Legendary Ted Williams: A Patriot Not To Be Forgotten

I heard presidential candidate John McCain on Mike & Mike today recount a story about legendary baseball Hall of Famer and U.S. patriot Ted Williams.

McCain told a story that really says something about Williams, so I started searching and found information on the Official Ted Williams Web Site.

It was exactly as McCain recounted. Williams was flying in formation on a bombing mission over a North Korean troop encampment when he lost sight of the plane in front of him.

He attempted to correct the problem by flying lower, but that enabled communist troops to shoot at him with their small arms. Their bullets hit home and the F9 jet he was flying became a flaming missile in the sky that he was barely able to control.

I won’t ruin the story for you, but needless to say, he risked it all by landing the aircraft.

McCain said that Williams didn’t eject because the baseball player said had he ejected, his kneecaps would have struck the cockpit and may have ruined his chances to play more baseball.

For his brave service to his country, Williams earned the following: Top Gunnery Honor and Wingman Honor.

He also is in the U.S. Marine Corps Hall of Fame. His 521 homers reflect his .344 lifetime batting average – ahead of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

He was the 1939 Rookie of the Year, 1942 American League Triple Crown winner, 1946 Most Valuable Player, 1947 American League Triple Crown winner, 1949 Most Valuable Player, 1958 Silver Slugger, and he was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1966.

He earned his way to 17 All-Star games and had 12 career batting titles. As McCain said, had Williams not served his country, imagine what his stats would be.

(Note: I am not a Republican nor do I belong or contribute to any political party or candidate.)