Sports Heroes Who Served in Times of War

[Hostile]

These days when talking about an athlete going to war, the talk is inevitably about Pat Tillman and his tragic death by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Sadly this talk often turns political because the two warring factions simply can't keep their eye on the actual story. Pat Tillman left millions of dollars on the table to serve this country. That is the story. The money of the NFL and other sports leagues has made this type of bravery and dedication to country a very rare thing.

Before Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was Desert Storm. Chad Hennings of the Dallas Cowboys was the only NFL player to actually serve in the Gulf War as pilot of an A-10 Warthog "Tank Killer." He is the biggest combat pilot in USAF history.

Hennings is not the only Dallas Cowboy to have served in a war front area. Roger Staubach served in the Vietnam theater. He is one of five active NFL players to serve in Vietnam. The others were Charlie Johnson, DT, Eagles, Rocky Bleier, RB, Steelers, Willie Miller, WR, Rams, and Bob Kaslu, OL, Bills. Three of those five Veterans also played in Super Bowls with Staubach and Bleier winning two and four respectively. Willie Miller also played in a Super Bowl for the Rams.

Bleier was injured so badly in Vietnam that he could not walk. He was hit in the legs by rifle fire and shrapnel. It took him two years to get to where he could run again. Bab Kaslu gave more than that. He is the only active NFL player to die in Vietnam. Also giving his life in Vietnam was former NFL player Don Steinbrunner who had played in the 1953 NFL Championship for the Browns.

Athletes of other sports also served during Vietnam in the Reserves, they include Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Jim Lonberg, and Ken Boswell from MLB as well as two New York Knicks, Cazzie Russell and Bill Bradley. Al Bumbry, Al Hrabosky, and Ed Figueroa served combat duties in Vietnam.

The Korean War saw combat duty by two of Major League Baseball's greatest players. Willie Mays and Ted Williams both served in Korea. As did Whitey Herzog, Curt Simmons, Whitey Ford, Don Newcomb, Don Larsen, Bobby Brown, and Bob Kennedy.

Ted Williams is the most famous athlete to serve in times of war. One can only imagine what his numbers might have been if he hadn't dedicated the prime of his career to his country. In World War II Ted Williams joined the Navy and was a Naval Officer and fighter pilot. His wingman was none other than pioneer Astronaut, John Glenn. Then when the Korean Conflict started Williams re-enlisted, this time to the US Marine Corps and again served as a fighter pilot.

World War II was the apex of athletes serving their country. 638 NFL players served during World War II, 19 lost their lives, 34 are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and 2 received the Congressional Medal of Honor. They are Giants End Jack Lummus who lost his life in combat and Lions End Maurice Britt who lost an arm.

Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys flew 30 bombing missions in the European theater of operations. Other NFL Hall of Famers in World War II include Eagles two way star Chuck Bednarik who also flew 30 bombing missions as a waist gunner. Marv Levy, an Air Force pilot who followed his father's example. His father was a fighter pilot in World War I. Wellington Mara was a Lieutenant Commander for the Navy. Gino Marchetti was a machine gunner at the Battle of the Bulge. George McAfee served in the Navy.

Baseball players dominate the stories of athletes going to war, mostly because at that time baseball was by far the most successful sport in America. In addition to Williams some who served include Bob Feller, the very first athlete to sign up to fight instead of play, just 2 days after Pearl Harbor. One of his duties included Iwo Jima.

Yogi Berra served at Normandy on D day. Hoyt Wilhelm earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge. Warren Spahn earned his at Remagen. There was a saying in baseball when teams faced the Braves. "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." Spahn's equally feared pitching partner was a Naval Combat pilot aboard the Lexington and a wingman for the Navy's first ace, Butch O'Hare, for whom Chicago's O'Hare airport is named.

Other athletes in World War II include golfer Bobby Jones, boxers Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Gene Tunney, and more baseball players like Enos Slaughter, Larry Doby (2nd Black Major Leaguer), and Gil Hodges.

You can go all the way back to World War I to find athletes who served. Eddie Grant remains the only Major League Baseball player to die in combat. He lost his life in the Argonne Forest.

I am quite sure that there are athletes who served that I do not know about or have forgotten. To those not mentioned I apologize. To all who have served, athlete or not, I dedicate this to you.

 

[dallasfaniac]

Great work Hos. I dug up this post too, which basically echos what you have.

