Before becoming an all-time great pitcher, Tom Seaver made a brief stop in boot camp for the U.S. Marine Corps. Tom “Terrific” never saw any action, but the lessons he learned in the service stayed with him long after he traded his military green for Mets orange and blue.
“The Marine Corps was one of the most important aspects of my life,” said Seaver. “I did not have bullets flying past my head, but it was a pivotal time for me and it became a part of my psyche.”
As the military altered Seaver’s psyche, so did the camaraderie he formed with his teammates, some of whom were on hand to launch the Mets Alumni Association with a tour of the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum at Citi Field on Wednesday, April 21.
Mets stars Seaver, Mookie Wilson, Bud Harrelson, Rusty Staub, Ed Kranepool and Al Jackson joined 25 U.S. military veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project for a tour of the Hall. For the players, it was the first time inside of the new space honoring Mets history.
“It’s like walking back through time,” said Wilson, who provided the famous hit that saved the Mets in the 1986 World Series. “This exceeds anything I could’ve imagined.”
As honored as they were to be in the Hall, the players were even more honored to be touring it for the first time in the company of real heroes; the men and women of the U.S. military.
“Experiencing it with the veterans makes it even more special,” said Wilson. “Just to be able to interact and to be a part of their lives for a day, if only for a day, is worth it because they have really sacrificed a lot for us.”
One of those soldiers, Carlos Gonzalez, served 16 months in Iraq and now works with the Wounded Warrior Project to help honor soldiers who are still living with the hardships of war.
“They make it their business to acknowledge and recognize you for your service that you put in,” said Gonzalez. “At the end of the day, people do still think about us and that makes the time I put in worth it,” he added. “It’s a wonderful feeling; it’s fulfilling.”
