Catchers Who Served in the Military


 
 

NAVY

USMC

ARMY

USCG

USAF

 
 

 

Civil War

SAW

WWI

WWII

Korea

Vietnam

Iraq


[ Catcher -
War, Mil Service Dates, Branch & Unit; Rank/Specialty or Notes ]

Eddie Ainsmith U.S. Army
Nick Allen 1918-19, U.S. Army
Doug Allison 1864, 192nd Infantry Regiment, PA.
Ferrell Anderson 1942-45, U.S. Army
Jack Aragon 1942-44,
Joe Astroth
Bill Atwood 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps; Transport aircraft pilot
Tex Aulds U.S. Army Air Corps
Chick Autry U.S. Marine Corps
Dick Aylward 1944-1945
Ed Bailey 1951-1952
Bill Baker 1944-45, U.S. Navy
Del Baker
Matt Batts 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Heinie Beckendorf U.S. Army; Private
Joe Becker
Yogi Berra 1944-45, U.S. Navy USS Bayfield; Hand wound 1945
Henry Berthrong 1862-1865, 140th Infantry Regiment N.Y.
Cliff Blankenship  ;  
John Bottarini 1943-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
George Bradshaw 1942-45 1951, U.S. Marine Corps
Herb Bremer 1943-45, U.S. Army
Sam Brenegan
Sig Broskie U.S. Navy
Frank Bruggy
John Bucha 1945, U.S. Navy
Nelson Burbrink
Smoky Burgess 1945, U.S. Army
Paul Burris 1943-45, U.S. Army
Hank Camelli U.S. Army
Lew Carl 1861-1865
Cam Carreon MIL, U.S. Army
Jim Castiglia 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps; Officer Candidate
Ed Chaplin 1918-19, U.S. Navy
Paul Chervinko 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Nig Clarke U.S. Marine Corps
Clem Clemens
Verne Clemons U.S. Navy; Gunners Mate 1st Class
Dave Coble U.S. Army Air Corps
Mickey Cochrane 1942-45, U.S. Navy; Lieutenant
Ed Connolly 1945, U.S. Navy
Bill Conroy 1945, U.S. Navy
Walker Cooper 1944-45, U.S. Navy
Clint Courtney 1944-45, U.S. Army
Del Crandall
Bill Craver 1864-1865, 13th Heavy Artillery Regiment N.Y.
Frank Crossin 19nn-nn, U.S. Army Overseas Duty
Benny Culp 1945, U.S. Navy
Tom Daly Canadian Army
Harry Danning 1943-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Cliff Dapper 1943-45, U.S. Navy
Hank DeBerry U.S. Navy
Artie Dede
Bill DeKoning Merchant Marine
Bill DeLancey U.S. Army
Gene Desautels 1944, U.S. Marine Corps
Bill Dickey 1944-45, U.S. Navy
George Dickey 1943-45, U.S. Navy Aiea Hospital, Hawaii
Pickles Dillhoefer 1918-1919, U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps SGT

