Heroes

Ivan Seeking

Since I grew up with the captain my mom sent this to me. I didn't have the heart to forward the links that follow.

Some people have been offended that the actor Lee Marvin is buried in a grave along side 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.

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 with Lee Marvin as guest: "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima...and during the course of action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded." "Yeah, yeah...I got shot square in the *** 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. Bullets flying by and mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gun fire so he could get his men to safety. He did that 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 US 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 again 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. Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.

From
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/keeshan.htm

The Truth:
This story almost complete fabrication.

Lee Marvin and Bob Keeshan did both serve in the Marines.

Before his death in January, 2004, we checked with Bob Keeshan, who was living in Vermont, and he said he never served at Iwo Jima, was not presented with the Navy Cross and, in fact, never saw combat.

There is no record of Lee Marvin at Iwo Jima or winning the Navy Cross. According to a biography that we have on file at TruthOrFiction.com, Marvin did see a lot of action in the Pacific participating in the invasions at Kwajalein and Eniwetok and was wounded in Saipan, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart. Marvin is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
(Last updated 3-20-02)

From
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/kangaroo.html

Though rugged actor Lee Marvin was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show," it's unclear whether the exchange cited in this letter ever took place. What we do know is that the story can't be true, regardless of whether it was actually ever told. Here are the facts:

Keeshan turned 75 on June 27, 2002. The current version of the rumor above had been circulating long before that. This comment has been added by an anonymous forwarder

Bob Keeshan and Lee Marvin both served in the Marines, but never together.

Marvin was wounded at the battle of Saipan, two months prior to Iwo Jima. He received the Purple Heart, not the Navy Cross, for his injuries. There is no record of him serving at Iwo Jima.

Keeshan enlisted in the Marines in June, 1945 - four months after Iwo Jima. He never saw action during the war and never received the Navy Cross.
Entertainment legends are expected to tell legendary tales. It's possible that Marvin did relate this story, but its also just as likely that it's an urban legend that got attributed to Marvin to make it sound better.

Urban legends that portray childrens' television stars in a situation or profession that is in stark contrast to their on-screen personas are common. Can you imagine dear Captain Kangaroo lying in the sand, clad in fatigues, dragging on a cigarette? Me neither, that's why legends like this endure - shock value.

Newer versions of the Marvin/Keeshan chain above now carry an interesting prologue that suggests another beloved Childrens' TV personality has a dark and deadly secret:

In my eyes Bob Keeshan is still a hero.

mouseonmoon

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts...eeshan.html?hp

He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.

His first television appearance came in 1948, when he played the voiceless, horn-honking Clarabell the Clown on the ``Howdy Doody Show,'' a role he created and played for five years.

``Captain Kangaroo'' premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years

Psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers, who spent three seasons on the show....

As for ``Barney and Friends,'' Keeshan found the popular 1990s show gentle but boring -- ``what we used to call `a program in a telephone booth.'''

``Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff. And if it's properly structured in a developmental program, children can blossom,''

good stuff....more....

there's some info on this at snopes.com

have to check further (Lee's one of my heroes), but one of my uncles is a Marine (you know-once a.....) and i read through one of his books about wwII-and the Pacific--included lists of every battle and all 'facts'-dead wounded etc.-swear, Lee Marvin was one of 3 survivors on some island-forget the details now---he said it was 'that' Lee--?--but did hear him talk about it-joined at 17......remember the movie just him and the great Japanese actor-stranded on island together?---what about hobo in "Emperor of the North"--with Ernest Borgine as the 'bull'?.....on and on.....

mouseonmoon

edit add:
{Lee Marvin... Hollywood actor Lee Marvin served as a Private First Class in the Marines in World War II. In the battle of Saipan in 1944, he was one of only nine survivors ...
http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/...lee_marvin.htm -

Says he learned to "act" in the Marines, trying to act unafraid during ferocious combat, which brought him a Purple Heart during invasion of Saipan.

The body of Lee Marvin was interred next to that of Joe Louis in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. USA.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001511/bio

In the battle of Saipan in June 1944, he was wounded in the buttocks by Japanese fire which severed his sciatic nerve. He was invalided home and got menial work as a plumber's apprentice in Woodstock, New York. While repairing a toilet at the local community theatre, he was asked to replace an ailing actor in a rehearsal......

"Ah, stardom! They put your name on a star in the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard and you walk down and find a pile of dog manure on it. That tells the whole story, baby."

Njorl

Jimmy Stewart had a very impressive war record. He flew B-17's over Germany. Many people think of our modern planes and don't realize how dangerous that was. Bomber duty had a vary high mortality rate. He rose to the rank of colonel I believe. He worked hard to get this assignment, rather than getting stuck doing USO-like stuff.

I always found it ironic that in his most famous movie role he was 4F.

Njorl

russ_watters

So I take it Mr. Rogers wasn't a SEAL either? Seals come in two body types, the stocky musclebound and the lean, relatively normal looking. The lean, relatively normal looking do have one physical feature they never lose: huge upper traps (the muscles right behind your neck) that make you look like a hunch-back. I don't think (could be wrong) that Mr. Rogers could have been a SEAL.

mouseonmoon

Heroes and
Truth Decay

--Davy Crockett shot in the back running from the Alamo?--hard to take

The first rule in keeping secrets is "nothing on paper."
CIA Director Richard Helms
======
quote:
Bush's Military Record Reveals Grounding and Absence for Two Full Years
by Robert A. Rogers (USAF - Ret)
"I think that people need to be held responsible for the actions they take in life. I think that's part of the need for a cultural change. We need to say that each of us needs to be responsible for what we do." – George W. Bush in the first Presidential debate, October 3, 2000.

But the first independent investigation of Bush's military record by a former Air National Guard pilot has revealed the following:
1. Pilot George W. Bush did not simply "give up flying" with two years left to fly, as has been reported. Instead, Bush was suspended and grounded, very possibly as a direct or indirect result of substance abuse.
2. The crucial evidence – a Flight Inquiry Board – that would reveal the true reasons for Bush's suspension, as well as the punishment that was recommended, is missing from the records released so far. If no such Board was convened, this raises further questions of extraordinary favoritism.
3. Contrary to Bush's emphatic statements and several published reports, Bush never actually reported in person for the last two years of his service – in direct violation of two separate written orders. Moreover, the lack of punishment for this misconduct represents the crowning achievement of a military career distinguished only by favoritism.
http://www.progressivetrail.org/articles/040123A.Rogers(USAF-Ret).shtml
============
this is quite a Debunkin--
if this guy were a "Balloon Skeptic"-might get somewhere on this UFO cover-up....

------------
Trust me-everybody will lie to you.....

Similar discussions for: Heroes
Thread	Forum	Replies
In Honor of our Fallen Heroes	Current Events	11
Heroes of New Orleans	General Discussion	0
Heroes	General Discussion	8
heroes die...	General Discussion	16

russ_watters Mentor	So I take it Mr. Rogers wasn't a SEAL either? Seals come in two body types, the stocky musclebound and the lean, relatively normal looking. The lean, relatively normal looking do have one physical feature they never lose: huge upper traps (the muscles right behind your neck) that make you look like a hunch-back. I don't think (could be wrong) that Mr. Rogers could have been a SEAL.