Gil Hodges Was A World War II Marine

By JIM PURCELL

I don’t know why Gil Hodges isn’t in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. And, as much as it’s a crime that he isn’t in there, that is not what this column is about. This is about how Gil Hodges was a U.S. Marine in World War II and his legacy.

   All-time Dodger great and Mets skipper Gilbert Ray “Gil” Hodges (1924-1972) has one heck of a baseball resume under his belt. Hodges was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. But, he only played one game for the franchise before entering the United States Marine Corps (also in 1943).

   Hodges served in the Pacific Theater and was an air defense artilleryman. At first, Hodges was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and later sent to nearby Kauai, where he played baseball with the 16^th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion. But, that was short-lived because then-Sergeant Gil Hodges was next ordered to Tinian.

   Tinian is a small island about five miles southwest of Saipan. During the war, a garrison of 8,500 Japanese soldiers held the island until they were evicted by the U.S. Marines in the Battle of Tinian (July 24 – Aug. 1, 1944). Of some note, only 313 Japanese combatants survived that action.  

Gil Hodges with the Mets

   So, Hodges was stationed at Tinian until his unit was moved in with the Marine forces set to invade Okinawa. Once there, Hodges went in with the first echelons of Marines who were brought ashore. The 82-day battle would last from April 1 to June 22, 1945. And, every single member of the Armed Forces who served on the island during that battle was in danger every minute of their time there.

   It was at the Battle of Okinawa where Hodges earned his Bronze Star. According to the citation for the medal, Hodges “was entrusted with the safeguarding and stenographic preparation of highly classified documents” through “extensive periods of enemy aerial alerts and extensive bombing attacks.”

   Hodges was not a combat infantryman. But, he certainly did his part during the battle, and the war for that matter. And, he remained at Okinawa until October 1946. On February 3, 1946, SGT Gil Hodges was honorably discharged from the Corps, at the age of 22.

Hodges was awarded the Bronze Star

   On February 3, 1946, SGT Gil Hodges was honorably discharged from the Corps, at the age of 22. For the rest of his life, Gil Hodges wouldn’t make a big deal about his time in uniform. When asked, he would be reticent with regard to talking about the war. He was a humble guy and a down-to-earth one.

   Maybe more than a Marine, a ball player or a manager, Gil Hodges was a family man first. He was married to the former Joan Lombardi and they had four children: Irene, Barbara, Cynthia and Gil Jr. 

   On the diamond, and between the lines, Hodges’ record speaks for itself. He played the game between 1943 and 1963. Hodges patrolled the outfield and played first base for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (and one year with the Mets as a player) and made eight All-Star appearances, 1949-1955 and 1957; he was a part of three World Series-winning teams, 1955, 1959 and one with the Mets in 1969 as manager. He also won three Golden Glove awards, during the 1957-1959 seasons.

Gil Hodges answered his country's call in World War II

   After he retired from baseball, Hodges coached the Washington Senators from 1963 to 1967, and the “Amazing Mets” from 1968 to 1971.

   Sadly, in April 1972, Gil Hodges’ retirement was cut short when he died of a heart attack in West Palm Beach, Florida. But, what he left behind was a legendary baseball career, and a rich life as a role model and good family man. In these days of ‘sports entertainers’ (rather than ball players), Hodges’ kind of quiet, team-focused confidence is hard to come by in professional sports, or anywhere for that matter.

RANDOLPH: BRIDGES BURNED AND NO GOING BACK

Willie Randolph: The best Mets manager ever the way I see it. 

There are a lot of ways to talk about burning bridges, but I will talk about it in the light of the Mets firing manager Willie Randolph in 2008, which was probably one of the top 10 mistakes of the franchise (somewhere between trading Tom Seaver and giving Bobby Bonilla a huge contract).

Baseball is America's game, and it has been said that baseball mirrors life, in general. One can find all the components, every color of the spectrum, where it involves the human condition. So, to discuss 'burned bridges,' I can think of no one better than Willie to use as an example.

Willie played baseball for 18 years and was an amazing second baseman and clutch hitter. He was and is a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee and New York sports legend. During his career, Willie batted .276, knotted 2,210 hits, 687 runs batted in, and garnered I cannot remember how many Golden Gloves for impeccable fielding. As a manager, Willie managed 555 games,earning a winning percentage of .554 (nothing to sneeze at).

Well, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya was Willie's boss, not to mention a damn fool at that too. In a terrible scene that surely stung, Manaya unceremoniously fired Willie while the team was on the road -- out of nowhere. This was despite the fact that Willie is one of the winningest managers for the Mets ever (right there with Gil Hodges and Davey Johnson). He brought the team to the 2000 World Series and Mets Baseball had done nothing but flourish under Willie's stewardship.

Minaya humiliated Willie for no good cause, and under Manaya's leadership the Mets, in the ensuing years, became the biggest joke in four states and a laughingstock in their own city. Thanks, Omar, you bite.

If you were to ask Mets fans if they want Randolph back, I'd really doubt you'd have anyone say they didn't want Willie as skipper again. But how? The bridge between a deal and Willie is in rubble. Even if the Wilpons, who are the worst owners in Baseball, could get Willie's attention -- Wille could never trust them or the organization again. The relationship between the Mets and Willie Randolph is as dead as Disco after the Shea Stadium bonfire.

It's like in life. There are times when relationships are blown apart and, despite all the kings horses and all the kings men, no one can put that bridge back together again; not even that bunch from "Bridge over the River Kwai." The emptiness that happens between people because of ridiculous arguments can turn a relationship into a barren wasteland. And, as much as that was unwanted or regrettable, there are times when moving on is just better for all concerned.

Yet, where there is life, there is hope. I will never get done hoping that Willie (who is only 60), will come back. Meanwhile, in our own lives, maybe time can heal wounds enough to start rebuilding that bridge that came down between you and someone else, or even me and someone else. It may take years, but all the good things are worth the effort.

Things change in life: sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But, things surely change.