American Valor Quarterly Issue 11 - Fall 2014 | Page 31

B

aseball
living
was my

From Yogi Berr a

A ballplayer who needs little introduction,
Lawrence “Yogi” Berra was a catcher for the
New York Yankees from 1946-1963, winning
10 World Series Championships as a player. He
was selected for 18 All-Star teams and received
the AL MVP award three times. He also
coached and managed teams for the New York
Yankees, New York Mets, and Houston Astros,
winning three more World Series as a coach.

with Norfolk. I always said it’s fun to hit
with men on base because that pitch has
got be near the plate and I swung at them
and I think every time I got up the bases
were loaded.
A year later, when I was 18, I joined the
Navy. I didn’t mind going into the service
then and I never had any hard feelings.
I was still a young and I loved it, I really
did. I met a lot of great friends when I was
in there. I went to Bainbridge, MD for
boot camp and it was great.

After being signed by the Yankees in 1942 to a
minor league contract, Berra joined the Navy and
served his country during WWII, participating in
the legendary D-Day invasion of Normandy.
Playing alongside future Hall of Fame players
suc