The recent release of the movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” has renewed an interest in the life and work of Fred Rogers. Known simply as Mr. Rogers to those of us who grew up watching public television, Fred Rogers devoted his life to a program with an underlying message to children that they matter, regardless of who they are or where they come from.

Given this renewed interest, it is no surprise that an email regarding Mr. Rogers has recently resurfaced, this time on social media. In a nutshell, this email states that before he was a children’s television show host, Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Marine Corps sniper who saw action during the Vietnam War, racking up 25 confirmed kills. It claims that the sweaters he was known to wear were used to cover up tattoos on his arms. It further states that cast members on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” such as David Newell, who portrayed “Speedy Delivery” man Mr. McFeely, were members of his unit who served with him in Vietnam. It’s an interesting story about a man who, by all outward appearances, was laid back, friendly, and maybe even a bit shy.

It is also 100 percent false.

An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers abhorred violence and never served in the military. As a child, he was shy and frequently struggled with bouts of asthma. He was also overweight, being called “Fat Freddy” by bullies. But Rogers took solace from the words of his mother. He later recalled, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Though he was not in the military, Mr. Rogers was a hero in other ways. When President Richard Nixon proposed cutting funding for PBS, Rogers gave testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Communications on May 1, 1969, on the importance of funding public television. His testimony was so powerful that it brought Subcommittee Chairman Sen. John Pastore to tears. Not only did Congress increase funding for PBS from $9 million to $22 million, Nixon also appointed Rogers as chair of the White House Conference on Children and Youth.

Saving public television aside, Rogers used his show as a means to address the issues of the day. For example, a 1969 scene from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” was set in Rogers’ backyard on a hot summer day. In it, Rogers fills a kiddie pool with water and is soaking his feet when Officer Clemmons, a black police officer portrayed by actor Francois Clemmons, comes by, prompting Rogers to invite him to come dip his feet in the pool too. On the outside, the scene looks like two friends trying to cool off on a hot day. But there is a deeper message: not only is Officer Clemmons a black man being positively portrayed in a position of authority, but this scene was filmed during the Civil Rights Era, five years after a group of white and black integrationists swam together at a segregated pool in St. Augustine, Florida, while the pool’s owner poured acid into the water. Rogers also included individuals of other nationalities as well as those who were handicapped. In the outside world, they were all different, but on the show, they were all his neighbors.

But his efforts to promote inclusiveness did not just focus on bridging divides at home. As the tension of the Cold War threatened to plunge the world into World War III, Rogers went so far as to tackle the subject of nuclear warfare on his show, subtly urging lawmakers to come to an understanding. On Dec. 7, 1988, 31 years ago today, he appeared as a guest on the Soviet children’s show “Good Night, Little Ones!” The appearance coincided with a summit between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. “Good Night, Little Ones!” host Tatiana Vedneeva then appeared on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in a series of episodes about Rogers’ visit to the Soviet Union.

While Mr. Roger never had military medals pinned to his chest, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom as well as a Lifetime Achievement Emmy, over 40 honorary degrees and induction into the Television Hall of Fame. His legacy is that of a man who deeply loved children, encouraging them to learn and reminding them that, no matter who they are, he “always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.”

As for the sweaters, I hate to break it to you, but they did not cover any tattoos from Mr. Rogers’ wild days. Each sweater was knitted by Rogers’ mother, Nancy, about whom Rogers said, “She makes sweaters for many different people, but that’s one of the ways that she has of saying that she loves somebody.”

Yes, I’m crying too; Mr. Rogers said it’s okay.