Hooduthunkit?

I have a number of friends who regularly send me stuff they have discovered on the internet. Some is silly and sappy, much is funny, and a surprising proportion is cleaver, witty and well worth reading, hearing, watching. But a lot of it is hoax material intended to make the sender look like an idiot. This is actually why I so seldom send this sort of thing around. I don’t need more ways to look like an idiot, I have a blog.

Last night I received a fascinating piece about Lee Marvin, Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers. Who would have thought these three men had this much in common?

I checked this out and there’s a kernel of truth in some of the stuff about Lee Marvin. He did serve in the South Pacific, though not on Iwo Jima. And he was wounded in the butt, and got a medal, though not the Navy Cross. He was awarded a Purple Heart, which is what an American gets when he or she is wounded in action, regardless where (geographically or anatomically). And he is buried in Arlington Cemetery. The stuff about Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers, however, is just made up.

Now, if this debunking exercise has left you a little depressed about the human condition I do have a true story about a real Canadian hero to cheer you up. It’s not a war story – Canadian after all – but it is a tale of human endurance and ingenuity in the face of terrible odds. I have checked this out as thoroughly as possible, which is to say I googled it, and I’m confident that it is all true. At least I found nothing to suggest otherwise.

WARNING!!

Some of the details of the following story may be upsetting to sensitive readers.

Not Just Another Giant (The truth you never knew.)

Bob Homme, a duel citizen of Canada and the United States, and better known as The Friendly Giant, was arguably the greatest midget wrestler of the late 1940s and early 50s. He held the Canadian, American, and World Championship belts from June 3, 1949 till December 18, 1953 when, in a wrestling match in Madison Square Gardens, in defense of his world title, he suffered a devastating trauma to his pituitary gland. He recovered in a matter of a few weeks but the injury resulted in a very rare form of giantism that, understandably, ended his wrestling career. This, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise when he discovered that one of the side effects of the anti-depressant medication he was on gave him the ability to talk to animals, particularly roosters and giraffes. He teamed up with Rusty and Jerome, bought a castle with his wrestling fortune, and the rest is history.

"Friendly" passed away May 9, 2000, and was buried in the counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry in Southern Ontario. Rusty and Jerome declined the honour of being interred with their long time friend and master saying simply, "We're not dead".

It's amazing the things you can discover on the net.