Hoyt Wilhelm

[jingram058]

I always liked Hoyt Wilhelm as a kid. Before Phil Niekro, he was the knuckleball king. I remember my dad, who basically loved baseball as much as his wife and kids, really liked him.

My dad was in the Army during World War II. I did not know until I was grown that he was in the 99th Infantry Division, 395th Infantry Regiment, and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.

Imagine my surprise just yesterday when, after looking up on Google, all the players in the 1954 Topps thread, I came across Hoyt Wilhelm. His Wikipedia page said he served in the Army during World War II, and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Then, backing out of Wikipedia, I found his page on the Baseball During Wartime web site. He was in the 99th Infantry Division, 395th Infantry Regiment! Same as my dad! And they were both wounded in the Battle of the Bulge!

I know there are a lot of soldiers in a regiment. Did my dad know Hoyt Wilhelm? He never said so to me. I just find it an amazing coincidence.