_________________________________________________________ F A M E F O R U M N E W S L E T T E R N A T I O N A L W O M E N 'S B A S E B A L L H A L L O F F A M E National Syndicated Column (contents are protected) Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2007 TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU186277, TXU187387. Issue Number 00373 _________________________________________________________ Volume X, Number 16 Publisher and Author April 27, 2007 Richard C. Jaffeson Washington, DC HallFame@usa.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame _________________________________________________________ 2006 NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS NELSON, DOMINGUEZ, TRIOLO SEE THE WEBSITE FOR ALL "HALL OF FAMERS" http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/albums DIDRIKSON, HOWARD, SCHILLACE, DANCER, FERGUSON, WINTER, WRIGHT, LUKASIK, MILLIKEN, BALLENTINE, GEYER, WALLACE, CIULLA, GUIDACE, MACURIO, SHELDON, BEAUCHAMP, HUDSON, BRENNEMAN, FERENO, SWEENEY TED WILLIAMS WEBSITE http://www.saveted.net _________________________________________________________ A. COLUMN: FENWAY BATS AND PANTHER JETS [As background music, "The Washington Post March," 1889, by John Philip Sousa, written for the promotion of the newspaper's essay contest and resulted in the creation of the two-step, is respectfully played.] Our nation most jealously guards its highest citation for military valor reserved for those individuals who in time of conflict sacrificed themselves for the protection of fellow combatants and for the preservation of our country. They stand apart by character and circumstance enshrined above all others in honor and glory justifiably deserved. Presidents and generals alike snap to attention when this emblem and ribbon are seen displayed ceremoniously around the neck of one so decorated. More than sixty percent of those who received this distinction did so posthumously, representing the extent of their ultimate contribution to defend liberty and freedom, the cornerstones of democracy. Because this highest recognition carries such distinction, one President, a five-star general and theater commander in World War II, and another President, an artillery captain in the same conflict, stated they would rather rightfully be able to wear this medal than be elected chief executive of the United States. General George Patton, who believed in reincarnation of great military heroes, once said that he would, "...trade his immortal soul for one." However, very few famous Americans, presidents or generals alike have been so recognized. Recipients primarily tend to be our ordinary soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen; who when necessary achieved extraordinary accomplishments in the heat and fury battle. Afterwards, some received additional national attention due to their heroic efforts, such as, Sergeant Alvin York from World War I, and Audie Murphy in World War II who enlisted as a private, was promoted to sergeant, and as a result of his actions earned a field commission to second lieutenant. The first Medals of Honor were awarded in June 1861 by the President. Abraham Lincoln formally established the medal effective on July 12, 1862 when he signed an authorization bill approved by Congress. President Lincoln sanctioned more than 2,500 medals during the Civil War until his death in 1865. However, by 1897 requirements became more defined, whereby the medal would be issued to individuals who, "...in an action involving actual conflict (combat) with an enemy distinguishes himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." The award cannot be proposed by the recipient, there must be at least one eyewitness, and its nomination must be submitted within one year of the noteworthy action. In order to clarify the criteria and strengthen the purpose of this medal to enhance its significance, a distinguished panel of five generals convened in 1917 at the request of President Woodrow Wilson and reviewed all 2,625 recipients to that date to determine the validity and compliance with the aforementioned definition and guidelines. This panel rescinded 911 medals which were determined to be less than heroic actions and/or not for direct combat with the enemy. For example, they were revoked for 29 members of the honor guard for escorting President Lincoln's remains to Illinois. In 1918, additional military medals were authorized awarded through the War Department's Secretary or by the appropriate armed services Secretaries. These new medals were in order of significance: Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, and Silver Star, joined by the Bronze Star in 1944. The Purple Heart, awarded for wounds received in combat, was initiated by George Washington in 1782. During World War II, the 92nd Infantry Division earned more than 12,000 service citations including: two Distinguished Service Crosses, 102 Silver Stars, 753 Bronze Stars, and nearly 2,000 Purple Hearts. Today more than 3,500 Medals of Honor have been awarded by Presidents to members of all branches of the military and to nine unknown soldiers who fell in service to their country. Aside from Civil War issues, the most Medals of Honor were awarded in World War II and Korea. During World War II, with 16,113,000 in the combined armed forces, less than 300 Medals of Honor were conferred. During the Korean War with 5,720,000 under arms, there were only 77 recipients. One recipient during the Korean conflict was Raymond Murphy a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, as