When Professional Athletes went to War

When Pat Tillman, the hard-charging safety for the Arizona Cardinals, relinquished a multi-million dollar contract to join the Army with the professed goal of making it as a Ranger, he immediately became an anomaly: In this era of pampered, million-dollar ballplayers, he is a throwback to an earlier age, when the best athletes in America gave some of the best years of their professional careers to serve in the Armed Forces during a time of war.

How times have changed.

Baseball, our “National Pastime,” was once the province of working-class young men possessed of a special talent with bat, ball, and glove. Many hailed from blue-collar backgrounds, and felt unbelievably lucky to have made it to the Big Leagues to earn their keep, if only for a little while. As Chester (“Red”) Hoff said when I interviewed him for a book I was doing on America’s centenarians, “Playing ball was better than having to work to earn a living.”

Although numbers are not easy to come by, the National Baseball Hall of Fame has derived some telling statistics. In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 500 major leaguers served during the war, including 29 who would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame. Five Hall of Famers served during the war in Korea.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller became the first major leaguer to volunteer for active duty, enlisting in the Navy two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor engulfed America in the Second World War. He became an anti-aircraft gunner on the battleship Alabama, which fought at Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and in the Marshall Islands. For his service, he earned five campaign ribbons and eight battle stars. Despite losing four years to the war, Bullet Bob won 266 games and struck out 2,581 batters during an exemplary 18-year career highlighted by a trio of no-hitters and a dozen one-hitters.

The inimitable Yogi Berra served in the Navy, and was stationed aboard a rocket launcher off the coast of Normandy Beach just after D-Day. Rubber-armed Hoyt Wilhelm, who pitched in more than a thousand games and became the first closer to enter the Hall, earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge. Umpire Nestor Chylak, an Army Ranger, lost his sight for ten days during that battle; his actions earned him a Purple Heart and the Silver Star.

The ‘Human Howitzer’

Professional football players answered the call as well. Of the 638 NFL players who served in World War II, 355 were commissioned as officers, 66 were decorated, and 21 lost their lives.

Among them was an offensive tackle for the New York Giants named Al Blozis. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Blozis played football and was a weight thrower on the track team at Georgetown University. He won the NCAA, IC4A, and AAU shotput championships indoors and outdoors three years in a row, from 1940-42, and was the IC4A discus champion all three years as well.

Along with golfer Ben Hogan and boxer Joe Louis, Blozis was selected by United Press International as one of three outstanding athletes of 1941.

Graduating in 1942, he was drafted by the Giants in the third round and quickly became an anchor at tackle. Having been granted a dispensation to serve in the military because of his size, Blozis, the son of Lithuanian immigrants, entered the Army as a lieutenant.

On his first patrol, less than two months after playing his last game on the gridiron, he was killed in the Vosges Mountains during an encounter related to the Battle of the Bulge. Lieutenant Alfred Blozis was 26 years old.

While Al Blozis may not be a “household name” for most fans of the game, his death robbed football of a standout player, and, many believe, track and field of a virtually certain Olympic gold medalist.

During the long years of America’s involvement in Vietnam, a paucity of our finest athletes managed to serve on active duty. Scores fulfilled their military obligation by joining the Reserves or the National Guard. A Pentagon study in the spring of 1967 found 360 pro players in the Reserves and the Guard. Among them were Boston Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg, New York Mets pitchers Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan and second baseman Ken Boswell, and New York Knicks stars Cazzie Russell and Bill Bradley.

Of those who served in Vietnam, Rocky Bleier, the storied running back who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls, is perhaps the most prominent. Picked by the Steelers late in the 1968 draft after a sterling collegiate career at Notre Dame, he was drafted again, this time for service in the Army as an infantryman.

He suffered crippling wounds in both legs when hit by enemy rifle fire and shrapnel. He could barely walk let alone run. Yet with grit and determination, he beat the odds after two agonizing years recovering from his wounds. Rocky Bleier went on to a stellar 12-year career in the NFL. He became the “go-to” guy for the Steelers, a thousand-yard rusher, and a key contributor to four Super Bowl championships.

Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, whose Dallas Cowboys were prime competition for Bleier’s Steelers, served in the Vietnam theater of operations. Willie Miller, a wide receiver who played in the Super Bowl with the then Los Angeles Rams, served. So did Charlie Johnson, a defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sad Distinction

One NFL player was killed in action in Southeast Asia. Bob Kalsu had been an All-America tackle at the University of Oklahoma and an eighth-round draft pick by Buffalo in 1968. He started eight games at guard in 1968 and was the Bills' top rookie. His potential had few limits. Following the season he entered the Army to satisfy his ROTC obligation.

