Ballplayers served country on battlegrounds
(CNN) -- In the days before there was an organized baseball draft, there was a military draft.
In September 1940 as the United States braced for a possible entry into the war, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act into law, requiring all American males ages 21 to 36 to register for military service.
More than 500 Major League players served during World War II; more than 4,000 minor league players also put their careers aside to serve their country.
Four of those players -- Lou Brissie, Yogi Berra, Jerry Coleman and John "Mule" Miles -- recently were honored by the American Veterans Center at Nationals Park in Washington....
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In September 1940 as the United States braced for a possible entry into the war, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act into law, requiring all American males ages 21 to 36 to register for military service.
More than 500 Major League players served during World War II; more than 4,000 minor league players also put their careers aside to serve their country.
Four of those players -- Lou Brissie, Yogi Berra, Jerry Coleman and John "Mule" Miles -- recently were honored by the American Veterans Center at Nationals Park in Washington....