The Navy and baseball worlds came together at the Navy Memorial in Washington, DC, Wednesday night to pay tribute to a former chief and Major League Baseball hall-of-famer, and three men who embody his values today.
The 2nd annual Bob Feller Act of Valor Awards honored Senior Chief Aviation Electronics Technician (AW/SW/EXW) Carl Thompson, Cleveland Indians outfielder Nick Swisher, and legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, at a ceremony attended by top Navy leaders and members of the Cleveland Indians organization.
The award is named for former chief petty officer and hall-of-fame Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller, who left baseball the day after the Pearl Harbor attacks to serve four years in the Navy.
Each year, the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation recognizes a chief for his or her contributions to their community, as well as an active MLB player and a hall-of-famer for their support of troops and veterans.
"During chiefs season, we do heritage and learning about different chiefs," Thompson told Navy Times. "That's usually a question they bring up: Who's the only chief petty officer to be inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame?"
Thompson accepted his award in front of his parents, who flew in from his hometown of Custer, South Dakota, and his wife and two children, who accompanied him from his Yokosuka, Japan, duty station.
Thompson works in the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department on the carrier George Washington, which has been deployed in the Pacific since May. He gave a special shoutout to his team for covering for him.
"The ship is still on deployment, so for me to be able to leave deployment early is a pretty big deal," he told Navy Times. "Obviously my shipmates have got to pick up my duties back there, so I appreciate Capt. [Greg] Fenton and the rest of my chain of command for letting me leave the ship to even do something like this."
Thompson joined the Navy in 1998 and has served all over the world with the Navy, from Biloxi, Mississippi, and Sigonella, Italy, to an individual augmentee tour to Djibouti, and now Japan.
He's devoted his spare time to coaching his kids' sports teams and volunteering at their schools, Adopt-A-Highway clean-ups, and during his time in Djibouti, went with an embassy team to local schools to help students practice their English skills through discussion groups.
Despite the acclaim from the foundation and the kind words at the ceremony from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens, Thompson was humble about the experience.
"I'm very grateful and excited, but at the same time, it feels kind of strange," he said. "The last however many years, I just did what I did because it was right, and I didn't do it for any perks or any other things."
Swisher, the grandson of a Korean War Army vet, was recognized for his work with troops, volunteering for Operation Homefront and with wounded warriors, as well as a 2009 trip to Afghanistan with former Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal.
Lasorda, who served two years in the Army, was honored for his work with veterans as a prolific public speaker at military bases around the country.
"I'm a nobody, but I do the best I can to just go out there and spend time, and let them know I'm thinking about them," Swisher told Navy Times.
Meghann Myers is the Pentagon bureau chief at Military Times. She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members.
