Bob Feller aboard the USS Alabama in World War II
That’s one of the reasons the Navy has announced the creation of the first-ever Bob Feller Act of Valor award.
Feller, of course, was one of Major League Baseball’s greatest pitchers, who famously declined to let playing get in the way of patriotism. He was the first ballplayer to enlist after Pearl Harbor, and went on to earn six campaign ribbons and eight battle stars aboard the battleship USS Alabama. When asked to name the most important game he ever won, he replied “World War II.”
The Navy said in a recent fleet-wide message that it is working with the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation to honor one Navy chief petty officer, one major-league ballplayer, and one member of baseball’s hall of fame with the award on Veterans Day.
Candidates for the honor must:
— Display good character and humility in their achievements, as well as in their failures.
— Aspire to be better today than they were yesterday, and better tomorrow than they are today.
— Put the needs of others before the needs or wants of themselves.
— Show unyielding support of the United States of America and fellow service men and women.
— Above all else, prove to be beyond reproach in the manner in which they conduct themselves, treat others, and live their lives overall.
Hard to believe the Marines don’t have something like this for their Bosox pilot Ted Williams.