Al Bumbry

On my Facebook page, I like to find stories about guys rather than just post their batting average or home run totals. While doing that, I found a few stories about Bumbry’s service in Vietnam.

Bumbry attended Virginia State College on a basketball scholarship and with the war raging in Vietnam he was certain to be drafted. So he made the decision to join the ROTC, which would allow him to graduate before heading to war.

Upon reaching Vietnam the summer of 1970, Bumbry was installed as a platoon leader for reconnaissance missions. His commanding officer also instructed him to take care of his men and ensure that they got back home safely. It was a message he took to heart.

Bumbry would earn a Bronze Star for bravery, but he took more pride in the fact that during his time at war, all of his men made it home.

Not surprisingly, he returned from Vietnam a changed man. In college, he had won the Central Intercollegiate Association batting title with a .378 average but struggled in his 35 games with the Orioles farm team in Stockton, CA before being called up for active duty.

Once he returned to the U.S. in 1971, he immediately started hitting for the Orioles Aberdeen minor league team in the Northern League. He attributed his success to the fact that after what he’d been through, and seen, in Vietnam, a high batting average didn’t seem as important as it had in 1969. He’d been in life or death situations, and facing a tough lefty was no longer among them.

In 1973, less than two years after returning from Vietnam, Bumbry earned Rookie of the Year honors in the American League and went on to enjoy a 14-year career with the Orioles and the Padres.