Astyanax Douglas
Danny Doyle 1944-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Jake Early 1944-45, U.S. Army
Bruce Edwards
Howard "Doc" Edwards MIL, U.S. Navy Corpsman served with Marines
Rowdy Elliott U.S. Navy Fireman 3rd Class
Russ Ennis 1918-19 WWII 1944-45, U.S. Army France, Germany
Aubrey Epps , U.S. Marine Corps
Joe Erautt U.S. Army Air Corps
Al Evans 1943, U.S. Navy
Dutch Fehring U.S. Navy
Marv Felderman 1943-45, U.S. Navy NAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
Ed Fernandes 1945, U.S. Navy
Ray Fosse 1966-nn, U.S. Army
Charlie Fox 1943-45, U.S. Navy
Herman Franks 1942-45, U.S. Navy
Ollie Fuhrman
Les Fusselman 1942-45, U.S. Army
Joe Garagiola 1944-45, U.S. Army Philippines
Hank Garrity
Sid Gautreaux 1943-45, U.S. Army
Frank Gibson U.S. Army
Joe Giebel MIL, U.S. Navy Red Cross in WWI, Navy Stenographer after WWI
Paul Gillespie U.S. Coast Guard
Joe Ginsberg
Jimmy Gladd 1942-45, U.S. Army
Joe Glenn , U.S. Navy
Hank Gowdy 1918-19, U.S. Army 166th Inf; 42nd Div [1st MLB to enlist WWI]
Earl Grace U.S. Army
Mickey Grasso 1942-45 U.S. Army TSGT; POW Tunisia (1943-45)
Milt Gray U.S. Navy
Tim Griesenbeck
Bill Haeffner U.S. Navy
Dick Hahn U.S. Navy
Sam Hairston
George Hale U.S. Army
Richard Haley U.S. Army
Bill Hall MIL, 1949
Buddy Hancken U.S. Marine Corps
Bill Harman 1942,
Sam Harshanay U.S. Navy USS General W F Hase
Chris Hartje U.S. Coast Guard
Scott Hastings 1864, 145th Infrantry Regiment Illinois
Tommy Heath 1945, U.S. Army
Jim Hegan 1943-45, U.S. Coast Guard
Hank Helf 1944-45, U.S. Navy
Rollie Hemsley 1945, U.S. Navy
Butch Henline
John Henry U.S. Army
Nat Hicks 1861-1865
Gil Hodges 1944-45, U.S. Marine Corps 16th Anti-aircraft Artillery Bn (Tinian & Okinawa)
Ralph Houk 1942-45, U.S. Army 9th Armored Div, Normandy-Luxembourg; Major; Silver Star & Purple Heart
Elston Howard 1951-52, U.S. Army
Dixie Howell U.S. Army
Ben Huffman U.S. Navy
Roy Jarvis 1945, U.S. Navy
Joe Jenkins U.S. Army
Eddie Kearse 1942-45, U.S. Army
Bill Killefer 1918-19, U.S. Army
Joe Kracher
Mickey Kreitner 1943, U.S. Army Inducted in Feb & Medically Discharged in April
Walt Kuhn
Ray Lamanno 1943-45, U.S. Navy
Mike Ledwith 1861-1865
John Leovich U.S. Coast Guard
Walt Linden
Mickey Livingston 1944-45, U.S. Army
Stan Lopata U.S. Army
Eddie Malone U.S. Navy
Fergy Malone 1864, 196th Infrantry Regiment Pennsylvania, Company A
Frank Mancuso U.S. Army
Charlie Marshall U.S. Army
Buck Martinez 1970, Air National Guard
Bill McAllester
Clyde McCullough 1944-45, U.S. Navy
Eddie McGah U.S. Navy
Wally Millies U.S. Navy
Dee Moore 1944-45, U.S. Marine Corps
Les Moss Merchant Marine
Ray Mueller 1945, U.S. Army
Thurman Munson MIL 1945, Ohio National Guard Fort Dix, played ball on weekends in 1969
Mike Murphy U.S. Army
Ray Murray 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Glenn Myatt 1919, U.S. Navy
Hal Naragon 1952-53 U.S. Marine Corps
Gus Niarhos U.S. Navy
Pete Noonan U.S. Army
Len Okrie U.S. Navy
Harry O'Neill 1945, U.S. Marine Corps Killed In Action 3/6/45 on Iwo Jima
Chink Outen MIL
Mickey Owen 1945-46, U.S. Navy
Don Padgett 1942-45, U.S. Navy
Charlie Parks U.S. Army
Dixie Parsons U.S. Navy
Roy Partee 1944-45, U.S. Army
Ted Pawelek U.S. Marine Corps
Les Peden 1943-45,
Bill Perkins U.S. Army
Cy Perkins U.S. Navy
Bill Peterman 1942-45, U.S. Army
George Pfister 1942-45, U.S. Army
Joe Pignatano 1951-1952 U.S. Marine Corps
Hugh Poland 1945, U.S. Army Classified 4F, then drafted; sent to Ft. Knox & played ball for Army
Johnny Pramesa U.S. Marine Corps
Frankie Pytlak 1942-44, U.S. Navy
Branch Rickey U.S. Army Major (Commanding Officer)
Hank Riebe 1942-45, U.S. Army
Aaron Robinson 1944, U.S. Coast Guard
Joe Rossi U.S. Army
William Rumler
Hank Ruszkowski 1945, U.S. Army
Alex Sabo , U.S. Navy
Frank Sacka
William Sarni 1945-46, U.S. Army
Ray Schalk
Bob Scheffing 1943-45, U.S. Navy
Bob Scherbarth
Admiral Schlei 1898-99, U.S. Navy
Ken Sears 1944-45, U.S. Navy minesweeper Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Hank Severeid 1918, U.S. Army
Billy Shantz U.S. Navy
Bud Sheely
Norm Sherry 1952-53, U.S. Army Frankfurt, Germany
Charlie Silvera 1943-45, U.S. Army Air Corps 20th Air Force; Hickham Field, Hawaii
Ken Silvestri 1941-45, U.S. Army
Vinnie Smith 1942-45, U.S. Navy Aiea Barracks, Hawaii
Ebba St. Claire 1943-45, U.S. Army
Joe Stephenson 1943-45,
Gabby Street 1898 1918-19, U.S. Army
Billy Sullivan 1944-46, U.S. Navy
Butch Sutcliffe 1944-45, U.S. Army
Jeff Sweeney U.S. Army
El Tappe U.S. Navy
Birdie Tebbetts 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps South Pacific
Andrew Thompson 1864, 134th Illinois Infantry, Company E - Drummer Boy
Joe Tipton
Gus Triandos 1951-52, U.S. Army Brooke MedCen, San Antonio, TX
Earl Turner 1943-45, U.S. Army
Tom Turner 1945, U.S. Army
Fred Tyler 1918-19, U.S. Army
Mike Ulisney
Al Unser
Hal Wagner 1944-45, U.S. Army
Fred Walden
Bennie Warren 1943-45, U.S. Navy
Peter Weckbecker 1898, U.S. Army
Ralph Weigel 1943-1945, U.S. Coast Guard
Dick West 1944-45, U.S. Coast Guard
Wes Westrum U.S. Army
Don Wheeler 1942-45, U.S. Army 398th Inf Rg *BRONZE STAR
Warren White (part time catcher) 1861-1865, 14th Heavy Artillery Regiment New York
Del Wilbur 1942-45, U.S. Army Air Corps
Jimmie Wilson
George Yankowski 1943-46, U.S. Army
Sal Yvars


