that Snopes is correct?

I'm not going just by snopes, that's just one of the sites that registered with some detailed information on the subject. Although I must admit after spending some time yesterday on the site it's very well researched. This urban legend has been around quite a while and has been perpetuated by the internet. I researched this myself because the version of this I heard some years ago was ended with Fred Rogers not only being a Navy Seal, but an assasin who'd registered more kills then anyone in the history of the military. I found this odd because I grew up a fan of Fred Rogers, and never heard mention of this in any interview or special on him. Well, it turns out he couldn't have served in Vietnam as he was already playing Mr. Rogers as early as 1963, and the show took to PBS in 1967. The years of Vietnam. He was already in his mid to late 30's.He never even served in the military. See here at Fred Rogers Obit http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/27/rogers.obit/

I remember hearing Lee Marvin on TV, I don't remember which show, there was also Merv Griffin show.
I remember him telling the story, whether true or not, I don't know but then nearly every soldier will embellish his story telling.

Oh, I'm sure he told war stories on Carson and Griffith. However I think embelishment comes from time and people retelling the same story. I'm pretty sure that if Bob Keeshan won a Navy Cross or Purple Heart it would've been mentioned by CNN in his obituary. http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/23/obit.kangaroo/ Here's a link to Lee Marvin's bio at IMdb the movie database http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001511/bio as you can see Saipan not Iwo Jima and a purple heart from being wounded in the buttocks. It seems odd that a database dedicated to actors, movies, and TV wouldn't mention the connection to Captain Kangaroo. Nor does Bob Keesham's bio on the same site mention Lee Marvin, a navy cross, or purple heart. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444828/bio

I just found the message in my junk. I thought I would post as nothing had been posted for ages.
As it is Memorial Weekend and my time is consumed by other things, I was unable to write an essay about Memorial Day.

And as I said, you should be commended for your heart being in the right place. Most internet urban legends are unfortunately perpetuated by people with their hearts in the right place. Just look at this info on "Penny Brown" http://www.codeamber.org/penny_brown.html That's not from snopes that's from the amber alert site. Here's a case where this legend stays alive because people think they're helping a little girl even though there just perpetuating someone's prank it seems.

I didn't expect to get the history of the U.S.A and their Military. Show, show and more shows!
I think I have seen enough of it in TV shows and Movies.

It's just these urban myths get out of hand so fast. As I said in the version I heard Fred Rogers was a stone faced killing machine. It seems one of the urban legend criteria is turning soft spoken children's programming stars into justified killers within the context of war. I heard a myth that the person in the Barney costume served Special Forces in Grenada. (Not true by the way) Much the same way that entertainers suspected of being gay seem to have rumors started linking them to animals. Richard Gere and a gerbil (not true). Rod Stewart and a dog (not true).

I think nearly every soldier in the U.S. Military has a Purple Heart, they seemed to give them out if you tripped and fell down.

You'd be surprised how many veterans are entitled to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with honor guard and are not. With the large number of homeless veterans who have been unable to re-enter normal life many don't have family members or anyone claiming them, and arranging their military burial. Some very highly decorated. A wonderful christmas episode on the TV show "The West Wing" was done on the topic. One of the main characters Toby (Richard Schiff) arranged for the military burial of a Vietnam Purple Heart winner who was wearing a coat he'd donated to the goodwill. The President, (Martin Sheen) says, "If we arrange an honor guard for a homeless vet, homeless vets are gonna come out of the woodwork." Toby replies, "We could only hope."

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[Ron Williams]

It's just these urban myths get out of hand so fast

Consider the story about Tupac Shakur, the fans wanted so much to believe that he was alive that some porn site created a false CNN story that spread like wild fire over the internet.

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[Lorraine]

I believe very little that gets posted on the internet.
Anybody that does is just too darn lazy to go to a good
library and look things up for themselves.

You are all so worried about Urban Myths, what about Phishing, and all the other crap that is posted on the internet. All the untruths. I very seldom search for facts on the internet as I have seen a lot of misinformation and anyone with an education should know that.

Even all History books in libraries vary in their history. Historians have vivid imaginations.

What to believe and not to believe is up to each person.

I'm not saying I believe what I posted about Captain Kangaroo et al, not at all, I posted because I noticed nothing had been posted for some time. I came across that article, and as it was Memorial Weekend, I posted it.

So that's it, get of your butts and post a message instead of picking what others post apart.

If I had have wanted to debate, it would have been worded differently.

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[EddiePaxil]

I believe very little that gets posted on the internet.
Anybody that does is just too darn lazy to go to a good
library and look things up for themselves.

You are all so worried about Urban Myths, what about Phishing, and all the other crap that is posted on the internet. All the untruths. I very seldom search for facts on the internet as I have seen a lot of misinformation and anyone with an education should know that.

Some of those links are from CNN's obituaries provided by the associated press. The exact same information you would find in a library. I think at this point many internet outlets have proven themselves to be worthy. Ever since Forbes.com broke the Stephen Glass story it's become more and more apparent that there are plenty of legitimate places to get news and information on the net.

And still yes, there are plenty of places spreading misinformation. Including these urban myths. While the one you posted was pretty much harmless, still why do we need to invent heroes when there are so many being ignored.

Even all History books in libraries vary in their history. Historians have vivid imaginations.

What to believe and not to believe is up to each person.

But is there not truth and untruth. Why credit someone for service they didn't perform when there are so many highly decorated and distinguished veterans basically being forgotten about.

So that's it, get of your butts and post a message instead of picking what others post apart.

If I had have wanted to debate, it would have been worded differently.

I didn't mean to pick apart your posting. It's just I really loved and grew up with Mr. Rogers. and because I'm quitting smoking.

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[Lorraine]

eddiepaxil wrote:

Some of those links are from CNN's obituaries provided by the associated press. The exact same information you would find in a library.

I don't think I would go to a library to check out CNN's Obits from AP.
I really don't care which celebrity died.
I have more important things to do with my time.
Makes no difference to my life, death is inevitable.

I have seen enough of war and would like to live a day without the dreadful memories that recur and I am now a Pacifist. I came to the conclusion that war is just to make some politician rich and re-elected selling ammunition and machinery like tanks, trucks, jeeps, ships, planes and arms etc.

As I said previously, I just posted to fill a hole with an article I had come across while cleaning out my PC. I have no idea if things are true or not, I take nothing as factual that I see on the internet, except what I write myself

I read Associated Press, Reuters and a few others, but they are not always correct either. Garbage in and garbage out. Reporters have deadlines. I also worked in a newspaper at one time. I know only too well how reporters work the bars.

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