Coleman strikes the right chord in Veterans Day address

There have been, Friar John admits, more than a few Veterans Days in which FJ became one with the couch, remote control in hand.

But Veterans Day should be more than a day off without a care in the world. It's a holiday with meaning, a day to honor those who served our nation and defended our freedom.

Thanks to Padres legend Jerry Coleman, FJ this year experienced Veterans Day the way it should be. FJ was aboard the USS Midway on Wednesday to listen to the Colonel speak about his war experiences and praise his fellow veterans.

Click the link to find video highlights of the day on the Padres Channel on padres.com.

It was an honor to be in the company of so many men and women who served bravely, and family members who lost loved ones. As the veterans -- and active duty personnel -- spoke, you could see a tangible sense of pride.

Military service obviously isn't something that is simply put in the past the moment someone switches back to civilian clothes. It remains a source of pride and identity for a lifetime.

So it is with Coleman.

He has gained fame and as a member of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1940s and 1950s. He has enjoyed decades of popularity as the Voice of the Padres and achieved his profession's highest honor, the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Yet it is his time in the U.S. Marines that has most defined him.

"To this day, nothing has shaped me more than my five years in the service, in the Marines," Coleman said.

Coleman was invited to speak at this particular event because the USS Midway Museum was adding a World War II-era F4-U Corsair to its collection of military aircraft. In the inset photo, the Corsair is shown being lifted onto the flight deck by crane.

Coleman flew this type of aircraft during his second stint in the Marines, when he was recalled to fly in Korea from 1952-53. He first served in World War II, enlisting as a 18-year-old straight out of high school.

He delayed his dream of professional baseball the first time he served. He put on hold an established Big League career the second time, having already been named World Series MVP in 1950.

"Never, at any time, did I feel I had been put upon to return to the service in 1952," Coleman said.

Coleman entertained the crowd Wednesday with his usual does of humility and humor. But he gave a glimpse into his competitiveness when he retold the story of his World War II stint.

When he enlisted, he did so with the singular goal of becoming a combat pilot. The officer in charge of training wasn't sold. Coleman, it seems, was an indifferent student even as he starred for his high school team in the Bay Area.

The armed services had so many young men answer the call to service after the attack on Pearl Harbor that they were exceptionally selective about those who went to flight school. Coleman's C grades almost got him bounced.

He begged, cajoled, pleaded until he got a chance. Even then, the officer predicted Coleman would not complete the rigorous training.

"On April 1, 1944, I was looking for him," Coleman said. "I got my Golden Wings. That was one of the highlights of my life, and is to this day."

Coleman flew in an SBD Dauntless dive bomber in World War II. That aircraft also is on display at the USS Midway Museum, on the hangar deck.

The F4-U Corsair was designed as a fighter aircraft, but the Marines adapted them for bomber missions with heavier payloads. That increased the challenges of takeoff for pilots, and Coleman told the story of winding up upside-down in the mud after one failed takeoff.

Fortunately, he was OK and retrieved from the mud and muck. That is the gain of every Padres fan, and really every baseball fan.

His service, and the service of his fellow veterans, is the gain of every American.

Thank you.

FJ

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(Photos taken by Shana Siler.)