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 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 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 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..

Everything's accurate UNTIL the part about Mister Rogers ...

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp

Never happened ...

lol rumormill strikes again... i knew i should have looked that up...

I was gonna say, the whole Mr Rogers thing never happened. Well except the minister part, but that was early 60's.

Unfortunately Lee Marvin never fought with Captain Kangaroo either.. Captain K never saw combat... It was a wonderful story though...

http://www.snopes.com/military/celebrities/leemarvin.asp

Well, there's always Audie Murphy. His story is legendary, and he was an actor.

No, but Lee Marvin did fight alongside Clarabell the Clown and Soupy Sales.....seriously, not making that up, no really....

yea, my bad...
i guess not everything is true on the web...
makes me wonder about my naked starlet collection...

yea, he has about 10 histoical markers in northeast texas.
if you're driving through bonham or wolf city, stop and check them out.

well damnit...sigh...good spot on that one...

I started typing my amazement and then remembered every time I've believed something like that someone has "snoped" it, so I decided to "snope" first.. Sorry it wasn't true, it really did make for a good post/share...

There was also the Urban Legend about Jerry Mathers(Beaver from Leave It To Beaver) dying in Vietnam-
http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mathers.asp

Jerry talks about it in an interview-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkqG31mFn9U

lol fool me once...

no problem, i would rather put truth out than lies... thnx agian

No, sorry - that's not real, either ... those never did come in boxes of Count Chocula and Cream of Wheat ...

I hate to be the one to break this news ...

well crap... just not my dam day today is it...

Evolution of a Killah!

The childhood years,

The adult years,

The conviction for murder...

was he in Nam?



NO HE WAS TRAINED BY THE L.A.P.D.!

So Spanky turned into Robert Blake?

Uh-huh he was the original Spanky from lil rascals....

I don't think so...

Even if it is a hoax, I thank God for all military and others who serve and protect the country.