noted, for actions well beyond the call of duty. "In February 1953, Murphy's unit was above the Imjin River facing communist Chinese troops dug into high ground for more than one year. The landscape had been bombarded by artillery and aircraft for many months." "An assault was planned by two platoons with Murphy's held in reserve. After over an hour of limited success, Murphy advanced his reserve platoon only to find the officers and noncoms in the assault platoons were deceased or severely wounded, and the troops were without effective leadership." "While under horrific enemy machine-gun fire, he ordered his men to protect and evacuate the wounded and deceased. Witnesses reported that Murphy made several trips into the heaviest fighting to rescue casualties. He was hit by a grenade fragment, but refused medical treatment to continue his mission. At one point, he encountered two communist soldiers and dispatched them point blank with his sidearm." "Towards the conclusion of this ordeal under fire, enemy troops entered what was the forward Marine entrenchment. Murphy held them off with automatic rifle fire until the remaining wounded Marines were evacuated. When he then proceeded with one final sweep searching for any further remains, he was wounded a second time. Treatment was received once all his men proceeded him to the safety of the American main lines." To perform his duties with distinction, Raymond Murphy had learned the skills and embodied the spirit of the Marines. After graduating college with a football scholarship in May 1951, Murphy immediately enrolled in Officer Candidate School at Quantico, VA. While in northern Virginia, as an avid Red Sox fan he had an opportunity to attend a game at Griffith Stadium when they played the Senators that summer. With an uncertain future awaiting him overseas, the thought remained that, "No matter what happens in Korea, at least there is this last chance to see Ted Williams bat." Subsequently, Murphy completed training, and was assigned a combat infantry platoon. On that eventful day in Korea in February 1953, Marine F-9 Panthers flew cover support for the action on the ground above the Imjin River, thus enabling Murphy to successfully evacuate casualties as described, and bring them and himself to safety. Among those Panther pilots that day was Marine Captain Ted Williams. October 27, 1953, Raymond Murphy received his Medal of Honor from President Dwight Eisenhower, who fully appreciated the significance of such recognition. At that time, Murphy was attending graduate school in Massachusetts. For his actions in 1953, Raymond Murphy received the highest distinction this nation can offer to its military heroes, and eventually will have a hallowed place of honor at Arlington. Ted Williams flew 39 combat missions in Korea from 1953-1954 without a citation, but in baseball earned two Triple Crowns, two league MVPs, hit a record .406 in 1941, and was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1966. Williams, like a warrior missing in action, contrary to his last will and testament, remains deep-frozen and decapitated somewhere in Arizona. [As background music, "Semper Fidelis," 1888, composed by John Philip Sousa, is respectfully played.] Note: There have been numerous films and documentaries regarding Medal of Honor recipients most factual and others fictional. Among the former are two: "Sergeant York," 1941, starring Gary Cooper in an academy award performance; and "To Hell and Back," 1955, based on Audie Murphy's autobiography where he plays the starring role. Among fictional renditions are characters such as Forrest Gump and Raymond Shaw. In the 1994 movie, Gump humorously received his Medal of Honor from President Lyndon Johnson for heroic exploits in Vietnam ("Promise me Forrest, if you get into any trouble, just run Forrest, run."; and comments by the President were, "Where were you wounded, son? I'd kinda like to see that...;" they easily could have compared scars before newsreel cameras). Sometimes interconnected ("Congratulations son, how do you feel?" and other repeatable lines), but on a serious note, Shaw's fictitious medal was a result of group manipulation induced by repetition, lights, and drugs in the prophetic, "Manchurian Candidate," 1962 based upon the 1959 Richard Condon novel, where it is not surprising that in our permissive society occasionally such destructive mechanisms resurface, as techniques have been refined and expanded. After airing on the local PBS station last year, the Heinz company changed labels on many of its condiment bottles. Thus, obviously, there may no longer be, "Exactly 57 card carrying members of the communist party at the Pentagon." In the movie, Frank Sinatra exposes the sinister plot, Angela Lansbury plays a strikingly similar contemporary role, and supportive romantic hero Janet Leigh is Eugenie Rose Cheyney. On a lighter note, John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) served as the 14th director of the U.S. Marine Corps Band (1880-1892), and composed during his tenure many popular marches and waltzes. For additional information on the disposition of Ted Williams, see this website: www.SaveTed.net B. NWB HALL OF FAME PRODUCTS These baseball items are available from the NWB Hall of Fame: new induction poster, commemorative buttons (2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999), personalized magnet locker nametags, t-shirts, caps, knife, and bats. Free commemorative ribbons are also available. The website main page has an order form, and the photo page displays several items. