A Must and Cool Read

This makes my silly earlier post so trivial. This is really cool:


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 i n a
grave alongside 3- and 4-star generals at Arlington National
Cemetery His marker g ives 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. &nb
sp;

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
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 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 Ser geant 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 recently
passed
away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is
another of those you would least suspec t 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.& lt; /P>





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.


Send this
on, will you please? Nothing will happen to you if you
don't, but you will be telling others what a HERO is made
of.