Thread: On Veterans Day, thought you'd enjoy this

You Might Not Ever Guess


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.


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

Sorry to say this but I have heard this before and believe it is all made up, at least that is what I have heard.

Comments: Despite sundry grains of truth sprinkled throughout — including the fact that both actor Lee Marvin and Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan were Marines during World War II (Keeshan a reservist), and that Marvin really was wounded in the buttocks while storming a beachhead (though in Saipan, not Iwo Jima) — the story is fundamentally false. According to their respective biographies, Marvin had already been injured and shipped back to the United States with a Purple Heart by the time Keeshan entered basic training. They could not have encountered one another in combat. Neither was awarded the Navy Cross.

At the age of 20, Lee Marvin was a private in the U.S. Marines 4th Division, part of the Allied landing force that invaded the Japanese-held Pacific island of Saipan on July 15, 1944. He was wounded three days later on July 18, spent the next 13 months in Navy hospitals recovering from a severed sciatic nerve, and was discharged in 1945.

Bob Keeshan signed up for the Marine Corps Reserve shortly before his 18th birthday in 1945. Since the war was all but over by the time he finished basic training, it's unlikely Keeshan ever saw combat before completing his service a year later, let alone attained the rank of sergeant.

Those old enough to remember Lee Marvin's occasional appearances on TV talk shows up until his death in 1987 will find the manner and spirit of the storytelling reminiscent of the man himself, but it seems unlikely he would have trumpeted such blatant lies about another man's service record over national television, nor have I been able to find any evidence in the form of tapes or transcripts that prove he did so.

Update: A version of this message circulating since March 2003 includes an addendum claiming that Fred Rogers, host of public television's "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," was an ex-Marine sniper (or, in another version, a Navy Seal) with dozens of wartime kills to his credit. This, too, is false.

Update: Bob Keeshan died on Friday, January 23, 2004.