Just go this in my email, and considering the whole Questions thread, I thought it was quite interesting...
Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27.) 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 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 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 getting' shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo Jima 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 bastard 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 any thing 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.
You are not a human being having a spiritual experience, but a spiritual being having a human experience.
That was a great post Cory. I had no idea about Mr. Rogers.
One thing about the military is we do bicker, fight, and the occasional bar room brawl amongst ourselves. Which branch does the most, is the best... blah blah blah. But we all know without the other we would not succeed in the mission. Let someone else say something negative and we're all there.
This isn't so much a celebrity thing but I wanted to post a link:
I had watched a documentary awhile back on a teenage boy who had recently seen "Jaws" for the first time. What caught his attention was Robert Shaw's character (Quint) discussing his tour on the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
This it their story and what that young man learned.
On the lighter side I was chatting with Sarge awhile ago, talking about my back issues, surgery etc and his response was basically "no problem although it would be the first time he's carried a sailor INTO a bar".
Tex
This message has been edited by TexMac64 on Jul 16, 2005 1:37 PM This message has been edited by TexMac64 on Jul 16, 2005 1:29 PM
There's a memorial to that ship in a beautiful spot in our downtown, dedicated several years back during a reunion of survivors. Some of their stories were retold on TV and in the newspaper.
Its home is near memorials to every major war and one to the Medal of Honor recipients. "They say" Indianapolis has more war memorials than any other city besides Washington DC. I believe 'em.
Well, I found it difficult to believe about Mr. Rogers, he didn't look like he could pull himself into a boat, much less dive with a tank. He always creeped me out...always, like he could be very kinky and those sweaters were some kind of cover up; I disliked how he talked to little kids. Just my feelings about him.
But the Cptn, well he seemed more genuine to me--still...
