Was Captain Kangaroo a War Hero?

 

This is one of those rumors that, as is the case with many rumors, have a small basis in truth. The rumormonger was the late actor Lee Marvin. He appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” in the 1970s and talked about serving in the Marines during World War II and fighting in the battle for Iwo Jima alongside Bob Keeshan, aka the Captain.
But the reality is that Keeshan was a member of the Marine Corps Reserves, and never saw combat. And Marvin wasn’t at Iwo Jima, either, although he was wounded at Saipan and received the Purple Heart.