I’ve read on snopes.com that Fred Rogers (aka MR Rogers Neighborhood) was NOT a merchant marine. I’ve read on factropolis.com that Mr. Rogers spent most of his life suppressing his military career, but in 2000 a documentary was released. On the documentary was one of the tattoo artists that worked on Mr. Rogers sleeves. Which is the truth?
snopes.com cites its sources. “factropolis” doesn’t. I know which one I believe. Why would you give more weight to the one which provides no evidence for its claims?
I love the second “fact.” Big bold type: “Harriet Tubman was a lesbian.”
Smaller italic type: …Note: there is disagreement on this topic…
What a useless site.
The comment which you read (because the authors didn’t clarify until called out on it) says “Wikipedia is the victim of a decades-long public relations campaign orchestrated by Fred Rogers and the Rogers estate.” Umm…sure.
Mr. Rogers got his sleeves tattooed?
Why would Fred Rogers suppress being in the Merchant Marines, IF he actually had been? Is there some kind of disgrace or dishonor attached to serving in the Merchant Marines? Of course not!
If Fred Rogers had been in that service, he could have said so, and it wouldn’t have harmed his reputation in the least. What on Earth would he have to gain by suppressing it?
Guys, it’s much worse than you think. Not only did Fred Rogers hide his military career (where he was trained as a sniper), but he was the leader of a team that assassinated President Kennedy. He was called back into action by the CIA/Mafia/Cuban group that planned the assassination. Besides Rogers, the group of three snipers assigned to the job included John Denver (who secretly received sniper training from friends of his father, an Army officer) and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who had been a sniper in the Israeli army. The assassination planners thought that these three would never be suspected - and they never were - until now.
Next you’ll be telling us that Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebeck are Men in Black.
Ah, the Neighborhood of Make-Believe…
Awright, that’s it. Look into this flashy thing for a sec, willya?
Maybe it was the same merchant marine Ernest Hemingway described: “Oh gash is fine, but one-eye for mine.”
What did Alex Trebek say to the man who knew too much?
And our returning champion, Ken, with a 73-day total of $3,762,548
I heard he was a slave owner too. 
I heard that he was once Chuck Norris’s Sensei, before the Learner became the Master and roundhouse-kicked him into a finely-crafted cardigan sweater.
A top-level source close to Rogers spilled the beans under conditions of supreme secrecy. Apparently the fact of the matter is:
All very good points, everyone. Thanks.
Any chance anyone saw the documentary they are referring to? I might check it out, just for grins. Interesting, though, that factropolis doesn’t say which video it is. Oh well, how many documentaries about Mr Rogers could have possibly come out in 2000?
Oh, Fred, what have you got yourself into?
Meow-meow B.S.
ssssssshhhhhhhh! You promised you wouldn’t tell! If you wake up dead tomorrow, don’t blame us.
Having tattoos that cover one’s arms is called being sleeved.
Btw, Fred Rogers’ tattoos are ninja tattoos. It’s a fact, sure as there is a treasure map on the back of the consitiution.
No no, you’ve got it backwards.