He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo.” Johnny, I’m not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew. 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!” That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. He did this on more than one occasion because his men’s safety was more important than his own life. 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. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. 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. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting’ shot hauling you down. “Yeah, yeah… I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.ĭialog 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.” He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima There is only one higher Naval award… the Medal Of Honor! 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. I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn’t know the extent of his Corps experiences. 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. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). 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 death reminded me of the following story. The text of the bogus email follows below.Ĭaptain Kangaroo passed away on Januat age 76, which is odd, because he always looked to be 76 (DOB: 6/27/27 ). You helped mold me into the man that I am today. So, here’s my posthumous “thank you” to both Captain Kangaroo, and Mister Rogers. “America’s real heroes don’t flaunt what they did they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best.”īoth were extraordinary men who had untold positive impact on the lives of countless children – myself included. People don’t have to serve in the military, police, EMS, or fight fires to be heroes (though I’d argue that most of those that do are heroes).īut part of the email is correct. He never even saw any combat experience (he enlisted two weeks before we dropped the bomb).įred Rogers never served in the military, he was never a sniper, and he didn’t have tattooed arms. I just got an email that’s been circulating since around 2002 regarding Captain Kangaroo’s and Mister Roger’s alleged military service.Ĭaptain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) didn’t enlist until after Iwo Jima.
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