Many of our iconic baseball legends - Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Willie Mays, among others - are not just athletic heroes but also veterans. These baseball legends showed an equal love for the game and a loyalty to their country by putting their baseball careers on hold for military service.

Yogi Berra

Yogi took a break between minor league and major league baseball to enlist in the United States Navy and went on to become one of the greatest catchers in the game.

 

Joe DiMaggio

Another legendary Yankee, Joe DiMaggio, spent three years of his career in the Air Force and still with the Yankees he won a remarkable 9 World Series in 13 years. He was also named MVP 3 times and is well known for his unfathomable 56-game hitting streak.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams, “the greatest hitter who ever lived,” was a USMC pilot in WWII and in the Korean War and still garnered an amazing career batting average of .344 and 521 career home runs.

Willie Mays

 

He spent nearly two full seasons in the army during the Korean War and came back strong as a star player; ending his career with 12 Gold Glove awards, two MVP awards and The Rookie of The Year in 1951.