As a former Marine, I was horrified to see the picture above. You might note the resemblance ... Yes, the pic above is our beloved, duped, forgery-sellin' Dan Rather, 50 years ago as a Marine recruit. Check out the excellent post on Rather's brush with the USMC at The Evangelical Outpost.
The photo was taken during boot camp, but Rather did not graduate and earn the title "Marine". It seems that young Dan was unable to complete Marine Corps boot camp because he was medically unfit -- perhaps due to rheumatic fever as a child. He did not have sufficient stamina to become a Marine. It's funny, though. He was able to play college football at Sam Houston State in Texas. Hmmm.
Did Dan figure out something about the Marine Corps that led to the early split ... or vice versa? The Marine Corps' screening system is pretty tried and true.
One thing is for sure: The USMC may not have been crazy about Dan 50 years ago, but they like him even less now.
Semper Fi
