Star spangled service: Great American athletes who served in World Wars

In a prior era of sports, athletes were not just known for their excellence on the playing field.

They were also lauded for their service to their country during global conflicts.

During the World Wars, some of sport's most famous athletes served time in the Armed Forces, from fighting in Normandy to being army mechanics.

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Here are some of the greatest athletes to serve in the World Wars!

Nine-time World Series winner and three-time MLB MVP Joe DiMaggio was baseball's premier player when he enlisted into the US Army in 1943.

DiMaggio was stationed in South California, Hawaii, and New Jersey and stayed in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He requested to go into combat, but his celebrity status gave him special privileges, so he spent most of his time playing baseball.

Bobby Jones is one of golf's greats, dominating the sport in the 1920s and 1930s, winning four US Opens and three Open Championships.

During the Second World War, Jones spent his time as an intelligence officer and in the Air Force, serving on the front lines and interrogating prisoners of war in the aftermath of D-Day.

Ty Cobb spent 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (1905-1928), winning the 1911 MVP and being a 12-time batting champion with a .366 lifetime average.

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Cobb joined the US Army at the back end of World War One, spending 67 days in France as part of a chemical warfare branch. Cobb was given the role of captain but earned medical discharge after being exposed to mustard gas.

Two-time MVP, Triple Crown winner, and baseball legend Ted Williams served two stints in the Armed Forces, becoming a naval aviator and pilot during WW2 and fighting as a captain in the Korean War.

Williams served five years in the military, from 1942-46 and 1952-53. In Korea, Williams flew 39 missions, earning medals and accolades for his service.

Jackie Robinson is notably known for breaking race barriers in the MLB when he joined the league in 1947, winning one World Series and being the 1949 MVP.

While stationed in the US Army between 1942 and 1944, Robinson experienced racism when he was stationed in Texas and Kentucky, inspiring him to break the barrier in sports.

Yogi Berra is one of baseball's greatest winners, securing ten World Series titles, three MVPs, and 18 All-Star selections in a 19-season career.

Berra served in the US Navy at the tail end of the Second World War, playing a major part in the US landing on Utah Beach during D-Day. Berra was part of a six-man crew that fired machine gun bullets and rockets at German defences.

For his contributions to the military and baseball, Berra was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015!

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