LiveAbout elaborates on the Mister Rogers war story, writing that since around the 1990s, people have spread the tale that Mister Rogers picked off "as many as 150" people in Vietnam as a sniper.He supposedly recorded those kills in the form of arm tattoos.Once he starred in a children's show, he obviously couldn't talk about how he capped a bunch of people overseas. The age factor alone greatly discredits any realistic possibility that Mr. Rogers served in the Vietnam War, either as a Navy SEAL or Marine Scout Sniper. Rogers swam daily at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, after waking every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 A.M. to pray and to "read the Bible and prepare himself for the day". Fred Rogers, who is best known by his TV moniker Mister Rogers, starred in his own childrens program for more than 3 decades and was universally beloved. [11] However, his status was changed to unqualified for military service following an Armed Forces physical on October 12, 1950. [71], In 1969, Rogers testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications, which was chaired by Democratic Senator John Pastore of Rhode Island. While Mister Rogers Neighborhood was groundbreaking and set the precedent for future TV childrens programs, many wanted to know more about the real Mr. Rogers. According to writer Shea Tuttle, Rogers considered his faith a fundamental part of his personality and "called the space between the viewer and the television set 'holy ground'". There is no direct evidence that connects Mr. Rogers to military service aside from receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush. In reality Mr. Rogers never served any time in the military. For example, there are claims online that suggest that Fred Rogers served in the military as an elite sniper. The Society donated $25,000 to the McFarland Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation (named after Margaret McFarland) in Rogers's honor. [108] He did not smoke or drink. Was he really a Marine Corps sniper or Navy SEAL in Vietnam? [127] She and the other producers of Blue's Clues used many of Rogers's techniques, such as using child developmental and educational research and having the host speak directly to the camera and transition to a make-believe world. An All Thats Interesting writer since 2013, Erin Kelly focuses on historic places, natural wonders, environmental issues, and the world of science. It first resurfaced after then presidential candidate Mitt Romney suggested cutting funding for PBS. The age factor alone greatly discredits any realistic possibility that Mr. Rogers served in the Vietnam War, either as a Navy SEAL or Marine Scout Sniper. The cult appeal of Mr. Rogers has led to some wild assertions, many of which are false and capitalize on Rogers notoriously squeaky clean public image. [90][98] He became a pescatarian in 1970, after the death of his father, and a vegetarian in the early 1980s,[99] saying he "couldn't eat anything that had a mother". He died less than two months later, on February 27, 2003,[112][113] at his home in Pittsburgh, with his wife of 50 years, Joanne, at his side. "'The whole idea,' says the beloved host of . Tallman., https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=qW0UP9DOCkQ, Or how about flashing the satanic devil-horns? Her work has also been featured in Smithsonian and shes designed several book covers in her career as a graphic artist. According to Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post, Rogers became a source for parenting advice; she called him "a timeless oracle against a backdrop of ever-shifting parenting philosophies and cultural trends". In. He often said the word "mercy" when he got to his desk in the morning and the mountains of fan mail were a little bit too tall. [9] "It was tough for me at the beginning," Rogers told NPR's Terry Gross in 1984. [111] On January 6, Rogers underwent stomach surgery. The Facts: Firstly, Mr. Rogers was born in 1928 and thus at the time of the US involvement in the Vietnam conflict was too old to enlist in the US Navy. Mr.Rogers: Marine Sniper. Operation Military Kids was founded to be a resource for teens and young adults who are interested in joining the military, but don't know where to begin. And thats exactly whats happened. Fred rogers was a legitimate american national treasure. [57] The Neighborhood also spent fewer resources on research than Sesame Street, but Rogers used early childhood education concepts taught by his mentor Margaret McFarland, Benjamin Spock, Erik Erikson, and T. Berry Brazelton in his lessons. [62] The puppets created for the Neighborhood of Make-Believe "included an extraordinary variety of personalities". While it may be fascinating to think of Fred Rogers as a highly skilled and deadly sniper for the Navy SEALs during the Vietnam War, it just doesnt make any sense. Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) was in the United States Marine Corps Reserve during the Second World War, but never saw any combat . [59] He tackled difficult topics such as the death of a family pet, sibling rivalry, the addition of a newborn into a family, moving and enrolling in a new school, and divorce. Fred Rogers: Rollins College Raw . It seemed logical enough and he believed this whole . Fred Rogers, also known as "Mister Rogers," was the star of the children's television series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," which ran from 1968 to 2001. Mr. Rogers has enjoyed a posthumous resurgence over the last few years thanks to a couple of critically-acclaimed films regarding the larger than life figure. They were married from 1952 until he died in 2003. Those that have studied the life of Fred Rogers can attest to how bizarre the claims are that he was a highly decorated sniper during the Vietnam War. "We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. Most U.S. metropolitan newspapers ran his obituary on their front page and some dedicated entire sections to coverage of his death. But "mercy" was about the strongest word in his vocabulary. Isnt peace wonderful? he asks his young viewers. He graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with a bachelor's degree in divinity in 1962 and became a Presbyterian minister in 1963. [114][113][6], The following day, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covered Rogers' death on the front page and dedicated an entire section to his death and impact. Secondly, he had no time to do so. Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 February 27, 2003), better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not . But he did believe in the possibility of television as a force for good. [100] King reported that despite Rogers's family's wealth, he cared little about making money, and lived frugally, especially as he and his wife grew older. The military itself has even rejected myth. [42] It was videotaped at WQED in Pittsburgh and broadcast by National Educational Television (NET), which later became the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). His mother, Nancy (ne McFeely), knitted sweaters for American soldiers from western Pennsylvania who were fighting in Europe and regularly volunteered at the Latrobe Hospital. Fred Rogers, '51: Emmy Award/Lifetime Achievement, May 21, 1997 (ABC TV) Fred Rogers Interview / CNN & Time (August 8, 1999) Clip Reel: Rollins College Speech (March 22, 2001) "Neighbors in the Wings" Fred Rogers: Knowles Memorial Chapel, Rollins College. In this episode of the SITREP, Mike and Paul discuss thi. King wrote that Rogers saw responding to his viewers' letters as "a pastoral duty of sorts". The primary evidence that Mr. Rogers was in the military is connected to his attire. Rogers indeed registered for the draft in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on Sept. 13, 1948, when he was 20 years old. [81] The appearance was broadcast in the Soviet Union on December 7, coinciding with the Washington Summit meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington D.C.[82] Vedeneyeva visited the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in November. Shy, introverted, and overweight, he was frequently homebound after suffering bouts of asthma. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Rob V. is the founder of OperationMilitaryKids.org. Her visit was taped and later aired in March 1988 as part of Rogers's program. To assume that Rogers could remain on public television for 33 years with an abhorrent criminal record such as that without one outraged parent is absurd. Was Mr. Rogers A Navy SEAL Sniper In The Military? Search instead in Creative? Senior Entertainment Writer Follow. (McFeely was Rogers real middle name.). Mr. [20][131] Rogers told interviewer David Letterman in 1982 that he believed parodies like Murphy's were done "with kindness in their hearts". [39] Rogers's work for CBC "helped shape and develop the concept and style of his later program for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the U.S."[40], Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (also called the Neighborhood), a half-hour educational children's program starring Rogers, began airing nationally in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes. Fred Rogers. Then, learn about John Basilone, an actual badass marine of World War II. Although it's easy to find these claims on the Internet, the real truth is that Rogers was a pacifist who fashioned Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as a . [116] WQED aired programs about Rogers the evening he died; the Post-Gazette reported that the ratings for their coverage were three times higher than their normal ratings. Answer (1 of 7): No. After learning about the truth behind the rumors of Mr. Rogers supposed career as a Navy SEAL and Vietnam sniper, read more about the real life and career of Mr. Rogers. According to urban legend, before Mr. Rogers was a TV host, he was as a sniper (or perhaps a Navy SEAL) during the Vietnam War, with a large number of confirmed kills. 2) The reason Mr. Rogers started wearing sneakers on the show was because they made less noise than normal dress shoes when moving around behind the sets. Fred Rogers was so good at so many things rocking a cardigan, controlling puppets, speaking very straightforwardly to children that it often obscures another skill: he was a damn fine musician, writing a performing hundreds of songs during the show's masterful run. [133][135], A roadside Pennsylvania Historical Marker dedicated to Rogers to be installed in Latrobe was approved[136] by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on March 4, 2014. Mr Rogers (Fred McFeeley Rogers) never served in the military. [59] For example, he wrote a special segment that dealt with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy that aired on June 7, 1968, days after the assassination occurred. Fraternity for male musicians who have adopted music as a career. Hero? [199] The Carnegie Science Center's Miniature Railroad and Village debuted a miniature recreation of Rogers's house from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 2005. 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