More than 500 major league baseball players served in the military during World War II, while the number who served during the Vietnam conflict remains murky. Some sites list as few 54 while others have the number as high as 117. Some of the more notable names who served were Al Bumbry, Garry Maddox, and Jim Bibby. Many others served in the National Guard or a reserve unit of one of the other military branches. Nearly all lost some playing time while fulfilling their military commitment. Serving in the Reserves didn’t necessarily mean you wouldn’t see some type of action. Star pitcher Mickey Lolich was called into active duty to help quell the Detroit riots of 1967.

Granted, it was nothing like World War II, where stars and minor league players often missed multiple years of playing time

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