Kalsu arrived in Vietnam in November 1969. He was killed in action on 21 July 1970 at Fire Base Ripcord near the A Shau Valley. First Lieutenant Bob Kalsu had one child, a daughter. At home in Oklahoma City, his wife gave birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr., on 23 July 1968. Mrs. Kalsu was informed of her husband's death hours later.

An equally modest contingent from America’s Pastime served in Vietnam. Baltimore Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry led an infantry platoon; he was able to boast that all of his men made it home. Ed Figueroa, a steady pitcher for the California Angels and later for the New York Yankees, also served in-country.

Today, with the threat of the military draft no longer a motivating factor, few with the potential to make it in the pros give a second thought to military service. Pat Tillman stands out among this elite fraternity as an athlete whose values, like so many of the stars who came before him, extend beyond the game they play. The real heroes, he knows, are not the guys who hit .350, or belt 60 home runs, or throw for 3,000 yards, or rush for 1,500 yards, or score 30 points a game, or race cars very fast.

The real heroes are all our troops, past and present.

 

[Hostile]

Wow, that article makes mine look sad. Thank you for sharing it.

This site lists 34 members of the NFL Hall of Fame as serving in WWII and 995 as having served.

http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/war/worldwar2/honor_roll.jsp

That is unreal to me.

 

[gbrittain]

This deserves a bump.

 

[arglebargle]

I was doing some reading (sadly don't have the reference handy) about WWII, and one author talked about the fact that most American soldiers had played baseball or football in HS or college, and these team sports had a not inconsiderable effect on unit solidarty and teamwork.

American troops also had a wide ranging reputation for ingenuity and a really good supply chain.

 

[Big Dakota]

Great reads. Thanks guys.

 

[jobberone]

Thanks guys. Bump.

 

[THUMPER]

Great article but they did have one thing wrong:

While Al Blozis may not be a “household name” for most fans of the game, his death robbed football of a standout player, and, many believe, track and field of a virtually certain Olympic gold medalist.

Under Olympic rules at the time, professional athletes were prohibited from participating in the Olympics. Blozis had played 3 years of pro football before joining the Army so he was never eligible for the Olympics prior to his death.

Other than that, the article is right on and very well written.

 

[Deane62]

Great article but they did have one thing wrong:



Under Olympic rules at the time, professional athletes were prohibited from participating in the Olympics. Blozis had played 3 years of pro football before joining the Army so he was never eligible for the Olympics prior to his death.

Other than that, the article is right on and very well written.

wouldn't he have been eligible since the sport he was pro in was not the sport he would have been competing in for the olympics?

 

[arglebargle]

They used to be real snooty bozos about 'professionalism'. Longtime head of the Olympics was a stuffed shirt, and very pious about it.

They made Jim Thorpe give up all his medals over some semi pro baseball, iirc.

 

[THUMPER]

They used to be real snooty bozos about 'professionalism'. Longtime head of the Olympics was a stuffed shirt, and very pious about it.

They made Jim Thorpe give up all his medals over some semi pro baseball, iirc.

That's exactly right. It didn't matter if you had been a professional billiards player and wanted to participate in the javelin, they wouldn't let you do it.

Thorpe had to give up his medals because he had gotten what amounted to room and board playing semi-pro baseball for 2 summers while in college. They eventually gave them back to his family (sort of) long after he died.

Strict rules regarding amateurism were in force for athletes participating in the Olympics. Athletes who received money prizes for competitions, were sports teachers or who had previously competed against professionals were not considered amateurs, and were not allowed to compete in the Olympics.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I believe 100% in serving your country. On that note, I believe sometimes you have to look at the situation and decide best how to serve your country. When drafted, you don't have many choices. I commend Pat Tillman for what he did, but I also believe he made a serious error in judgment. He had a choice on how to serve his country, and the decision he made wasn't a bad one, it was just the wrong one. Pat Tillman was in a tremendous position to serve not only the country, but those troops that are in the Middle East. He was in a high profile job making lots of money. I've seen so many shows showing injured military soldiers coming back that have serious problems. To top it off, their families are struggling not only with copping with their loved ones, but the ability to pay bills and spend time with their soldier. This is where Pat Tillman should have put his effort. Setting a side money in investments where the dividends were paid out to families in need. Being vocal in getting more people to donate and help these troops and their families.

