Hall of Fame pitcher and former United States Marine Tom Seaver stood proudly on the podium Friday morning as he saluted the veterans at Citi Pond in Bryant Park. The legendary New York Met pitcher served in the Marine Corps from 1962-63, and remained on reserve duty until 1970.
Seaver, who throughout the morning, repeatedly expressed his respect for the members on active duty, explained how his time in the military helped better prepare him for his baseball career.
“What they taught me was so much about discipline, so much about focus, so much about team spirit,” said Seaver. “Does it sound like I'm talking about baseball? Yes it does, but it came from the Marine Corps.”
As a young man, just completing the boot camp experience, is something that he continues to hold dearly. “Just boot camp, you get through it and you feel like you've accomplished so much,” he said. “The things that I’ve learned, and especially learned to integrate into when I was a pitcher in the big leagues … the discipline and the focus and respect for uniform, etc., were an extremely important part of my career.”
Seaver was also joined by another Hall of Famer, 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Darlene Love, who serenaded the crowd with a riveting version of the National Anthem. Both were all smiles as they graciously signed autographs and posed for pictures with the active members on hand.
“It couldn't be more rewarding for me to see the passion that these individuals have,” Seaver said.
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