You Would Never Have Guessed

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 at age 76 , which is odd,
because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 ) His death reminds us 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 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 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

 

Great post.

 

Thanks for sharing the post with me - it was really interesting

 

The Mr Rogers stuff is an urban myth. Not that it makes him any smaller of a man in my opinion.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fredrogers/a/mr_rogers.htm

The same seems to be true of the Lee Marvin quote.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Marvin

Not that I think any less of both Lee Marvin, Bob Keeshan, or Fred McFeely Rogers. All three were great men in their own regards.

 

I don't like any of them now.

Steve

 

Mr Rogers once had a car stolen only to have it returned with a note on the dash saying "We are sorry, we didn't know it was your car."

I think that should stand for something

Marvin got a purple heart, which means something.

Kershaan at least admits to never having served in combat.

Charles Dunning is a real hero, if you are looking for a lot of medals and what not. He was also an boxer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Durning

 

Mr. Rogers is a figure of fond childhood memory to me. I am pleased to hear that legend exists around the man, with the respect that it attaches to him. He was a great man, and a hero in my book.