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Singer John Denver
was a U.S. Army Sniper-Fiction!
Summary of the eRumor There are various versions that say he was a sniper in Vietnam and decorated for his service. One even says he was a sniper during World War II.
The Truth
There is no evidence that John Denver ever served in the military.
He was born in 1943, which made him the right age for serving in Vietnam, and grew up in an Air Force family. For him, however, the Vietnam years were spent in music. According to his biography, he attended Texas Tech in the early 1960's, but dropped out in 1964 to move to Los Angeles where he became a member of the Chad Mitchell Trio. In 1969 he launched a solo career. He was obviously not involved in World War II, which ended when he was still a toddler.
A real example of the eRumor as it has
appeared on the Internet:
Various snippets from emails:
...It is said that John Denver the singer has a sniper kill with a 50 cal.
weapon. The people reporting to have heard this cannot say if it was
the M-2 Machine gun or a 50 cal. sniper rifle.
...A show on TV said that John Denver was in the military and was a sniper. The song about sunshine on my shoulder was about a rifle that was named sunshine.
...Wasn't John Denver a sniper in 'Nam with 72 confirmed kills?
...I heard an urban legend about john denver being a sniper for the united states during world war ii. is this true?