[See Gary Bedingfield's Baseball POW Web Site]

SPECIAL NOTES ON CIVIL WAR CATCHERS (Provided by Peter Morris, SABR)

  • Henry Berthong
    Enlisted as a Musician on 27 August 1862 in Rochester, NY at the age of 18
    Enlisted in Company E, 140th Infantry Regiment (New York) on 13 September 1862
    Mustered out on 12 June 1865 in Washington, DC
  • William H. Craver
    Enlisted as a Private on 21 January 1864 in 2nd Congress District, NY at age of 18
    Enlisted in Company K, 13th Heavy Artillery Regiment (New York) on 21 January 1864
    Mustered out on 28 June 1865 in Norfolk, VA
    Disability: 7/1/1892 Widow: Catherine C. Craver 7/5/1901
  • Scott Hastings
    Enlisted as a Private on 28 April 1864
    Enlisted in Company B, 145th Infantry Regiment (Illinois) on 09 June 1864
    Mustered out on 23 September 1864 at Camp Butler, Springfield, IL
  • William White
    Enlisted in the 14th Heavy Artillery Regiment (New York) on 08 July 1863
  • William Killefer
    Enlisted in the U.S. Army infantry after the 1918 World Series
    Mustered out in time for the 1919 season
    Father (William Killefer) fought in the Civil War and his son (also William Killefer) had a long career in the U.S. Navy

If you have any additions or corrections, especially Branch of Service, please send me an e-mail using the FEEDBACK button below.


Special thanks to fellow SABR members for their contributions: Walter Kephart, Wayne McElreavy, Bill Hickman, Bill Deane, Ron Nelson, Peter Morris, Gary Bedingfield.



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