Jerry Coleman: The Only Marine Who Flew Combat in Two Wars

Enlistment and Flight Training Timeline

Jerry Coleman enlisted in the U.S. Navy's V-5 aviation cadet program on September 6, 1942, in Wellsville, New York"”just eight days before his 18th birthday. He had signed with the Yankees for a $2,800 bonus but was too young to enlist immediately after Pearl Harbor. SABR

Aircraft: The Douglas SBD Dauntless

Coleman flew the Douglas SBD Dauntless, officially designated "Scout Bomber Douglas—”a two-seat carrier-based dive bomber with a Wright R-1820 radial engine producing over 1,000 horsepower. The Dauntless could dive at near-vertical 70-80 degrees toward targets, releasing bombs at 1,500-2,500 feet before pulling out under extreme G-forces. WWII Museum

• Carried up to 1,600 pounds of bombs
• .50 caliber forward-firing guns plus rear-mounted .30 caliber twin guns
• Pilots jokingly called the SBD "Slow But Deadly"

The gunner was the bravest man I knew. If I did something wrong, he died, too.

"” Jerry Coleman Air Group One

Pacific Theater Campaigns: 57 Combat Missions

Coleman flew 57 verified combat missions across the Solomon Islands and Philippines campaigns with Marine Scout-Bomber Squadron 341 (VMSB-341), nicknamed the "Torrid Turtles" (featuring a Disney-designed turtle insignia called "Toby Tortoise"). Wikipedia

Operations included strikes on Rabaul (a major Japanese base), missions from Green Island, and extensive Philippines campaign support. The squadron arrived at Leyte on January 16, 1945, and Lingayen Gulf, Luzon on January 21, 1945, establishing operations at Mangaldan airfield. HyperWar

Documented targets included Aparri, Zamboanga, Borneo, Davao, Jolo Islands, and Tuguegarao. The squadron's first strike came on January 30, 1945"”a combined 36-aircraft attack on Tuguegarao with VMSB-236 "Black Panthers." His unit was bombed by Japanese aircraft "every night" while stationed in the Philippines.

WWII Decorations

Coleman received one Distinguished Flying Cross and seven Air Medals during his Pacific service, along with campaign and service medals. He was discharged in January 1946 but remained on inactive reserve status"”a fact that would prove consequential six years later. He ultimately retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 1964 as Lieutenant Colonel, earning his lifelong nickname "The Colonel."

The Recall That Interrupted His Prime

In October 1951, Coleman learned that Marine pilots from WWII had never been fully discharged"”they remained on "inactive reserve" and were subject to recall. At age 27, coming off his World Series MVP performance and All-Star selection, he was ordered back to active duty. Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice

He played the first 11 games of the 1952 season, batting a scorching .405 (he later joked he was "the first .400 hitter since Ted Williams in 1941"), appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, then reported to Los Alamitos Naval Air Station in California for refresher training in early May 1952.

Korean Combat: 63 Missions with the Death Rattlers

Flying the Vought AU-1 Corsair (a ground-attack variant of the famous WWII fighter), Coleman completed 63 combat missions between January and May 1953 with Marine Attack Squadron 323 (VMA-323), the "Death Rattlers," part of Marine Aircraft Group 33. Wikipedia

Near-Death Experiences in Korea

Decorations Earned

Coleman received two Distinguished Flying Crosses"”one for WWII Pacific operations and one for meritorious achievement during Korean close air support missions. His total 13 Air Medals (seven in WWII, six in Korea) and three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals reflect sustained exceptional service.

Statistical Portrait of a Rising Star

Coleman's pre-Korea trajectory showed a player in his prime ascending toward stardom:

His post-Korea statistics reveal the devastating impact:

The Physical Cost: Lost Depth Perception

Upon returning from Korea, Coleman was diagnosed with lost depth perception by an eye doctor in 1954.

If you're trying to hit a baseball and you don't have depth perception, you have a problem.

"” Jerry Coleman Tom Shanahan Report

Estimated career losses: Approximately 300 games, 260 hits, and 100 RBI were lost to military service. His career batting average dropped from ~.273 pre-Korea to .263 overall.

World Series MVP Performance (1950)

Coleman's finest hour came in the 1950 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, a 4-game Yankees sweep:

• Game 1: Drove in Bobby Brown with the only run in a 1-0 victory
• Game 3: Delivered a walk-off single in the 9th inning to score Gene Woodling for a 3-2 win
• Series totals: 3 RBI in a series where the Yankees scored only 11 total runs

Best man I ever saw on a double play. Once I seen him make a throw while standing on his head. He just goes 'Whish!' and he's got the feller at first.

