Negro Leaguers Who Served With The Armed Forces in WWII
If they can fight and die on Okinawa and Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, they can play baseball in America. Baseball Commissioner AB "Happy" Chandler |
The players
were from different parts of the
country and on many different teams but they all served
willingly in the U.S.
military to defend the
American flag.
Thanks to Bill Swank, Ken Sulik, Bryan Steverson,
Mischa Gelman
and Bill Nowlin for their
very kind help in adding names
Updated June 7, 2009
Willard Brown and Leon Day (front
row, far right) with the OISE All-Stars - 1945 ETO
Champions
Copyright © 2008 Gary Bedingfield (Baseball
in Wartime). All Rights Reserved.
Name
Position
Team
Service
Location
Years
Details
Russell Awkard
OF
Newark Eagles
Army
ETO
1941-1945
Quartermaster Corps in
England, France and Belgium.
John "Red" Bailey
Toledo Crawfords
Army
USA
1942-
Fort Bragg
Dan Bankhead
P
Birmingham Black
Barons
Marines
1943-1945
Richard A "Skeeter" Banks
Richmond Giants
Army
MTO
1941-1945
Trucking company in N Africa, Sicily and Italy
Lamb "Bud" Barbee
1B
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1943-1945
Sam Barber
P
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
1942-1945
Bill Barnes
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1944-1945
Jeremiah Bennett
Philadelphia Stars
Army
Pacific
1942-1945
Charlie Biot
OF
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
Pacific
1942-
Captain of 93rd
Division baseball team. (369th Infantry Regt)
Joe Black
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1943-
Garnett Blair
P
Homestead Grays
Army
1942-1945
William "Bill" Blair
P
Cincinnati Clowns
Army
Youngest African-American to serve as first sergeant
Jim Bolden
P
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
1942-1946
Lyman Bostock, Sr
1B
Birmingham Black
Barons
Army
1942-1945
Herb Bracken
P
Cleveland Buckeyes
Navy
Pacific
1944-1945
Was 13-1 at Great
Lakes and served in Hawaii.
Sherwood Brewer
2B
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
Pacific
1943-
Discovered playing
baseball in Guam. Also served in Korea.
Barney Brown
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1943
James Brown
P
Newark Eagles
Army
ETO
1944-1945
Willard "Home Run" Brown
OF
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
ETO
1944-1945
Played for ETO
champion OISE All-Stars in 1945.
Allen "Lefty" Bryant
P
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
1941-1945
Sergeant.
Chester Buchanan
P
Philadelphia Stars
Navy
1944-1945
Ernest Burke
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
USMC
Pacific
Matthew "Lick"
Carlisle
2B
Homestead Grays
Navy
1945
Elmer Carter
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
ETO/MTO
1942-1945
In N Africa and Normandy
Marlin Carter
3B
Memphis Red Sox
Coast Guard
Pacific
1943-1945
Saw Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
James "Bus" Clarkson
SS
Philadelphia Stars
Army
Pacific
1943-1945
Camp Clarkson, CA and New
Caledonia with field artillery unit
Jim Cohen
P
Indianapolis Clowns
Army
USA
1942-1946
Camp Lee, Virginia.
Jim Colzie
P
Indianapolis Clowns
USAAF
USA
1943-1945
Orlando AAB, Florida
Bill Cooper
C
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1943-1945
Jimmie Crutchfield
OF
Chicago American
Giants
Army
1943-1945
Ross "Satchel" Davis
P
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
1944-1945
Spencer Davis
OF
New York Black Yankees
Army
1944-1945
Leon Day
P
Newark Eagles
Army
ETO
1944-1945
At Utah Beach on
D-Day with 818th Amphibian Battalion. Played for ETO champion OISE All-Stars in
1945.
Larry Doby
SS
Newark Eagles
Navy
1944-1945
Was at Ulithi.
Mahlon Duckett
INF
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1944-1945
Frank Duncan, Jr
C/MGR
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
ETO
1942-1943
Drafted in 1942/43
aged 42. Sergeant with 371st Infantry, 92nd
Division.
Frank Duncan III
P
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
1942-1943
Jake Dunn
SS
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1942-1945
One of the first Negro
Leaguers to enter military service.
Howard Easterling
3B
Homestead Grays
Army
1944-1945
Jim Elam
P
Newark Eagles
Army
1944-1945
Wilmer "Red" Fields
P
Homestead Grays
Army
1943-1946
Joe Fillmore
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1943-1946
Jake Flowers
IF
Army
ETO
1944
Corporal
Jonas Gaines
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
USA
1943-1945
Fort Lewis
Jerry Gibson
OF-P
Homestead Grays
Army
1944-1945
Bill Greason
P
Birmingham Black Barons
USMC
James "Pea" Greene
C
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
MTO
1943-1945
92nd Division,
anti-tank company. In North Africa and Italy.
Bob Griffith
P
New York Black Yankees
Army
ETO
1944-1945
Corporal
Paul Hardy
C
Birmingham Black
Barons
Army
1943-1945
Chuck Harmon
SS
US Navy
USA
Great Lakes NTS
David "Bill" Harvey
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1944-1945
Johnny Hayes
C
New York Black Yankees
Army
ETO
1944-1945
Curtis Henderson
SS
New York Black Yankees
Army
1944-1945
Leo "Preacher" Henry
P
Indianapolis Clowns
Army
1944-1945
Billy Horne
2B
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
1945
Sammy T Hughes
2B
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
Pacific
1943-1946
196th Support
Battalion during invasion of Guam.
Monte Irvin
OF
Newark Eagles
Army
ETO
1943-1945
GS Engineers 1313th
Battalion
Clarence "Pint"
Israel
INF
Homestead Grays
Army
1943-1945
Willie Jefferson
P
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
1942-1943
Byron Johnson
SS
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
ETO
Quartermaster Corps.
