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Memorial Day - post your favorite card honoring a Veteran
JolleyWrencher
Posts: 605 ✭✭✭
1959 Fleer Ted Williams Greatest
Ted Williams Wins his Wings is my favorite.
I'm sure there are plenty I am unaware of. Which is your favorite and do you own it? I have had many Ted Williams Greatest but never the one I mentioned.
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Believe it or not, my favorite card of a veteran hands down is the 1974 card of Chuck Goggin.
It’s a combination of my love for the first Topps baseball set I collected, and my respect and affection for Goggin, one of only two MLB players wounded in action in Vietnam.
Here is his story, and it’s a great read:
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/chuck-goggin/
Two other noteworthy items: Chuck specifically talked about how much he cherished this, his only baseball card….and he happened to collect his first two major league hits on the same day Roberto Clemente racked up his 3000th!
Detroit Tigers first baseman Hank Greenberg enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940 as war loomed and re-enlisted after Pearl Harbor. He missed 4 1/2 years of his playing career while serving in the military.
In the fall of 1940 the United States instituted its first peacetime draft. The 29-year old Greenberg figured the U.S. would join in with the allies soon and he wanted to do his part. On October 16, 1940, just eight days after he and the Tigers lost Game Seven of the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, Hank registered for the draft, the first professional baseball player to do so. The following spring he was classified 4F due to flat feet by the Detroit draft board, but he insisted on being re-examined. In April the draft board reclassified Greenberg and a month later he was inducted into the Army. The U.S. had yet to enter the war, but Hank was committed to doing his part; ”I made up my mind to go when I was called. My country comes first.”
Hank trained as a tank gunner that spring and summer and he only appeared in 19 games for Detroit. Still, there was no telling when the U.S. might actively enter the war, and since he was 30 years old (Congress decreed that any man over 28 would not be drafted), he was discharged on December 5. Two days later the Japanese hastened the U.S. entry into the war when they attacked Pearl Harbor. Seven weeks later Greenberg re-enlisted in the Army, he stayed in the uniform of the United States military for the next three and a half years. In all, Greenberg served 47 months in the service during World War II, the longest tenure of any ballplayer.
Unless otherwise specified my posts represent only my opinion, not fact.
dupe
Unless otherwise specified my posts represent only my opinion, not fact.
September 12, 1942 – Norfolk, Virginia: Shortstop Phil Rizzuto of New York Yanks, shown taking the oath given by Lieutenant Commander John Quincy Adams at Norfolk, Virginia, has enlisted in the Navy. He rejoined the club at Chicago announcing that he will report October 13 as a seaman first class (Chevrons and Diamonds Collection).
Unless otherwise specified my posts represent only my opinion, not fact.
My favorite Mathewson is the T206 Hand in glove
Mathewson served in the United States Army's Chemical Warfare Service in World War I, and was accidentally exposed to chemical weapons during training. His respiratory system was weakened from the exposure, causing him to contract tuberculosis, from which he died in 1925.
Unless otherwise specified my posts represent only my opinion, not fact.
More from that 59 Fleer set. I have the complete set.
Yaz Master Set
#1 Gino Cappelletti master set
#1 John Hannah master set
Also collecting Andre Tippett, Patriots Greats' RCs, 1964 Venezuelan Topps, 1974 Topps Red Sox
hey DBesse27,
Pretty Cool...
Not bashing the thread, however I'll mention it in case anyone is completely unaware, because some are. Veterans Day is the day to honor any and all veterans of military service, where as Memorial Day is to honor those who served, but didn't return home after that service (died while in service). All of those players mentioned above not only survived their service, but continued to play ball after.
That is not to say that you can't mention Veterans on Memorial Day, but just know it's two different concepts.
hey mrmopar,
my mom was saying that to me yesterday...
Not an individual card, but the 1997 bowmans best international refractors for US born players display an American Flag in the background.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Thank you for clarifying the holiday. I've always highlighted Veterans on the day as well since many of them lost friends in active duty during conflicts. My wife thought my post would be confusing.
I imagine there were ball players who died while serving and maybe never got a card even.
I wish we could have a combat Veterans day too.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
No one should have a "Happy " Memorial Day. But rather a great memory day.
Stan Musial in the Navy
Alfonz, Those are cool pics, ty! In the first pic most of them look right around 18.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.