Hall of Fame War Veterans

[Vintagedeputy]

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[67Rally]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

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This is a great thread. While we collect baseball militaria in general, I specifically enjoy discovering artifacts from ball players who were combat veterans, regardless of their Hall of Fame status.

The collection focuses entirely upon artifacts that we then use to shed light on the service of these men (and women) who touched the game of baseball whether they served in frontline units, support roles or in morale-boosting activities. Being a veteran myself, I understand that the soldier, airman, sailor and marine standing in harm's way couldn't possibly do their job without the thousands in the rear ensuring that equipment and supplies are available.

The Hall of Famers who served effectively carry the torch for those who have otherwise been forgotten - meaning that without Feller, Spahn, Enos Slaughter, and DiMaggio, most would have forgotten about Cecil Travis, Eddie Waitkus, Ewell Blackwell, Bill Evans, Don Kolloway, and Clarence Maddern.

[jingram058]

2 other guys to look up - Wayne Terwilliger and Morris Martin. I leave it you to look them up. Edit - they aren't in the HOF, but their WW2 service, wow!

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by jingram058

2 other guys to look up - Wayne Terwilliger and Morris Martin. I leave it you to look them up.

Yessir, very familiar with both. I worked with Anne Keene on her piece about Twig a few years ago. And yes, Morrie's story is truly one that exemplifies personal sacrifice in service.

As an aside, we have a glove from a 5th Army staff sergeant (956 Combat Engineers) who carried it through Operation Torch and into the Italian campaigns. He kept a log of his service on the inside of the wrist strap.

[egri]

Originally Posted by jingram058

2 other guys to look up - Wayne Terwilliger and Morris Martin. I leave it you to look them up. Edit - they aren't in the HOF, but their WW2 service, wow!

Another one, Jocko Thompson, was a paratrooper who received the Silver Star in Holland for capturing a bridge across the Maas River. The Dutch later renamed the bridge in his honor. He served with the 504th PIR in the 82nd Airborne; I haven't been able to find out when he joined the regiment, but he went into the Army in 1941, so it is possible he was with them during their earlier jumps in Sicily and Italy.

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by egri

Another one, Jocko Thompson, was a paratrooper who received the Silver Star in Holland for capturing a bridge across the Maas River. The Dutch later renamed the bridge in his honor. He served with the 504th PIR in the 82nd Airborne; I haven't been able to find out when he joined the regiment, but he went into the Army in 1941, so it is possible he was with them during their earlier jumps in Sicily and Italy.

Researching WWII Army veterans takes a concerted effort. Have you checked into morning reports, yet? Many organizations are slowly digitizing and OCRing these invaluable documents. One of my colleagues has been diligently pursuing documenting the 29th Division and subordinate units' histories in search of all the ballplayers who landed onto the Blues and Grays squad that was a series away from the GI World Series, having lost to the 71st Div. Red Circlers.

Speaking of airborne units and baseball, we acquired a 1945 jersey from the 502nd PIR, 101st A/B a few months ago.

[egri]

Originally Posted by 67Rally

Researching WWII Army veterans takes a concerted effort. Have you checked into morning reports, yet? Many organizations are slowly digitizing and OCRing these invaluable documents. One of my colleagues has been diligently pursuing documenting the 29th Division and subordinate units' histories in search of all the ballplayers who landed onto the Blues and Grays squad that was a series away from the GI World Series, having lost to the 71st Div. Red Circlers.

Speaking of airborne units and baseball, we acquired a 1945 jersey from the 502nd PIR, 101st A/B a few months ago.

Thanks for the heads up; I hadn't checked there. The backstory beings that jersey was very interesting; it would be something if they were able to determine who wore it.

Since Morrie Martin and Wayne Terwilliger were mentioned earlier:

[Buythatcard]

Here are some interesting stats:

How many MLB players fought in ww1?

During the course of the war, 227 major leaguers served the United States through various branches of the Armed Forces. Several Hall of Famers, including Christy Mathewson, Branch Rickey, George Sisler and Ty Cobb, answered the specific call issued by the Chemical Warfare Service.

How many baseball players fought in ww2?

All told, over 500 major league and more than 2,000 minor league baseball players went into the armed forces.

There are so many ways that you can go with this collection. How many players died in the war? How many players were wounded? How many were discharged? How many protested the war? How many fought on the other side? Who served the longest? Who received medals? Who fought in more than 1 war? List just goes on and on.

Looks like you will have plenty of players in your collection. Sounds like a real cool approach to collecting. Good Luck!