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Posted By: Joe

Great topic!
I have a nice article from "The Smithsonian" about the ultimate sacrifice Captain Eddie Grant made during World War I in his attempt to rescue the famous "Lost Battalion." Eddie
gave his life...."At age 33 in 1917, the Harvard-trained lawyer and Major league baseball player Eddie Grant volunteered to serve in World War I. He fought as he'd played: selfessly..."
There were a lot more of the players who served in World War II that I'd not known about including, I understand, Hoyt Wilhelm who was involved in action at the "Battle of the Bulge."
Many of the soldiers, sailors and airman didn't talk a lot about their combat experience or service. I remember how proud Bob Feller was to sign an article in "Baseball Magazine" that showed him aboard the USS Alabama, a ship which saw quite a bit of action in the Pacific.
Pitcher Lou Brissie was the sole survivor of his infantry unit during WWII and was wounded by shrapnel. Later wore a leg brace while pitching for the Athletics. He won 16 games in 1949. Later served as commissioner of American Legion Baseball.
Many ballplayers who came back from combat didn't fear the bats of Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams or the slants of Bobby Feller and Warren Spahn (another veteran of WWII) after facing German Tiger Tanks or Kamikazes.
And lest I forget there was Hank Gowdy, who served honorably and well in two wars.
ar record was quite impressive. "He served with distinction in the 166th Infantry Regiment and became a part of the famed “Rainbow Division,” the Fighting 42nd. Gowdy carried the colors during the war for this spectacular fighting unit. They became known as the “Rainbow Division” when dubbed such by General Pershing. They, it seems, had the uncanny “luck” of being surrounded by actual rainbows on their way to and during the heavy combat that they were a part of in France during the war. It was “trench warfare” in the most brutal sense of the word. " as per Frank Ceresi
Joe P.