The list now stands at 139. Yes, that's right, 139 former professional baseball players lost their lives serving their country during WWII. Troy Furr and James Stewart are the latest additions to the list; both players signed with the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association during the winter of 1943 and were preparing for the 1944 campaign when military service beckoned. Here are their stories.
Troy L. Furr
Troy Furr, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Furr, was born in Concord, North Carolina in 1923. An infielder, he was playing semi-pro baseball in the Concord City League and led the circuit in pitching and fielding in 1943.
With ballplayers being called into military service at an alarming rate, Earl Mann, president of the Atlanta Crackers of the Class A1 Southern Association, signed Furr during the winter of 1943 in the hope he would be a useful infielder for the club's 1944 season.
Unfortunately, military service intervened and Furr entered service with the Army at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on April 13, 1944.
Furr served overseas as a Private First Class and was reported missing in action on January 3, 1945.
James E. Stewart
James Stewart was born in Hazlehurst, Georgia. A pitcher, he was signed by the Atlanta Crackers along with Troy Furr during the winter of 1943. Sadly, he never got to play a game in a Crackers uniform as he entered military service with the Marine Corps.
Private Stewart was in the Pacific with 7th Platoon, Company C, 34th Replacement Draft, 3rd Marine Division at Iwo Jima in March 1945. He was killed in action on March 22 - one of 4,500 Marines who lost their lives on the tiny volcanic island. Major leaguers Harry O'Neill and minor leaguers Jim Trimble, Frank Ciaffone, Bob Holmes, Jack Lummus and Jack Nealy also lost their lives on Iwo Jima.
Thanks to Ray Nemec and Mark Aubrey for help with this article.
If you can provide more information on these players or any others killed in service during WWII please contact me at gary@baseballinwartime.com
6 hours ago
2 comments:
Troy Lee Furr, born July 11, 1923, was the son of William Covington Furr and Bessie Roseanne Dry. He was a Private in Company D, 275th Infantry Battalion. He entered service on March 10, 1944. While serving as a machine gunner with the Heavy Weapons Company, he was killed in action in France on January 3, 1945.
Thanks so much for this additional information on Troy. I hope to have a more complete biography available before too long.
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