The transcript allegedly taken from a Tonight Show episode features actor Lee Marvin and host Johnny Carson, claiming that Marvin and Bob Keeshan, who later became famous as the long-time children’s television host Captain Kangaroo, were veterans of World War II who fought together at the battle for Iwo Jima in the Pacific theater.

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 Sgt. and I have been life long friends … When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sgt. 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 … Sgt. Keeshan was the bravest man I ever Knew — Bob Keeshan … You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo.”

Many people have always been a bit offended that Lee Marvin is buried in a grove of 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else.

I thought to myself, damn 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 did not know the extent of his Corps experiences. Including award of the Navy Cross. There is only one higher award…the Medal Of Honor.

Marvin, as some renditions of this article assert, was not laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery despite being bestowed with a Navy Cross; nevertheless, he was indeed presented with a Purple Heart. It was not during the battle for Saipan in June 1944, where his injury transpired, but rather in February 1945 that the conflict for Iwo Jima unfolded. Marvin sustained damage to his sciatic nerve from gunfire, which inflicted a wound on his buttocks, leading him to join the U.S. Marines. Serving as a Private First Class, he actively participated in the Pacific theater during World War II.

Bob Keeshan, who would later become famous as television’s “Captain Kangaroo,” also joined the U.S. Marines, but he did so too late to witness any action during World War II. Keeshan was born on June 27, 1927, and enlisted two weeks before his 18th birthday, which was several months after the fighting at Iwo Jima. In a 1997 interview, Keeshan clarified that he “enlisted in the U.S. Marines but did not experience any combat” because he signed up “just before the atomic bomb was dropped.”

Military authorities have also denied the exaggerated reports presented in the Internet-circulated versions of the two actors’ military accomplishments.

Jack Green, the public-affairs officer with the Naval Historical Center in Washington, frequently gets calls about Fighting Captain Kangaroo.

“I have to tell them it’s a nice story, but it didn’t happen,” said Green, who served as a historical adviser for the movie Pearl Harbor.

He doubts that Marvin, who also never was on Iwo Jima, perpetrated such a fantasy.

“Lots of legends pop up and who knows where they come from,” Green said.

In 2003, someone decided to include children’s television host Fred Rogers in the mix by appending the following bit to the current email regarding Lee Marvin and Bob Keeshan.

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 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 sleeve sweater to cover the many tattoo’s on his forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat. He hid that away 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.

Fred Rogers, the host of a children’s television show, never served in the military. As Mr. Rogers explains on his page, there is no truth to any rumors about him having a military or criminal background, or being involved in any violent activities. These rumors have been circulating for about years, but there is no basis to them.