Hunt and Peck

Birdos who served - A Veterans Day Hunt and Peck

By lil_scooter93 Nov 12, 2018, 4:00pm EST

2011 World Series Game 6 - Texas Rangers v St Louis Cardinals

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November 1918, the War to End All Wars was finally over as the Armistice with Germany went into effect. In the years following, the anniversary of this Armistice was recognized across the United States as a day of remembrance, becoming an official holiday in in 1938 known as Armistice Day, later changed to Veterans Day. Today, Veterans Day is a day to acknowledge those who have served in the United States military and is generally observed on either the following Monday or the proceeding Friday. That is today, November 12.

During each of the World Wars, a strain was felt across the nation as resources were pumped into the war effort. Baseball was not immune to this as young men were called upon to serve in the armed forces. Future Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, and Enos Slaughter were called away from baseball to serve during WWII. Whitey Herzog’s playing career was briefly halted in 1953 during the Korean War. In 2015 the Cardinals called up Mitch Harris, who became the first Naval Academy graduate to play professional baseball in nearly a century. These were some of the military veterans to wear the Birds on the Bat. Veterans Day seems like the right day to share their stories.

Hall of Fame Veterans | Baseball Hall of Fame

Stan Musial joins U.S. Navy in 1945 | MLB.com

Baseball in Wartime | Red Schoendeinst

Baseball in Wartime | Enos Slaughter

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris' Major League debut worth the wait | MLB.com