Editing Ted Williams (section)

===Korean War===
[[File:Ted Williams (210331-N-N1526-004) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Williams aboard the [[USS Haven (AH-12)|USS ''Haven'' (AH-12)]] in 1953]]
On May 1, 1952, 14 months after his promotion to [[Captain (United States O-3)|captain]] in the Marine Corps Reserve, Williams was recalled to active duty for service in the [[Korean War]].<ref name="Fortitudine">{{cite journal |last1=Aquilina |first1=Robert V. |year=2003 |title=The 'Splendid Splinter' Dies at 83 |url=http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/Fortitudine%20Vol%2029%20No%204.pdf |journal=[[United States Marine Corps History Division|Fortitudine]] |publisher=[[Marine Corps Historical Center]] |volume=XXIX |issue=4 |access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref> He had not flown any aircraft for eight years but he turned down all offers to sit out the war in comfort as a member of a service baseball team. Nevertheless, Williams was resentful of being called up, which he admitted years later, particularly regarding the Navy's policy of calling up Inactive Reservists rather than members of the Active Reserve.

Williams reported for duty on May 2, 1952. After eight weeks of refresher flight training and qualification in the [[F9F Panther]] [[jet fighter]] with [[VMF-223]] at the [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point]], [[North Carolina]], Williams was assigned to [[VMF-311]], [[Marine Aircraft Group 33]] (MAG-33), based at the [[Pohang Airport|K-3 airfield]] in [[Pohang]], South Korea.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

On February 16, 1953, Williams, flying as the wingman for [[John Glenn]] (later an [[NASA Astronaut Corps|astronaut]], then U.S. Senator), was part of a 35-plane raid against a tank and infantry training school just south of [[Pyongyang]], North Korea. As the aircraft from [[VMF-115]] and VMF-311 dove on the target, Williams' plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire, a piece of [[flak]] knocked out his hydraulics and electrical systems, causing Williams to have to "limp" his plane back to K-3 air base where he made a [[belly landing]]. For his actions of this day, he was awarded the [[Air Medal]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Condon |first1=John P. |url=https://archive.org/details/CorsairsToPanthers |title=Corsairs to Panthers U.S. Marine Aviation in Korea |last2=Merskey |first2=Peter B. |publisher=[[Marine Corps Historical Center]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-1499550740 |pages=41–43}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>

Williams flew 39 combat missions in Korea, earning the Air Medal with two [[5/16 inch star|Gold Stars]] representing second and third awards, before being withdrawn from flight status in June 1953 after a hospitalization for pneumonia. This resulted in the discovery of an [[inner ear]] infection that disqualified him from flight status.<ref>[[#Mersky|Mersky]], p. 190.</ref> [[John Glenn]] described Williams as one of the best pilots he knew.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 5, 2002 |title=Glenn: 'No one more dedicated to this country' |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0705/1402612.html |publisher=[[ESPN Classic]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> In the last half of his missions, Williams was flying as Glenn's wingman.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Nate |title=Ted Williams flew as John Glenn's wingman during the Korean War |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/12/ted-williams-flew-as-john-glenns-wingman-during-the-korean-war |work=[[USA Today]] |date=December 9, 2016}}</ref>

Williams likely would have exceeded 600 career home runs if he had not served in the military, and might even have approached Babe Ruth's then record of 714. He might have set the record for career RBIs as well, exceeding [[Hank Aaron]]'s total.<ref name="bullock2004">{{cite book |author=Bullock |first=Steven R. |url=https://archive.org/details/playingfortheirn0000bull |title=Playing for Their Nation: Baseball and the American Military during World War II |publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=0803213379 |pages=112–115, 128–129 |url-access=registration}}</ref> While the absences in the Marine Corps took almost five years out of his baseball career, he never publicly complained about the time devoted to service in the Marine Corps. His biographer, Leigh Montville, argued that Williams was not happy about being pressed into service in South Korea, but he did what he thought was his patriotic duty.

Following his return to the United States in August 1953, he resigned his Reserve commission to resume his baseball career.<ref name=Fortitudine/>