There are many soldiers out there doing what can to offer their support. Pat had options many of them did not. In Blackjack terms, Tillman took a hit when he should have stand.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

WOW at how badly some ppl on here need a proof reader to monitor some of their posts, and hopefully save themselves some embarrassment.

I believe 100% in serving your country.

Really, what branch did you serve in?

I commend Pat Tillman for what he did, but I also believe he made a serious error in judgment. He had a choice on how to serve his country, and the decision he made wasn't a bad one, it was just the wrong one.

If you think Tillman could have gone to his local recruiting station and mandated something to the effect of, "Say fellas, I'm willing to sign-up and all, but how about you just let me attend glad-handing sessions, fund raisers and the like, and forget about that shooting and killing nastiness?", you're clueless.

There are many soldiers out there doing what can to offer their support. Pat had options many of them did not. In Blackjack terms, Tillman took a hit when he should have stand.

Try "stood" Einstein.

 

[Phoenix-Talon]

It was an honor to serve my country.


Phoenix-Talon
Decorated Senior Master Sergeant, United States Air Force

 

[GlitzCowboy]

Sports hereos who blatently disrespected Soldiers in times of war. Disrespect directly to their face, holding nothing back. Can anybody guess who I'm talking about? I mean he might as well waited for them to get off the plane and spat right on their feet. Terry Glenn, people, Terry Glenn! That's who I'm talking about. Yknow, everyone's "boy wonder"? The guy that went to a military base in Wisconsin as part of the GB Packers and literally mocked this countries hereos for being "so stupid" for going to war. Great guy, huh? Reason #1 why I hate this ******.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

These days when talking about an athlete going to war, the talk is inevitably about Pat Tillman and his tragic death by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Sadly this talk often turns political because the two warring factions simply can't keep their eye on the actual story. Pat Tillman left millions of dollars on the table to serve this country. That is the story. The money of the NFL and other sports leagues has made this type of bravery and dedication to country a very rare thing.

Before Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, there was Desert Storm. Chad Hennings of the Dallas Cowboys was the only NFL player to actually serve in the Gulf War as pilot of an A-10 Warthog "Tank Killer." He is the biggest combat pilot in USAF history.

Hennings is not the only Dallas Cowboy to have served in a war front area. Roger Staubach served in the Vietnam theater. He is one of five active NFL players to serve in Vietnam. The others were Charlie Johnson, DT, Eagles, Rocky Bleier, RB, Steelers, Willie Miller, WR, Rams, and Bob Kaslu, OL, Bills. Three of those five Veterans also played in Super Bowls with Staubach and Bleier winning two and four respectively. Willie Miller also played in a Super Bowl for the Rams.

Bleier was injured so badly in Vietnam that he could not walk. He was hit in the legs by rifle fire and shrapnel. It took him two years to get to where he could run again. Bab Kaslu gave more than that. He is the only active NFL player to die in Vietnam. Also giving his life in Vietnam was former NFL player Don Steinbrunner who had played in the 1953 NFL Championship for the Browns.

Athletes of other sports also served during Vietnam in the Reserves, they include Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Jim Lonberg, and Ken Boswell from MLB as well as two New York Knicks, Cazzie Russell and Bill Bradley. Al Bumbry, Al Hrabosky, and Ed Figueroa served combat duties in Vietnam.

The Korean War saw combat duty by two of Major League Baseball's greatest players. Willie Mays and Ted Williams both served in Korea. As did Whitey Herzog, Curt Simmons, Whitey Ford, Don Newcomb, Don Larsen, Bobby Brown, and Bob Kennedy.

Ted Williams is the most famous athlete to serve in times of war. One can only imagine what his numbers might have been if he hadn't dedicated the prime of his career to his country. In World War II Ted Williams joined the Navy and was a Naval Officer and fighter pilot. His wingman was none other than pioneer Astronaut, John Glenn. Then when the Korean Conflict started Williams re-enlisted, this time to the US Marine Corps and again served as a fighter pilot.

World War II was the apex of athletes serving their country. 638 NFL players served during World War II, 19 lost their lives, 34 are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and 2 received the Congressional Medal of Honor. They are Giants End Jack Lummus who lost his life in combat and Lions End Maurice Britt who lost an arm.

Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys flew 30 bombing missions in the European theater of operations. Other NFL Hall of Famers in World War II include Eagles two way star Chuck Bednarik who also flew 30 bombing missions as a waist gunner. Marv Levy, an Air Force pilot who followed his father's example. His father was a fighter pilot in World War I. Wellington Mara was a Lieutenant Commander for the Navy. Gino Marchetti was a machine gunner at the Battle of the Bulge. George McAfee served in the Navy.

Baseball players dominate the stories of athletes going to war, mostly because at that time baseball was by far the most successful sport in America. In addition to Williams some who served include Bob Feller, the very first athlete to sign up to fight instead of play, just 2 days after Pearl Harbor. One of his duties included Iwo Jima.

Yogi Berra served at Normandy on D day. Hoyt Wilhelm earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge. Warren Spahn earned his at Remagen. There was a saying in baseball when teams faced the Braves. "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain." Spahn's equally feared pitching partner was a Naval Combat pilot aboard the Lexington and a wingman for the Navy's first ace, Butch O'Hare, for whom Chicago's O'Hare airport is named.

Other athletes in World War II include golfer Bobby Jones, boxers Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Gene Tunney, and more baseball players like Enos Slaughter, Larry Doby (2nd Black Major Leaguer), and Gil Hodges.

You can go all the way back to World War I to find athletes who served. Eddie Grant remains the only Major League Baseball player to die in combat. He lost his life in the Argonne Forest.

I am quite sure that there are athletes who served that I do not know about or have forgotten. To those not mentioned I apologize. To all who have served, athlete or not, I dedicate this to you.

Good post.
But let me take a slightly different view re Pat Tillman.
I don't equate leaving millions on the table with more or less patriotism or sacrifice.
The sacrifice by a kid fresh from high school or the monied professional should be judged -- and honored -- the same.
Had Tillman been a janitor at an Arizona stadium, his death would have gone unnoticed. But his death would not be any less significant.
Tillman's last words, according to the Army, and I paraphrase: '''Cease fire! I am Pat F****** Tillman!"
In war, bullets and nanosecond reactions make no distinctions among those who sacrifice.
Rest in peace, Pat Tillman and the thousands other anonymous Juan Q. Publics who have shed their blood for us.

 

[Hostile]

Good post.
But let me take a slightly different view.
I don't equate leaving millions on the table with more or less patriotism or sacrifice.
The sacrifice by a kid fresh from high school or the monied professional should be judged -- and honored -- the same.
Had Tillman been a janitor at an Arizona stadium, his death would have gone unnoticed. But his death would not be any less significant.
Tillman's last words, according to the Army, and I paraphrase: '''Cease fire! I am Pat F****** Tillman!"
In war, bullets and nanosecond reactions make no distinctions among those who sacrifice.
Rest in peace, Pat Tillman and the thousands other anonymous Juan Q. Publics who have shed their blood for us.

Here here sir.

 

[YosemiteSam]

WOW at how badly some ppl on here need a proof reader to monitor some of their posts, and hopefully save themselves some embarrassment.

I didn't realize I was writing a dissertation *******.

Really, what branch did you serve in?

I didn't. I looked into the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. (I was a Navy brat, my father is retired Navy, my uncle is retired Marines, two bothers are Navy and my cousin is Marines) I choose to do what makes me happy and I'm damn happy with my choice. During Desert Storm I spoke several times with recuiters, but I was told there wasn't a pressing need, but I could still sign up. Again, I choose what made me happy since there wasn't a pressing need.

If you think Tillman could have gone to his local recruiting station and mandated something to the effect of, "Say fellas, I'm willing to sign-up and all, but how about you just let me attend glad-handing sessions, fund raisers and the like, and forget about that shooting and killing nastiness?", you're clueless.

You're F'in clueless. I didn't say a damn word about him joining the military, I said he could have been more productive using his resources than he would have been by joining the military, but you live in a pipe and have an IQ equal to it's width.

Try "stood" Einstein.

Try Rat Poison tough guy.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

WOW at how badly some ppl on here need a proof reader to monitor some of their posts, and hopefully save themselves some embarrassment.

Then pactically everone hear wood not see tghere posts.

So, now you are gonna have a hunerd or so wise guys here pointing out YOUR mistakes. So tread lightly, Mr. Goodword.