Lee Marvin,USMC

[Slyfox]

Dialog From a Tonight Show ... 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."

And you know how Lee was ...

"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. The dumb bastard actually stood up on Red Beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. That Sergeant and I have been life long 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 ..."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 ... Bob Keeshan ..You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Thanks, Tonk!"

Always my pleasure to scout for my Marine FRiends!

[jragan2001]

Oops! Thanks for the urban legend link.

[conserve-it]

Hey, thanks for the great read!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Wow!! Thanks for the ping, you sweetie!!

[KarlInOhio]

Mr. Moose spent the war in the RCMP (Royal Canadian Moose Police) in the ping pong ball weapons unit.

[dvan]

Damn! They got us again!!! Say about that bridge at oakland that is up for sale!

[keithtoo]

The Canadians are rightfully proud of their military. By the way, the Canadian military needs any spare cans of Fix-a-Flat we American's can spare because their only jeep ran over a nail.

Please mail these items to: Canadian's are Weenies. P.0. Box 123WAAGGHHHH!, Dead Baby Fur Seal Bay, Nova Scotia, 10923-0

[Snow Bunny]

Thank you for the ping to this.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Marvin was wounded, in the butt, on Saipan on 18 June 1944 and spent the next 13 months in different hospitals. Purple Heart, no Navy Cross, no duty on Iwo.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Do you think Clint Eastwood ever cleaned Jean Seberg's wagon

[Slyfox]

Thanks. My father-in-law was on Saipan, don't know if he knew Marvin.

[mdittmar]

That Marine and Clint did love her so.

[Washington-Husky]

re picture in post #30...

Wow, what a simple and unpretentious tombstone for such a big star. Lee Marvin, I salute you, you tough old sonofabitch! (that's a compliment...)

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Marvin was on Saipan.

If you ever get the chance to see (or rent if they have it at the video store) "The Son's of Lee Marvin" on PBS don't miss it. It's fantastic.

[PA Engineer]

One of my favourite all time movies.

[Snow Bunny]

Lee Marvin is buried in Arlington Cemetary.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Keeshan was USMCR 45-46.

[El Gato]

Are you implying you don't know who Captain Kangaroo was/is?

"Captain Kangaroo was the longest running network children's show of all time - from 1955 until 1984, the good Captain could be seen on CBS. Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum played sidekick Mr. Green Jeans, joining Cosmo Allegretti's hand-puppets Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit in the Captain's Treasure House."

Later, there was also a 'toon version, IIRC.

see: Captain Kangaroo

And now after all these years, I learn the Captain was a Jarhead, even if not a WW-II combat vet. But I'm not surprised about it either.

[mdittmar]

To Lee Marvin.