"Forwarders" and Internet Myths -- Forward Responsibly!

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as 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 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 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 getting 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 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."

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-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.

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

I said to myself, "Now, that's a nice story!" and went to bed with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

This morning, there was another e-mail from Ron, and he labeled this communication, "Captain Kangaroo Court."

Shortly after I sent an article about Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers to all my friends, my son Alex sends me this article that debunks the first article. Boy do I feel stupid.

I've noticed that quite a few of you, my classmates, are what I call "Forwarders." You get an e-mail from a buddy that makes you feel good, expresses a sentiment that you hold to be true, or has enlightened you on some subject, and you want to share this with all you know. It's easy to do with the e-mail software that allows you to put your entire address book into a group, so with one click, you can share your newly found gem with a hundred friends.

I am receptive to the first three (. . . . . well, maybe Nos. 2 and 3) without exceptions. Linda Smith's photo collections that she finds somewhere are always astoundingly beautiful and take my breath away--always a moment or two for soul-healing. Barbara South contributes lots of Fifties nostalgia that I have used on the website.

Jimmy Kimbrell's puns and jokes are always tasteful, but I must say that his Halloween surprise almost put me in the Cardiac ICU! If I had a really intelligent filter on my computer, I would use it to block some of the sexual and dumb blond jokes as well as the religious education, Viagra or enlargers of body parts e-mails that come my way.

But, the last category, "Little-Known Facts," is the one which requires a little bit of work on the part of the sender, as Ron found out from his son, Alex. There are several websites which exist to provide myth-busting truth to counter some of the so-called "internet myths" that are incredibly prevalent on the internet. For example, I got the one about the once in a lifetime opportunity to see the planet Mars up close and personal. It turns out that this has been circulating on the internet for two years and was no truer then than in 2006. If you clicked on the link about Lee Marvin, et. al., above, you found out that none of what was originally reported about these three celebrities is true. I must admit that I was greatly disappointed because I wanted to believe the first story, the myth.

I've got other correspondents than members of the Class of '56 -- church friends, Tuscaloosa friends, co-workers (yes, I'm back at a lab), and so on. It amazes me that one of these "Forwardings" will come from a church friend, and within a day or two, one of you will send me the exact same thing. The more amazing, the more likely this will happen. The Mars thing, the rock out in Kansas or somewhere painted with patriotic things, the size of the earth comparisons, and the flower that looks like a bird are a few of these that travel around the internet at the speed of light.

So, if you are tempted to share something in the "Little-Known Facts" category, please check it out. The myth-busters that I use to check the "Forwardings" that come to me are:

But, as I confessed above, I didn't check Ron's story out because I wanted to believe it. However, no harm done! I never ever forward anything. Well, hardly ever.

I hope that doesn't mean that I will go to hell for breaking some of those chain letters, or that some little waif somewhere in the world won't get the miracle that is being requested. If you need to keep the chain intact, don't "forward" the chain mail to me.

	*"Forwarders" and Internet Myths*

	Last night I read the following that came in an e-mail from one of my favorite correspondents, Ron Newborn: Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as 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 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 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 getting 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 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." 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-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. 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 I said to myself, "Now, that's a nice story!" and went to bed with a warm and fuzzy feeling. This morning, there was another e-mail from Ron, and he labeled this communication, "Captain Kangaroo Court." I thought you might find the following article from snopes.com interesting: http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp Shortly after I sent an article about Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers to all my friends, my son Alex sends me this article that debunks the first article. Boy do I feel stupid. I've noticed that quite a few of you, my classmates, are what I call "Forwarders." You get an e-mail from a buddy that makes you feel good, expresses a sentiment that you hold to be true, or has enlightened you on some subject, and you want to share this with all you know. It's easy to do with the e-mail software that allows you to put your entire address book into a group, so with one click, you can share your newly found gem with a hundred friends. This is not a bad thing. I'm not complaining! But I'm bloging. I recognize 4 categories of things that get forwarded to me: Jokes: Visual puns and narrative tales Amazing Things: Weird, beautiful, or incredible photos and video clips. Romantic Things: Motivational, friendship, nostalgic, patriotic and religious sentiments "Little-Known Facts" I am receptive to the first three (. . . . . well, maybe Nos. 2 and 3) without exceptions. Linda Smith's photo collections that she finds somewhere are always astoundingly beautiful and take my breath away--always a moment or two for soul-healing. Barbara South contributes lots of Fifties nostalgia that I have used on the website. Jimmy Kimbrell's puns and jokes are always tasteful, but I must say that his Halloween surprise almost put me in the Cardiac ICU! If I had a really intelligent filter on my computer, I would use it to block some of the sexual and dumb blond jokes as well as the religious education, Viagra or enlargers of body parts e-mails that come my way. But, the last category, "Little-Known Facts," is the one which requires a little bit of work on the part of the sender, as Ron found out from his son, Alex. There are several websites which exist to provide myth-busting truth to counter some of the so-called "internet myths" that are incredibly prevalent on the internet. For example, I got the one about the once in a lifetime opportunity to see the planet Mars up close and personal. It turns out that this has been circulating on the internet for two years and was no truer then than in 2006. If you clicked on the link about Lee Marvin, et. al., above, you found out that none of what was originally reported about these three celebrities is true. I must admit that I was greatly disappointed because I wanted to believe the first story, the myth. I've got other correspondents than members of the Class of '56 -- church friends, Tuscaloosa friends, co-workers (yes, I'm back at a lab), and so on. It amazes me that one of these "Forwardings" will come from a church friend, and within a day or two, one of you will send me the exact same thing. The more amazing, the more likely this will happen. The Mars thing, the rock out in Kansas or somewhere painted with patriotic things, the size of the earth comparisons, and the flower that looks like a bird are a few of these that travel around the internet at the speed of light. So, if you are tempted to share something in the "Little-Known Facts" category, please check it out. The myth-busters that I use to check the "Forwardings" that come to me are: www.snopes.com www.vmyths.com But, as I confessed above, I didn't check Ron's story out because I wanted to believe it. However, no harm done! I never ever forward anything. Well, hardly ever. I hope that doesn't mean that I will go to hell for breaking some of those chain letters, or that some little waif somewhere in the world won't get the miracle that is being requested. If you need to keep the chain intact, don't "forward" the chain mail to me. Louis