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame C. HISTORIC TIMELINE April 24, 1901 First American League game. April 24, 1945 A.B. Chandler elected Baseball Commissioner after Kenesaw Mountain Landis. April 25, 1884 Pop Lloyd birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. April 26, 1900 Hack Wilson birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. April 26, 1961 Roger Maris hits first home run of 61. April 27, 1896 Rogers Hornsby birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. April 27, 1961 Enos Slaughter birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. April 28, 1901 White Sox hit 23 singles in one game. April 28, 1941 Ann Margaret birthdate, actor. April 28, 1971 Hank Aaron hits 600th homerun. April 29, 1876 First National League extra innings game. Boston and Hartford in 10 innings. April 29, 1934 Luis Aparicio birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. April 29, 1981 Steve Carlton strikes out 3,000th batter. April 29, 1986 Roger Clemens strikes out 20 in 9 innings. April 30, 1903 NY Highlanders (Yankees) win home opener with Washington Senators. April 30, 1922 Charles Robertson pitches perfect game. April 30, 1961 Willie Mays hits 4 homeruns in one game. May 1, 1991 Nolan Ryan pitches 7th no-hitter. May 1, 1991 Rickey Henderson 939th steal surpasses Brock. May 2, 1887 Eddie Collins birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. May 2, 1917 James Vaughn and Fred Toney pitch no-hitters. May 2, 1939 Lou Gehrig streak ends at 2,130 games. May 2, 1945 Bianca Jagger birthdate, entertainer. May 2, 1954 Stan Musial hits 5 homeruns in one game. May 3, 1936 Joe DiMaggio first game as a Yankee. May 4, 1947 Theda Skocpal birthdate, social scientist. May 4, 1975 MLB 1,000,000th run by Bob Watson. May 5, 1883 Chief Bender birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. May 5, 1904 Cy Young pitches first perfect game. May 5, 1912 Alice Faye birthdate, entertainer. May 5, 1978 Peter Rose has 3,000th hit. May 6, 1905 Edward Irish birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. May 6, 1915 Babe Ruth first MLB homerun. May 6, 1931 Willie Mays birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. May 6, 1998 Kerry Wood 20 strikeouts in 9 innings. May 7, 1925 Glenn Wright unassisted triple play. May 7, 1954 Amy Heckerling birthdate, entertainer. May 7, 1959 Roy Campanella night at Yankee Stadium. D. FAME FORUM ISSUES Volume IX, 2007 Season Publications Number 16, Fenway Bats and Panther Jets (VMF-311 Williams), April 27. Number 15, How to Succeed in Baseball Without Really Trying, April 20. Number 14, Personal Courage and National Resolve, April 16. Number 13, Talkin' with Bat and Glove (Robinson), April 13. Number 12, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Fame Forum, April 5. Number 11, High Jinxes and High Hopes in Havana, March 28. Number 10, Clifford's Gigantic Gamer (gloves), March 23. Number 09, Great Caesar's Ghost (Williams), March 15. Number 08, The Night They KO'ed Hemingway, March 9. Number 07, Rumble at Ritchie (boxing), February 27. Number 06, Million Dollar Mermaid (Belles), February 14. Number 05, Clifford's Pennsylvania Pilgrimage, February 1. Number 04, Beisbol Belles Broadcast (training), January 30. Number 03, Liberty Heights Revisited, January 18. Number 02, In Remembrance of President Jerry Ford, January 3. Number 01, That Was the Year That Was, January 1. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/handouts E. NWB HALL OF FAME PROGRAMS The National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame, an independent not-for-profit organization established September 1998, is situated in suburban Washington, DC. The objective is to recognize achievements of women in regulation baseball. The NWB Hall of Fame offers these programs for participants in regulation baseball with organized leagues. Managers are are encouraged to recommend recognition awards and suggest articles on their teams, players, or events. Applications are available through email and are posted on the website. NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS Nominations for the NWB Hall of Fame are due September 30. Inductions may include four current and one previous players by formal application or candidate statement. NATIONAL MVP AND MANAGER AWARDS MVP player and manager award requests are due December 31. Season nominations should be by a manager or administrator. One MVP player per team may be selected annually. Membership covers transmission of newsletters, announcements, invitations, applications, and access to all website pages. Membership is $9.00 renewed annually, and an application is available on the NWB Hall of Fame website. _________________________________________________________ NATIONAL WOMEN'S BASEBALL HALL OF FAME Richard C. Jaffeson, Executive Director PO Box 15282, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20825 301-847-0102 HallFame@USA.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame "National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame" is a registered trade name with the State of Maryland. MD672265, October 19, 1998. Programs, articles, and contents presented herein are protected under provisions of the U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. Fame Forum registrations are listed below: TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU186277, TXU187387. Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2007 __________________________________________________________