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LTC Stephen F.
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Edited 6 y ago
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that October 31 is the anniversary of the birth of American journalist Dan Irvin Rather Jr. who "began his career in Texas and as an early-career reporter was on the scene of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas."
Early in his national news career he drifted leftward in his perspective.
Happy 87th birthday Dan Irvin Rather Jr. !

1. Background from .who2.com/bio/dan-rather/
"Dan Rather Biography
Name at birth: Dan Irvin Rather, Jr.
Dan Rather replaced the venerable Walter Cronkite as the anchor for The CBS Evening News in 1981. Rather also served as reporter and host for prime-time news programs such as 48 Hours and 60 Minutes I (with Mike Wallace), making him one of American television’s most prominent journalists for five decades. He started as a reporter for the Associated Press and for United Press International in the 1950s. After a brief stint at a Texas television station, Rather began working as a reporter for CBS News in 1962. He covered the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq. Rather has been in the news himself more than once, including during a strange 1986 incident in which a man attacked him in Manhattan while shouting “Kenneth, what is the frequency?” He has written several books, including The Camera Never Blinks (1977) and The American Dream: Stories From the Heart of Our Nation (2001). Known for his determination, emotion, and folksy metaphors, Rather also became a lightning rod for criticism by conservatives, who charged that he was politically biased in his reporting. Rather stepped down as anchor of the CBS Evening News on 9 March 2005, 24 years to the day after he took over for Cronkite. By the end of 2006 he was a reporter and anchor on television again, hosting Dan Rather Reports for the cable network HDNet.

Extra credit
Rather was teamed with Connie Chung as co-anchor on CBS for a brief time (1994-95)… In 1990 and again in 2003 Rather interviewed Saddam Hussein as the United States prepared to attack Iraq… The 1994 song “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” by the rock band R.E.M. refers to the 1986 assault on Rather… In September of 1986, Rather spent several days signing off his newscast with the word “Courage.” He was ridiculed for it at the time, but brought the word back at the end of his final broadcast in 2005… Bob Schieffer followed Rather as the temporary anchor of The CBS EVening News; CBS News announced in 2006 that Katie Couric would follow Schieffer and replace Rather as the permanent anchor."

2. Background from imdb.com/name/nm0711710/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
"Dan Rather Biography
Overview | Mini Bio | Spouse | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (18) | Personal Quotes (6)
Overview
Born October 31, 1931 in Wharton, Texas, USA
Birth Name Dan Irvin Rather Jr.
Height 5' 11" (1.8 m)

Mini Bio
Daniel Irvin Rather was born in Wharton, Texas, to Byrl Veda (Page) and Daniel Irvin Rather, a ditch digger. He graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, where he wanted to play football. He worked at local radio station KSAM in Huntsville during his college years. Following graduation he worked for radio station KTRK in Houston and went to work for KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston. In 1961, he covered Hurricane Carla for KHOU-TV in Houston, Texas, and it caught the eye of CBS News executives, who hired him in 1962. He was in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and was CBS' lead anchor from Dallas during the coverage of the Kennedy assassination. In 1975, he became co-anchor of 60 Minutes (1968) and in 1981 was selected to replace Walter Cronkite as anchor of CBS Evening News with Dan Rather (1981), where he remained as anchor until 2005. The Communications Building on the campus of Sam Houston State University is named for Rather.

Spouse Jean Goebel (21 April 1957 - present) ( 3 children)

Trade Mark (2)
Use of odd metaphors, or "Texanisms," when reporting the news
In the 1980s, he used to sign off each news broadcast with the word "Courage".

