Did you know about this, SgtUSMC?

Ex3

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Does you quote, 'snipers get more head' still apply? }:-)

Ruthless Ruth
Claim: Sexpert Dr. Ruth Westheimer served as a sniper in Israel.

Status: True.

Origins: Dimunitive Dr. Ruth Westheimer (4'7") is the nation's most well-known sex doctor. Though you wouldn't suspect it from the grandmotherly appearance of "Dr. Ruth," this psychosexual therapist has been dispensing frank sex advice since 1980. (Across that span of time, she says the language in which queries are phrased has become more explicit, but the questions themselves have remained the same.)

The odd juxtaposition of her appearance and professional calling is not the only surprise to Dr. Ruth: there is also the small matter of her having trained in her youth as a sniper with the Israeli Defense Force.

The future Dr. Ruth was born Karola Ruth Siegel in Germany in 1928, the only child of an Orthodox Jewish couple. In 1939, after young Karola's father had been taken by the Nazis, her mother and grandmother sent her to Switzerland to get her out of harm's way. She did not see her family again, as her mother and grandmother lost their lives in the Holocaust.

At 16, the orphaned girl moved to Israel and joined Haganah, an underground Jewish military organization. She served as a lookout and sniper but never killed anyone. Says Dr. Ruth of that interval:
"When I was in my routine training for the Israeli army as a teenager, they discovered completely by chance that I was a lethal sniper. I could hit the target smack in the center further away than anyone could believe. Not just that, even though I was tiny and not even much of an athlete, I was incredibly accurate throwing hand grenades too. Even today I can load a Sten automatic rifle in a single minute, blindfolded."

Her military career was cut short when she was seriously injured:
"My legs were almost ripped off on my 20th birthday in 1948 in Jerusalem from cannon ball shrapnel which exploded in the student's residence where I was living. Three other students were killed instantly and many more were wounded. The metal pierced both my legs, and there was blood everywhere. A cannon ball from Jordan had smashed through the window. I was thrown 20 feet. The strangest thing was that all I could think about was whether there might be some blood on the brand-new shoes I had just gotten for my birthday, and amazingly there wasn't even a drop on them, which was all I cared about in some kind of strange denial."

Ruth later moved to Paris, where she studied psychology at the Sorbonne and taught kindergarten, then immigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and obtained a Master's degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Education from Columbia University. A job with Planned Parenthood spurred her to study human sexuality.

Barbara "footloose" Mikkelson

Last updated: 1 March 2007

The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/medical/doctor/drruth.asp

Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2007
by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson
This material may not be reproduced without permission.
Sources:
Lu, Adrienne. "Dr. Ruth Draws a Crowd in Fort Lee."
The [Bergen County] Record. 3 December 2004 (p. L8).
Petrocelli, Michael. "Dr. Ruth to Speak on Sex, Her Jewish Roots at Duke."
The [Durham] Herald-Sun. 9 April 2004 (p. B1).
Sheridan, Patricia. "Dr. Ruth."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 30 September 2002 (p. C2).
Westheimer, Ruth K. and Ben Yagoda. All in a Lifetime: An Autobiography.
New York: Warner Books, 2001. ISBN 0-446-67761-2.
The New York Post. "Dr. Ruth, Israel's Lethal Weapon."
8 November 2004 (p. 13).
 
I still say the best urban legend was John Denver being a Nam sniper....with his rifle being named "sunshine"......

"sunshine, on my shoulder, makes me happy....."
 
I still say the best urban legend was John Denver being a Nam sniper....with his rifle being named "sunshine"......

"sunshine, on my shoulder, makes me happy....."

This is interesting.

John Denver's father, Henry John Deutschendorf, was one of the first officers in the newly-formed United States Air Force after World War II, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His son (now known as John Denver) at one time had hopes of joining the Air Force himself, but his substandard eyesight precluded his becoming a military pilot. John Denver received an Army induction notice in 1964, but he was classified 1-Y due to having lost two toes in a lawn mower accident and never served in any branch of the military.
 
At least Captain Kangroo served!
How 'bout Mr. Greenjeans? :D

My favorite unexpected celeb with service was Julia Childs, who worked for the OSS during WWII.
 
There is another one about "Mr. Rogers" in the Army too.

At least Captain Kangroo served!

Mr. Rogers, it turned out, never served in the military. I remember the rumors about him being a sniper.

Bob Keeshan did serve in the Marines, but enlisted after the war in the Pacific had ended. Snopes sheds a little light on that, as well as the false rumor that he he and Lee Marvin served together on Iwo Jima.

http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp
 
Lee Marvin was a sniper as well.
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I love this quote from Dr Ruth "Even today I can load a Sten automatic rifle in a single minute, blindfolded."

So You have a Sten gun at home? :uhh:
 
Mr. Rogers, it turned out, never served in the military. I remember the rumors about him being a sniper.

Bob Keeshan did serve in the Marines, but enlisted after the war in the Pacific had ended. Snopes sheds a little light on that, as well as the false rumor that he he and Lee Marvin served together on Iwo Jima.

http://www.snopes.com/military/marvin.asp

I know about Mr. R, thats why I put him in quotes. :)

Don Imas as in "Imas in the Morning" was a Marine. As was Hackman.
 
I know about Mr. R, thats why I put him in quotes. :)

Don Imas as in "Imas in the Morning" was a Marine. As was Hackman.

So was Harvey Keitel. I highlighted his name in a rainbow of random colors because I wanted to see what it looked like.:D

Hard as it may be to believe right now, there are probably folks out there in the dirt right now that will come home and pursue acting careers, and a few may even become renowned in that field.
 
Celebrity Visitor

I can verify Harvey Keitel's service personally...sorta. While shooting a movie in southern Spain, he dropped by our little corner of Rota. I didn't know who he was exactly, but my roommate was creaming his pants because "The Wolfman" was coming.

I was just pissed because we had to do another Dog and Pony show when I could have been doing something constructive...like drinking or going to "La Hacienda".

I've never played with a Sten gun, but taking a minute to load anything seems like a LONG time.
 
Ive used a Sten gun, Trust me, it is a bitch to load, one minute is quick!

(you need a special tool to load each round)
 
It amazes me how opposite "celebrities" today are from those of yesteryear.

You used to be a human being who stood for something and were someone to respect for serving. Now, the majority demean anything military.

Then there's always John Wayne, who didn't serve even though he was called.
 
His son (now known as John Denver) at one time had hopes of joining the Air Force himself, but his substandard eyesight precluded his becoming a military pilot.

Maybe that's why he flew into Monterey Bay.
 
there are probably folks out there in the dirt right now that will come home and pursue acting careers, and a few may even become renowned in that field.

As was Hackman
Hackman is reported to have used his GI Bill money to attend acting school. You are right about the latest generation of vets, Paddle. I wonder if any of them would or could use their GI money to get acting lessons or major in theatre in pursuit of their college degree...
 
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