Landed in Normandy June 11, 1944.
Clifford "Connie"
Johnson
P
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
1943-1945
Josh Johnson
C
New York Black Yankees
Army
ETO
1942-1945
2nd Lieutenant.
Anti-aircraft unit. Red Ball Express convoy system.
Ralph Johnson
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1942-1944
Larry Kimbrough
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1944-1945
Rufus Lewis
P
Newark Eagles
USAAF
1943-1954
Max Manning
P
Newark Eagles
USAAF
ETO
1942-1945
316th Air Squadron
Quartermaster Corps. Red Ball Express
Tom Martin
USAAF
USA
Salt Lake City
Nath McClinic
OF
Cleveland Buckeyes
Army
Clint "Butch" McCord
1B
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1944-1945
Walter McCoy
P
Chicago American
Giants
Army
USA
1943-1944
John
"Mule" Miles
3B/OF
Chicago American Giants
USAAF
USA
1942-1945
Trained as aircraft mechanic
James "Red" Moore
1B
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
ETO
1941-1945
Served combat engineer
battalion of Third Army
John "Buck" O'Neil
1B
Kansas City Monarchs
Navy
Pacific
1943-1945
Construction
Battalion.
Tom Parker
P
New York Cubans
Army
1944
Charlie Parks
C
Newark Eagles
Army
ETO
1943-1945
Andrew "Pat" Patterson
3B
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1942-1945
Bill Perkins
C
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1944-1945
Leornard "Len" Pigg
C
Indianapolis Clowns
Army
Pacific
1940-1945
Quartermaster Corps at
Ft Still (OK). Nine months in Philippines.
Nat Pollard
P
Birmingham Black
Barons
Army
1944-1945
Dave Pope
OF
Army
USA
1943-1946
Camp Lee, Virginia
Henry "Hank" Presswood
SS/3B
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
1945-1947
Bill Randall
OF
Homestead Grays
Navy
USA
1943-1946
Great Lakes
Ulysses Redd
SS
Birmingham Black
Barons
Army
ETO
Earl Richardson
SS
Newark Eagles
Navy
1944-1945
John "Hoss" Ritchey
C
Chicago American
Giants
Army
ETO/Pacific
1943-1945
Combat Engineer in
Europe. Also seven months in Pacific.
Henry Frazier Robinson
C
Baltimore Elite Giants
Navy
1943-1945
Jackie Robinson
SS
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
USA
1942-1944
761st Tank Destroyer
Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.
Robert Romby
P
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1943-1945
Leon Ruffin
C
Newark Eagles
Navy
1943-1945
Frank Russell
INF
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1945
Joe Scott
1B
Birmingham Black
Barons
Army
ETO
1941-1945
Staff Sergeant. 350th
Field Artillery, 46th Brigade.
Dickie Seay
2B-SS
New York Black Yankees
Army
USA
1943-1945
Dow Field
Robert Sharpe
P
Memphis Red Sox
Army
1945-1946
Hubert "Bert" Simmons
P/OF
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1943-1945
Herb Simpson
1B/OF
Homestead Grays
USAAF
ETO
1943-1945
2057th Quartermaster
Corps, Eighth Air Force.
Gene Smith
P
New York Black Yankees
Army
1943-1945
John Ford Smith
P
Kansas City Monarchs
USAAF
1942-1945
Lieutenant.
Raymond Smith
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
1943-1945
T R "Ted" Strong
OF
Kansas City Monarchs
Navy
1943-1945
Lonnie Summers
C
Chicago American
Giants
Army
ETO
1942-1945
614th Tank Destroyer
Battalion.
Alfred "Slick" Surratt
OF
Detroit Stars
Army
Pacific
Served at New Guinea and the Philippines.
Reece "Goose" Tatum
USAAF
Johnny "Schoolboy"
Taylor
P
New York Cubans
Army
1942-1945
Olan "Jelly" Taylor
1B
Memphis Red Sox
Army
1942-1945
One of the first Negro
Leaguers inducted after Pearl Harbor.
Henry "Hank" Thompson
2B
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
ETO
1944-1945
1695th Combat
Engineers. At Battle of the Bulge.
Robert "Bob" Thurman
OF
Homestead Grays
Army
Pacific
1942-1945
Discovered playing
baseball in New Guinea and Philippines.
Ted Toles
P
Pittsburgh Crawfords
Army
Johnny Washington
1B
Baltimore Elite Giants
Army
1942-1945
Andy "Big Six" Watts
3B
Cleveland Buckeyes
Navy
Pacific
1944-1945
With 1944 Great Lakes
baseball champions. Also at Guam.
Roy Welmaker
P
Homestead Grays
Army
1942-1944
David "Speed" Whatley
OF
Homestead Grays
Army
1944-1945
Frank Williams
OF
Homestead Grays
Army
1944-1945
Jesse Williams
SS
Kansas City Monarchs
Army
1943-1945
Wilmore Williams
OF
Newark Eagles
Navy
1944-1945
Al "Apples" Wilmore
P
Philadelphia Stars
Army
Pacific
1943-1946
595th Field Artillery
Battalion, 93rd
Division.
Emmett Wilson
OF
New York Black Yankees
Army
1944-1945
Fred Wilson
OF
Indianapolis Clowns
Army
USA
1944
Fort Benning, Georgia.
Johnny Wright
P
Homestead Grays
Navy
USA
1944-1945
Great Lakes baseball
team
James Zapp
OF
Baltimore Elite
Giants
Navy
Pacific
1942-1945
Discovered on Hawaii
teams that won 1943 and 1944 championships.
and further information to the
above list.