The Quiet Men
The Legend:
Subject: The Quiet Men
Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76, which is odd
because he always looked to be 76. (born: 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 ass 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 dumb b......d 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."
Mr. Rogers:
On another note, there was this wimpy little man (passed away at 74, 27 Feb
2003) was 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. They are The Quiet Men.
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.
The Quiet Men
The Facts:
Nice story, Its been around the 'net for a while now. Sounds believable but some things just don't add up. Here are the facts on "The Quiet Men."
Some how, some way, through the years, I picked up the knowledge that Lee Marvin was a marine during WWII and that he was wounded in action . I even seem to remember Marvin talking, a bit reluctantly, about his war experiences on The Tonight Show many years ago. I wasn't sure of the details though so I was ready to accept the story.
Until I read the second part, about Mr. Rogers. No way, I thought. I did some quick mental math and figured he was a bit too old to be that active of a Navy Seal during the Vietnam War. That is a young mans game and he would have been approaching 40 when Viet Nam was escalating. I'm sure there were some Navy Seals his age in Viet Nam but they were the ones who stayed on the rubber boat and said "Go gettum" as they rolled the 20 year olds over the side. So I did some research.
Fred Rogers was never even in the military. He was an ordained minister who worked on early TV programs in the '50's and developed many different children's formats. There are also similar and just as false stories going around about John Denver, in some of those Denver is an Army Sniper.
This revelation caused me to have some doubts about Captain Kangaroo's military experiences so I did some research on him.
Bob Keeshan, Capt Kangaroo, WAS in the marines towards the end of WWII. He was just 18 and joined right after graduating from High School in 1945. He never saw combat. And it would have been difficult for him to make sergeant, as the story states, that soon after joining; but in any event, since the Battle of Iwo Jima took place in February of 1945 he was likely still in class.
Lee Marvin did see quite a bit of action in the Pacific, but not at Iwo Jima. He was wounded at Saipan and received a Purple Heart.
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