Trivia (18)
1. Born at 6:13pm-CST.
2. In 1986, he was chased and kicked onto a Manhattan sidewalk by William Tager, a man who kept asking, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"
3. Graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, where the communications building is named for him.
4. Was the first guest on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) on September 17, 2001 show, Letterman's first show after the September 11, 2001 tragedy. He broke out in tears twice having to describe these terrorist events.
5. Has one daughter, Robin, and one son, Danjack.
6. In 1991, his car was broken into. Instead of having the criminal arrested, he gave him a lecture on the choices he had made in life. They later met in Kuwait. The man, who was now an Apache pilot, thanked Rather for giving him the lecture and turning his life around.
7. On September 11, 1987, he became so furious at the prospect of having his CBS News broadcast delayed by a U.S. Tennis match, that he walked off the set. When he did not return in time for the start of the news, CBS aired a blank screen for over five minutes. The incident was later recalled during his January 1988 interview with then-Vice President George Bush; when Rather questioned him about the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush asked Rather if he would like to have his career judged by the blank screen incident.
8. During CBS's live coverage of the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, he saw some men with no identification or badges trying to forcibly remove what appeared to be a Georgia delegate from the building. When he attempted to interview the candidate, one of the men punched him on camera.
9. Announced that he is stepping down as anchor of "The CBS Evening News" in March 2005, on the 24th anniversary of his first broadcast as anchor. He will remain with CBS News as a correspondent for "60 Minutes Sunday" and "60 Minutes Wednesday." [November 2004]
10. Appeared in disguise as an Afghan peasant for his 1980 60 Minutes (1968) on-location reports on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Although he explained that the disguise was necessary for reporting from the war zone, the media ridiculed him, calling him "Gunga Dan". The Soviet press agency Tass later reported Afghan newspaper had accused him of participating in the murder of three villagers while he was in Afghanistan, accusations that he denied and was generally regarded as ridiculous.
11. On September 20, 2004, he made a televised apology for the CBS News failing to verify the authenticity of questionably documents used in support of a 60 Minutes Wednesday(1999) story about President George W. Bush's military record in the Texas Air National Guard. A two-person investigative panel formed by CBS said that a "myopic zeal" on the part of the CBS News to break the story, which the panel found to be be neither fair nor accurate and did not meet the organization's internal standards. As a result of the panel's findings, CBS fired four CBS News employees, including three executives. Although the panel placed no specific blame on him, the incident damaged his credibility and was believed to have led to the announcement of his retirement as anchor of the "CBS Evening News".
12. Attended Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Northwest Houston, as a youngster.
13. Graduate of Reagan High School in Houston, Texas in the 1950s.
14. Has a Muppet on Sesame Street (1969) named after him, the grouch journalist "Dan Rather-Not".
15. His Alma Mater, Sam Houston State University, was originally named Sam Houston Normal Institute, and later, Sam Houston State Teachers College. It was founded for the purpose of training teachers, and to this day, has the reputation for having one of the best educator preparation courses in the state.
16. Attended Hamilton Junior School in Houston, Texas.
17. Daughter Heather Jane Rather was born on October 31, 1961.
18. Played by Robert Redford in Truth (2015). Set to be played by Logan Lerman in Newsflash(2019).

Personal Quotes (6)
1. "What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage. I know what you're thinking. I've gotten in trouble before for using the word. Probably deserved it. Maybe I used it inappropriately. Maybe I'm a poor person to talk about it because I have little myself. But I want to hear the word. I want to hear it praised, and the men and women who have courage elevated." - Speaking at the forty-eighth annual conference of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, September 29, 1993.
2. Apologizing for CBS News failing to verify questionable documents about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard: "We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism. - September 20, 2004
3. Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.
4. It is a somewhat surreal experience to see yourself being played by Robert Redford. He made me look better on screen than I ever thought I looked.
5. [on President Trump's tweets] They are humiliating for all of us who are Americans.
6. President Trump stripping John Brennan of his security clearance is a modern form of McCarthyism, pure and simple. But instead of a Red Scare, it's a fear of Truth and Accountability."

Dan Rather: Short Biography, Net Worth & Career Highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daILA5Ht1fc

FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless CPT Scott Sharon SSG William Jones
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SPC Douglas Bolton
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Maj Marty Hogan Great during his prime.
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SCPO Morris Ramsey
SCPO Morris Ramsey
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When was his. He has been left as far back as I can remember b
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SSG William Jones
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I liked him until he became so blatantly liberal. Got no time for him. Don't care for CBS but glad they fired him!
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