Three Purple Heart Marine Was a Hero, But He Kept a Major Secret From Everyone

Donnie Dunagan kept a secret for a very long time. The Marine Corps Drill Instructor was known for being tough and he didn’t want to tarnish that image.

He even hid this from his wife. Then, after two years of marriage, she found a box of memorabilia and he was outed. As a child, this tough Marine was the voice of Bambi.

Dunagan still didn’t openly discuss his secret. He began to get nervous in 1977 when Bambi was heading to the big screen again. His fellow Marines didn’t have a clue. He told the Military Times, ““If Disney does this to me, I can just see gunnery sergeants and captains writing home and saying, ‘Dear Mom, guess who my [commanding officer] is?”

Dunagan received three Purple Hearts from his military career, which included service in the Vietnam War. He didn’t want being the voice of Bambi to break through his tough image.

He was in seven movies as a child and reports that Walt Disney was a great man to work with. His acting career was cut short because of Pearl Harbor. For the next three years, Disney shifted its focus to movies that would help the war effort.

While Dunagan might have been concerned about maintaining his image, all this proves is that Marines can do almost anything!

Check out the video below to see an adorable video of a real life Bambi and Thumper!

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H/T: AWM