The legendary baseball player who served in both World War II and the Korean War is Ted Williams.

Quick Scoop

  • Ted Williams was a Hall of Fame outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.
  • His MLB career was interrupted twice: first for service in World War II, then again for service in the Korean War.
  • He served as a Navy and Marine Corps pilot, flying combat missions and giving up nearly five full seasons of his prime playing years to military duty.

A bit of story

At his peak as a superstar with the Red Sox, Williams left baseball to serve in World War II, missing multiple full seasons while training and serving as a pilot.

Years later, after returning and reestablishing himself as an elite hitter, he was called back to active duty for the Korean War, where he again flew combat missions and risked his life in the air.

The image of a generational baseball talent stepping away from fame, money, and records—twice—to serve in two major wars is a big reason his legacy is often framed not just in terms of batting averages and home runs, but also sacrifice and service.

TL;DR: Ted Williams is the legendary baseball player who served in both World War II and the Korean War, pausing his Hall of Fame career twice to fly combat missions as a military pilot.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.