"” Casey Stengel

His Attitude: No Resentment, Only Duty

For an experienced flier, it takes only about two months to get back in the harness. Starting with a youngster who has never flown before, it would take about two years before he would be ready for combat duty.

"” Jerry Coleman, explaining the recall's military logic

Two Marine Pilots, One War

Ted Williams and Jerry Coleman took their military physicals together in Jacksonville, Florida in 1952 before being recalled. They served in Korea during overlapping months (February through May 1953), though in different squadrons flying different aircraft:

Both squadrons were part of Marine Aircraft Group 33, making them operationally connected though not flying together directly.

Coleman Witnessed Williams' Famous Crash

On February 16, 1953 (Williams' first combat mission), Williams' F9F Panther was hit by heavy antiaircraft fire. With hydraulics gone, radio out, and his plane on fire, Williams executed an emergency belly-landing at K-13 airfield (Suwon), skidding nearly a mile. John Glenn, flying as Williams' wingman, guided him to safety.

Coleman was among the pilots gathered at the runway as Williams crash-landed. Once Williams was safe, Coleman delivered his famous quip:

Hey Ted, that's a lot faster than you ever ran around the bases!

"” Jerry Coleman at K-13 airfield, February 16, 1953

Williams fired back (though he later admitted his actual words were unprintable): "What the hell do you know? You never got on base." Williams confirmed this story in a 1998 phone interview with journalist Richard Sisk.

I was with him on the mission when he got hit. I got a mayday call. You think, 'Who the devil is it?' The next day, I find out it was Ted. He landed with no flaps, no brakes, nothing. Why that plane didn't blow up, I'll never know.

"” Jerry Coleman Legacy.com

Williams on Coleman's Courage

After watching Major Max Harper"”Coleman's tentmate"”blow up in front of him, Coleman continued the mission. Williams later reflected:

If it happened to me, I would have been useless out there. That was enough to take the starch out of anyone.

"” Ted Williams on Jerry Coleman

Lifelong Connection

Decades later, when Williams suffered a serious stroke and was hospitalized in San Diego, Coleman visited him. Williams had difficulty speaking, but his first words upon seeing Coleman were: "That f---g hit you got""”a reference to Coleman's bloop double that cleared the bases against the Red Sox in the pivotal 1949 pennant race. Their competitive friendship, forged in baseball rivalry and cemented in combat, lasted until Williams' death in 2002.

Forty-Two Seasons as the Voice of San Diego

Coleman joined the Padres as lead radio announcer in 1972 (the club's fourth season), a position he held for 42 seasons through 2013"”interrupted only by his 1980 managing stint (73-89 record, last place). He became the longest-tenured broadcaster in Padres history and, according to longtime executive Bob Chandler, "the most beloved sports figure in the history of San Diego." Baseball Hall of Fame

Ford C. Frick Award (2005)

Coleman received the Ford C. Frick Award at the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 31, 2005, recognizing broadcasters for "major contributions to baseball."

Jerry Coleman's name is synonymous with baseball in San Diego after 32 years of calling Padres games. He has a strong and concise play-by-play calling style, which he effectively mixes with malapropisms, much to the delight of his listening audience.

"” Dale Petroskey, Hall of Fame President Hall of Fame

That same weekend, Coleman was inducted into the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame at Quantico. He said: "You can't compare the two, they are different animals, one's for country, the other's for baseball. And if you've ever been a Marine, you understand the honor there. Even Steven I call it."

The Legendary Colemanisms

Coleman's accidental malapropisms became beloved by fans: Colemanisms Archive

• "Winfield goes back to the wall, he hits his head on the wall! And it rolls off! It's rolling all the way back to second base." (referring to the ball, sounding like Winfield's head)
• "Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen." (meaning warming up)
• "Larry Lintz steals second standing up. He slid."
• "There's Randy Jones on the mound with the Karl Marx hairdo."
• "Hi folks, I'm Jerry Gross! No I'm not, this is Jerry Coleman."
• "Jesus Alou is in the on-deck circus."
• "We started with 53,000 people. Half are gone, but surprisingly, most are still here!"
• At Royals Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri: "The sky is so clear today you can see all the way to Missouri."

