Can anyone help me debunk this?

[mac56]

My sister-in-law, a kind and trusting soul, just forwarded me this e-mail message. The major part of it describes Lee Marvin talking about how Bob Keeshan - "Captain Kangaroo" - was a war hero in WWII. That's not the part I have trouble with, though. Here's the problem part:

"On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another on 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 tattoos on his forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, his was able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat. He hid that away and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm."

Now I have nothing to back this up, but I believe Fred Rogers was an ordained minister and was on television through most of the Vietnam era. I think this is patent bullshit. Can anyone help me with a source or two? I'd appreciate it.

[bowens43]

1. Here

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-mr-rogers.htm

[DuctapeFatwa]

5. The tattoos were all of peaceful puppets

And unnamed sources say he was a formidable opponent in snowball fights.

[carpediem]

2. link to info

http://www.who2.com/fredrogers.html">link

snip

Extra credit: There is no truth to the rumor that Mr. Rogers was once an Army sniper, a Marine or a Navy SEAL; he never served in the military... It's also not true that Rogers wore long cardigan sweaters to hide military tattoos... Similar untrue stories are told about John Denver and TV's Captain Kangaroo... Comedian Eddie Murphy did a popular parody of Rogers for the TV show Satuday Night Live... Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister.

snip

[FlashHarry]

3. Utter bull. See here

Once again, Snopes.com debunks it.

<snip>
Fred Rogers served as a sniper during the Vietnam War, with a large number of confirmed kills to his credit.

This same rumor has often been applied to boyish country singer-songwriter John Denver (among others), and it's just as false when told of Fred Rogers. Not only did Fred Rogers never serve in the military, there are no gaps in his career when he could conceivably have served in the military -- he went straight into college after high school, he moved directly into TV work after graduating college, and his breaks from television work were devoted to attending the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963) and the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Child Development. Moreover, Fred Rogers was born in 1928 and was therefore far too old for an active combat position in the Vietnam War.
</snip>

[mac56]

4. Thanks all.

nm