Athlete heroes pave way for stars of today
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - In World War II, some of the biggest names in baseball spent significant time serving their country.
Cleveland pitcher Bob Feller signed up for the military just two days after Pearl Harbor. As a gunnery officer, he was in some of the biggest naval battles of the war.
Before he broke baseball’s color barrier, Jackie Robinson was an officer in the United States Army.
St. Louis native Yogi Berra ed the Navy and was there on D-Day as a gunner’s mate. Pirates legend Roberto Clemente spent 10 years in the Marines.
But Ted Williams beats them all. The Red Sox slugger was a Marine fighter pilot in both World War II and in the Korean War. If not for absences during parts of five seasons as a result of his military service, Williams -- the last man to hit .400 in a season -- might have also shattered Babe Ruth’s career home run record.
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The sacrifices that Williams and other athletes made aren’t lost on Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasqauntino.
“It’s kind of a selfish game because we all know there’s a shelf life with what we can do,” Pasquantino said. “But there is no shelf life in serving your country and to be willing to give up one while doing the other is something we’re all thankful for.”
More recently, Arizona Cardinals star Pat Tillman answered his country’s call in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The U.S. Army Ranger died while serving in Afghanistan.
“There are no words to talk about it,” Pasquantino said. “You try and come up with words, but for me it’s just respect.”
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