SVCMNGR1 Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Captain Kangaroo passed away today. This is a bit long but very interesting. 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 interview 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 butt 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. That brave man 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 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 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 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Sorry to burst your bubble, Dave, but the antidote you cite is somewhere between an urban legend and the truth. See the http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/keeshan.htm for details. Also, the following is from the Arlington National Cemetary http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/lmarvin.htmweb site: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lee Marvin was born on February 19, 1924, he served with the Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific and was awarded a Purple Heart for a wound that he received there. On his return, he became a movie actor and starred in a number of motion pictures until his death in Arizona on August 29, 1987. He is buried in Section 7-A of Arlington National Cemetery, not far from the Memorial Amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknowns. 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." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Fred Rogers stuff is not even close to the truth. From the http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-mr-rogers.htm site I quote: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fred Rogers won our hearts, true enough; but the rest is hogwash. After graduating from Rollins College in Florida with a degree in music in 1951, he immediately embarked on a broadcasting career — a career that went uninterrupted for nearly 50 years, even while he studied for a Bachelor of Divinity degree, eventually becoming an ordained minister in 1962. Far from hiding a secret past as a trained killer, Fred Rogers was an exemplary individual who devoted his entire adult life to educating and bettering the lives of children, and as such he deserves to be remembered. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer26 Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Sure makes for a good story though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Yeah, but in both cases, not as good as the truth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Sad deal, I grew up with Captian Kangaroo, Mr Greenjeans, Mr Moose and all those dang ping pong balls............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 reb, And I grew up with radio shows like Sky King (with his faithful daughter Penny and the even more faithful Songbird - vroooom), Sgt. Preston of the Yukon (On King! On you huskies!), the Lone Ranger (kimo sabe, Tonto), Jack Benny (Oh Rochester!), The Shadow (Only the Shadow knows), Our Miss Brooks (the last three on Sunday night and the first three right after school on weekday afternoons). Imagine coming home from school and sitting down in front of the radio console in the living room with an after school snack and letting your imagination go wild listening to those old time radio shows. And then in the 50's the old time live TV shows like Pinky Lee (You Whoo, it's me, my name is Pinky Lee - Pinky fell and broke his leg during one show while I was watching), Mickey Mouse Club (with Annette, Cubby, etc), Howdy Doody (with Clarabell and Buffalo Bob), Dragnet (Friday's the name and this is the city) and the Ed Sullivan Show (Reeeeely beeeeg shew tonight). Our first TV had a 16 inch screen and was the envy of the neighborhood - 12 inch screens (or less) were the norm in the very early 50's. Am I getting old or what??? Nick Holt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Or What Nick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 I didn't know Captain Kangaroo was real. Just heard it on the movie Big Daddy. Wow that must of been back in the 20's or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 You're not that old, Nick. If you were, you'd have thrown in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Watch it Jason. It ain't that old and neither am I. lol There also used to be a program called the Uncle Jay & Packer Jack Show. And I was on it when I was on it when I was a little kid. Packer Jack had a beard and I remember pulling on it. I can't really remember why I did that. I guess I just wanted to see if it was real or not. It was real. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Packer Jack got away with a lot, just because no one thought any adults were watching, and the kids didn't get the jokes. He's by way of being an Austin Legend. I almost forgot: Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerjim2 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Does anyone remember Captain Gus used to wach his show after school. You all know though if you tell a story 5 tmes it automaticaly becomes the truth or so some racers telll me.LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASPEEDRACER24 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 If were talkin bout some long running shows my fav. had to be the Bozo show that used to run on WGN... Used to practice with those ping pong balls all the time at home... hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 A little "East Coast" childhood experience here for ya.. We definitely did the Captain Kangaroo/Mr. Rogers doubleheader....I always wanted to see some "grudge matches" between characters on the 2 shows! Think about it...Mr. Green Jeans taking on King Friday in a winner-take-all match! And, let's see the Trolley try to motor his way through Captain Kangaroos' ping-pong balls! Let's not forget one of the first-ever excercise "gurus," the one and only Jack La Lane...never could figure out the "La" part in his name, I was too young to know La was short for Louisiana or Los Angeles... Of course, my older brother and myself were BIG TIME into The Wild, Wild West..yes, that's right--Robert Conrad as Jim West--reminded me a lot of Captain Kirk, he let his co-hort (Gordon?) do his dirty work while he got the babe..Speaking of "Captain James T. Kirk," I always hoped that one day the crew of the Enterprise would switch jobs for one episode, so that Kirk would take Scottie's job in Engineering and vice-versa...Think of that: Scottie: "Cop-tain, I need more pow-wah, what's wong with ya down there?" Kirk: "I..........can't...........give.......it...anyyy...morree...." Scottie: "C'mon lad!!! Git your hands off the babe and put it on da instruh-ments!" Spock: "He has a point there, Captain. What he says is entirely logical." Okay, enough reminiscing for now, I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelracewriter Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Artemus Gordon forget the actors name, it didn't matter back then. LOL Maybe Ross Martin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoom Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Hey guys, Don't forget the best. . . . RAT PATROL. man that was TV back then. Then of course, lost in space Warning will robinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tqj3 Posted January 24, 2004 Report Share Posted January 24, 2004 Rat Patrol isn't that old. How about Mosby's Rangers? (Hans Gudegast from Rat Patrol is still starring in a hit TV series.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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