Fred Rogers: killing machine
Today in my Intro to Sociology class, we were discussing an article written by Gwynne Dyer and entitled Anybody’s Son Will Do. The article discussed the re-socialization of potential military men, and how the system was organized to change the role they play in society. In the midst of dialogue, a student interjected with the “fact” that Fred Rogers was once a U.S. Marine sniper during the Vietnam War. Another student chimed in to mention that he has tattoos covering his arms, which was the reason why he so often wore long sleeved shirts on television. Now, I had a vague reminiscence that these stories were bunk, but I held my tongue because I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. Could it be possible that everyone’s favorite neighbor was a Vietnam killing machine? I probably should have said something, because I ended up being correct.
Being the skeptical myth-debunking machine that I am, I immediately did a little bit of research on the topic using highly venerated websites dealing with urban legends such as these. Snopes.com counters this story thoroughly. This is taken directly from their website:
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 too old to have enlisted in the armed services by the time of America’s military involvement in Vietnam.
So, not only is the story false, it isn’t even remotely plausible. It makes me wonder who starts these stories. It would have been much more believable had Rogers ever served military time, but he simply didn’t. I do know how they spread though. A person like me fails to point out the utter ludicrousity of such things, and now a large majority of those present will probably go on to relay the myth to others, and so on. It is an interesting story, and it’s popular because it’s a shocker! The internet makes this much easier to do. It’s a shame to see such things circulating around a great man.
Bullcrap. He was a heck of a sniper. I saw the tattoos too!
I happened to be flipping through the tv and Mr. Rogers tv show was on Mr . Rogers neighborhood. I started to giggle as I told my dad I loved watchin him when I was little. Then my dad started to tell me what a great man he was and how he had served in the military and so on. I didnt believe it and argued with him not knowing what I was talking about seriously. But I just couldnt see him serving in the military and killing people, he just didnt seem like that kind of a person. Not that I think people in the military or service are bad people I am very proud of our marines and stand by the one hundred percent. So anyways I got on the internet and researched and couldnt believe what i found. Honestly I kinda believed my dad thinking he knew what he was talking about lol. well I showed my dad what I had found and he was shocked devestated, he believed for years and years that he was in the militery and ranked really high. Just goes to show you cannot believe anything until you research it for your self.