Below the plaque of every Hall of Fame player who served in the military is a small medallion commemorating the particular military branch in which he served. (Photo by Caspar Ewig)
Ship Honors HoFers Who Served
By CASPAR EWIG
COOPERSTOWN
As Cooperstown rep-resents the best of Americana, it also represents the best of baseball,” Jane Forbes Clark noted in her address that accompanied the christening of the USS Cooperstown in February 2022. And she continued, “Baseball is our national pastime, and the connections between our Hall of Famers and our military are strong.” Thus it is that the USS Cooperstown represents both the village and the wartime heroes enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Although that connection with military service is not often a part of the conversation when one is talking about Hall of Famers, it is not forgotten in the Hall of Plaques, which memorializes each player’s important stats. Below the plaque of every player who served in the military is a small medallion commemorating the particular military branch in which he served. There is an insignia for the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and even for service in the Civil War. The one veteran of that conflict is The Hon. Morgan G. Bulkeley, who subsequently became the first president of the National League.
