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Military

Myths are important symbols of cultural unity, and perhaps no myths are more important in the modern era than the military myths that establish our national heritage and remind us of the values our nation stands for.


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        Green bullet = true
        Red bullet = false
        Multiple status bullet = multiple truth values
        Yellow bullet = undetermined
        White bullet = unclassifiable veracity

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Red bullet The number of hooves lifted into the air on equestrian statues reveals how the riders died.

Red bullet Fighting on opposite sides, father and son meet one last time on a Civil War battlefield. Found in the dying boy's pocket is the melody now known as Taps.*

White bullet Trainee tries unsuccessfully to kill himself with a floor buffer.

White bullet Soldier serving overseas during the Gulf War receives a video of his wife having sex with other men and demanding a divorce.

Red bullet Saltpeter is secreted in the food or drink of enlisted men to curb their libidos.

Red bullet When questioned about the wisdom of teaching Boy Scouts to handle firearms, a US General points out the difference between being equipped to do something and doing it.

Red bullet Aircraft carrier orders lighthouse to change course.

White bullet Badly wounded soldier tells his parents about his life-altering injuries under the guise of telling them about a friend.

Red bullet Being an only child (or an only son) automatically exempts you from military service.

Green bullet A few years after a couple of kids used a made-up name to sign up for a free yearly ice cream cone, they received a registration notice from the Selective Service for their non-existent friend.

Red bullet During the Gulf War, an Iraqi government propaganda broadcaster nicknamed Baghdad Betty warned American soldiers that "Bart Simpson is making love to your wife."*

Green bullet The German destroyer FGS Lutjens saluted the American destroyer USS Winston Churchill with a "manning the rails" ceremony and the display of a banner reading "We Stand By You."*

Red bullet During wartime, the seal of the President of the United States is modified so that the eagle's head faces the opposite direction.*

Red bullet "God Bless the USA" singer-composer Lee Greenwood dodged the draft in the 1960s by fleeing to Canada.*

Green bullet A poem written by a Marine about a soldier's lonely night before Christmas.*

Green bullet During a hospital visit, President George W. Bush saluted an Army officer who had been badly injured during the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.*

Yellow bullet General John J. Pershing effectively discouraged Muslim terrorists in the Philippines by killing them and burying their bodies with pigs.*

White bullet The family of a POW are reassured by letter sent by their son until they steam off the stamp and read what's written there.

Yellow bullet After the Germans construct a phony wooden airfield during World War II, the British send a plane to drop a wooden bomb on it.

Red bullet General Norman Schwarzkopf provided a pithy quote about whether we should show forgiveness towards those who harbored terrorists.

Multi-colored bullet Jane Fonda betrayed U.S. soldiers during the Viet Nam War.

Multi-colored bullet Lee Marvin, actor, and Bob Keeshan, television's "Captain Kangaroo," fought together at the battle for Iwo Jima.

Red bullet Ed McMahon served as Johnny Carson's commanding officer in the military.

Green bullet The Medal of Honor carried on a flight by a World War II veteran aroused suspicion among airport security forces.

White bullet Bigot who demands the local military provide suitable escorts for his teen daughters is given his comeuppance.

Red bullet Former USAF General Dick Hawley delivered a caustic speech about "thoughts of such surpassing stupidity that they must be addressed."*

Green bullet Article contrasts compensation to families of September 11 victims with benefits paid to families of servicemen killed on active duty.*

Red bullet M-16 rifles used by American soldiers in Vietnam were manufactured by the Mattel toy company.

Red bullet Recruits are issued stress cards, which when waved at demanding drill sergeants immediately entitle the recruits to gentler treatment.

Red bullet A photograph of a shark jumping out of the water to attack a diver dangling from a helicopter is real.*

Multi-colored bullet An American flag is traditionally folded thirteen times because each of the folds has a special meaning.

Green bullet A Saint Xavier University professor sent a scathing, condemnatory message to an Air Force Academy cadet who was seeking assistance in planning an assembly for college students.*

Red bullet Marine in Bosnia subjects French officer to a verbal chiding.

Green bullet Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh was disqualified from the Vietnam-era draft due to a pilonidal cyst.

Red bullet The gold ball atop a military flagpole contains a razor, a match, and a bullet.

Red bullet Twenty-one guns are fired in the national military salute because the digits in 1776 add up to 21.

Green bullet During Hurricane Isabel, sentries guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns remained at their posts.

Red bullet Dog tags used to have notches so they could be wedged between the teeth of fallen soldiers.

Multi-colored bullet E-mail describes duties and obligations of honor guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Green bullet Gen. George S. Patton Jr. discovers the French are honoring a latrine pit.

Green bullet The son of one of the men who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi gave a guided tour of the Iwo Jima Memorial to a group of Wisconsin schoolchildren.

Yellow bullet "Dogs and sailors: Keep off the grass" admonishments were commonly displayed in U.S. naval towns.

Red bullet Marines in training must murder a pet dog or family member to be admitted to the Corps.

White bullet Gal who demands her photo back receives box of pictures and instructions to pick hers out then return the rest.*

Multi-colored bullet Tampon used to stanch deadly wound saves Marine's life.

Green bullet A B-17 damaged on a bombing raid over Germany reached England safely after a German pilot declined to shoot it down.

Green bullet The Pentagon was built with extra bathrooms to accommodate racial segregation laws.

Red bullet The Pentagon was originally intended to be a hospital.

Green bullet Maps and other escape aids were smuggled to Allied POWs in Monopoly sets during World War II.

White bullet Returning soldier discovers his wife has died and the kids starved to death.*


Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2013 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson.
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