Ted Leitner revealed: "He laughed them off, but he hated the living hell out of the malaprops and the attention they brought him. I mean, he hated them." Yet fans loved him because of these quirks.

Signature Calls and Catchphrases

• "Oh Doctor!" "” delivered after home runs and exceptional plays
• "You can hang a star on that one, baby!" "” after spectacular plays, accompanied by a tinsel star swung from a fishing pole in his broadcast booth

Here's the Goose...the 1"“1 pitch. A one hopper to Nettles, to Wiggins...and the Padres have the National League pennant!!! Oh doctor, you can hang a star on that baby!!!

"” Jerry Coleman, 1984 NLCS Game 5 (Most Famous Call)

How Military Service Informed His Broadcasting

Coleman rarely discussed his wartime experiences on air"”it was too painful. Mel Proctor recalled: "On Memorial Day, he'd get a tear in his eye. Jerry volunteered great baseball stories, but very few war stories. It was too hard for him."

Vin Scully remembered one rare Memorial Day broadcast where "Jerry talked about flying in Korea and his plane being in trouble, how when one plane was struggling, all the fellows in the other planes would listen in and send up their prayers. It was a beautiful thing to hear."

His military background particularly resonated with San Diego's large military community. He was known for humility"”Leitner noted: "You'd never hear him say 'In my day...' He was not a live-in-the-past kind of guy." He roomed with Mickey Mantle but never mentioned it in 15 years of working with Leitner.

The Autobiography (Essential Primary Source)

Oral History Recordings (Highest Priority for Documentary)

Broadcast Archives

Military Records

Memorial Locations for Documentary Filming

• Petco Park, San Diego: Bronze statue (Coleman in flight suit, 2012), Jerry Coleman Broadcast Center
• Miramar National Cemetery: Gravesite (full military honors burial with F-18 flyover)
• Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial: Memorial plaque
• Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego: Sports facility named in his honor (2015)
• San Diego Air & Space Museum: Restored Corsair with Coleman's markings

On the Marine Corps Being Greater Than Baseball

• "Your country is bigger than baseball." "” 2012 statue unveiling
• "I've had many wonderful things happen to me"”nothing better than the day I was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and got my Navy wings of gold." "” MLB.com, November 2013

On Those Who Didn't Return

• "The heroes are the ones who didn't come back."
• "There are tens of thousands of people who died for this country and we can cherish that thought for as long as we live."
• "I had eight friends that died and I tear up every time I think about it."

On Max Harper's Death

Max Harper blew up in front of me in Korea. I can still see the face.

"” Jerry Coleman

On Humility

I'm not a hero. There are those who gave their lives for this country. I'm just a baseball player.

"” Jerry Coleman

Documentary Scene Recommendations

Jerry Coleman died on January 5, 2014, at age 89, at Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego from complications of a fall at home. He was buried at Miramar National Cemetery with full military honors"”21-gun salute, F-18 flyover in missing man formation. A public memorial at Petco Park drew nearly 5,000 fans and featured a vintage Corsair flyover (his Korean War aircraft). MLB.com

Jerry Coleman was a hero and a role model to myself and countless others in the game of baseball... But above all, Jerry's decorated service to our country in both World War II and Korea made him an integral part of the Greatest Generation.

"” Commissioner Bud Selig

I have a theory about Jerry, that there is no one like him in American sports. No one has left their career to fight in combat for their country twice and never once complained.

"” Ted Leitner, eulogy

Bottom line: People loved Jerry and respected him, because you could tell from listening to him what a wonderful person he was.

"” Vin Scully

Documentary Themes

Jerry Coleman's story offers documentary producers several compelling narrative threads beyond the standard hero narrative:

• The contrast between Coleman's willing acceptance of military service and Ted Williams' reluctance creates dramatic tension
• The documented moment at Williams' crash"”Coleman greeting the shaken pilot with a wisecrack"”encapsulates their complex friendship
• The "Jerry Coleman Day" story, where Coleman met Max Harper's widow the morning of his celebration, illustrates the hidden costs behind public heroism
• His 42 years behind a microphone, punctuated by accidental malapropisms that fans loved, represented a second act few athletes achieve

Most importantly, Coleman's story challenges the notion that sacrifice requires resentment. He never asked "why me?" when recalled during his prime. He lost his depth perception, watched friends die, and saw his career trajectory permanently altered"”yet called military service "the height of my life."