Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher D. Patterson mans an M2HB .50-caliber machine gun in an MH-60S Seahawk while it flies over the Pacific Ocean, July 11, 2021.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Twilight Training
Sailors participate in a search and rescue exercise in Norfolk, Va., April 13, 2021.
Pendleton Splash
Marines splash into the water in an AAV-P7/A1 amphibious assault vehicle to conduct evacuation and egress drills at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., June 29, 2021.
Smiling Soldiers
Army Sgt. Emmanuel Biney, left, and Army Sgt. Bradley Taylor greet a young girl at an arts and crafts fair in Powidz, Poland, July 10, 2021.
Colorado Checkpoint
A soldier waits at a checkpoint during a platoon live-fire exercise at Fort Carson, Colo., July 12, 2021.
Loading Cargo
Air Force Airman 1st Class Benjamin Varnall loads cargo onto a KC-10 Extender aircraft at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, July 5, 2021. The KC-10 Extender is commonly used for aerial refueling but can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by simultaneously carrying fighter support personnel and equipment.
Sports Heroes Who Served: Baseball Legend Served During Vietnam
July 13, 2021 | , DOD News
Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver, born Nov. 17, 1944 in Fresno, California, credits the discipline and focus he learned in boot camp as major contributors to his legendary career.
Perhaps the most momentous occasion of his baseball career was when his team, the New York Mets, won the 1969 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. As the Mets star pitcher, he significantly contributed to that win.
Most of Seaver's career was with the Mets (1967-1977 ' and again in 1983). But he also played with other Major League Baseball teams: Cincinnati Reds (1977-1982), Chicago White Sox (1984-1986), and the Boston Red Sox (1986).
Seaver amassed some amazing awards, statistics and career highlights. Among them:
- Win-loss record: 311-205
- Earned run average: 2.86
- Strikeouts: 3,640
- Twelve-time All-Star: 1967-1973, 1975-1978, 1981
- Three-time National League Cy Young Award winner: 1969, 1973, 1975
- NL Rookie of the Year: 1967
- Three-time NL wins leader: 1969, 1975, 1981
- Three-time NL ERA leader: 1970, 1971, 1973
- Five-time NL strikeout leader: 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976
- Pitched a no-hitter June 16, 1978
In 1992, Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the highest percentage of votes ever recorded at the time. Seaver is also a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
While Seaver was a baseball legend, he also served during the Vietnam era. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1962 as a 17-year-old in Fresno, California.
His contract with the Marines was for eight years as a basic supply man.
Basic training took place at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. In an interview with the New York Post in 2003, he said that the intensity of the drill instructors shocked him.
"I didn 't know if it was tough or not," he told the Post. "All I knew was I had someone yelling at me ― and I hadn 't even done anything, yet. I went, ‘Oh, this is what my dad 's been talking about. ' I can remember saying that to myself ― to this day."
Seaver said that getting through boot camp left him with a sense of accomplishment. "The things that I've learned, and especially learned to integrate into when I was a pitcher in the big leagues … the discipline and the focus and respect for uniform, etc. were an extremely important part of my career."
While in the Marine Corps, Seaver was assigned to the 2nd Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion, based in Fresno, California, the 4th Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion in Pasadena, California, and the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion in Tampa, Florida.
He was also assigned to Headquarters Company, 6th Communication Battalion, at Fort Schuyler in the Bronx, New York.
Seaver earned the expert rifle badge, and, in June 1970, he received an honorable discharge as a private first class.
Seaver died of COVID-19 at the age of 75, Aug. 31, 2020, in Calistoga, California.
Sasebo Vaccination
Navy Seaman Iliana Gonzales administers a COVID-19 vaccine to an employee assigned to Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center Detachment Sasebo in Sasebo, Japan, June 30, 2021.
Warrior Night
Marines grapple during Warrior Night at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., July 9, 2021. The event builds camaraderie and esprit de corps within the squadron.
K-9 Mission
Airmen and soldiers prepare to execute a joint K-9 helicopter training mission at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, June 28, 2021. Air Force military working dog handlers conducted medical evacuations on simulated K-9 casualties during the mission, which also provided an opportunity to acclimate the dogs to helicopter operations under combat conditions.
Shots and Scores
Sailors review their scores during a weapons qualification course at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., July, 8, 2021.
Transit Trio
The USS Carl Vinson, the USS O’Kane and the USS Stockdale sail in formation in the Pacific Ocean, July 11, 2021.
Pushup Pals
Army Sgt. 1st Class Elbert A. Lewis does pushups with children during the 2021 Centerpoint Energy Dayton Air Show at the Dayton International Airport, Ohio, July 11, 2021.
Hawkeye Launch
A Navy E-2D Advanced Hawkeye launches from the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific Ocean, July 12, 2021.
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