On Monday, May 26, there will be a public address announcement at ballparks throughout the country that will honor all veterans and highlight the 4,000 Minor League Baseball players who served during World War II, including the 113 who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, losing their lives in military training and combat.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to partner with the Baseball in Wartime project," said Minor League Baseball Senior Vice President, Business Operations John Cook. "We hope these efforts will increase awareness of the program, but more importantly, we want to pay tribute to all veterans who served and specifically those who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

"Doing so in conjunction with the Memorial Day holiday in our ballparks is a natural tie-in and will be the first piece of what we hope to be an ongoing partnership between Minor League Baseball and Baseball in Wartime."

"Working with Minor League Baseball is the ultimate step in honoring these veteran athletes," stated Baseball in Wartime Founder and Editor Gary Bedingfield. "There is no doubt that Minor League Baseball played its part when the country needed it most, but this has largely been forgotten over the 60-plus years since the end of World War II. I hope this moment of remembrance will be the beginning of a permanent tribute to military veterans of Minor League Baseball."

Baseball in Wartime's main goal is to preserve the memories of professional baseball players who put down their bats and gloves and served their nation in World War II. The organization has a monthly newsletter and an extensive website (www.baseballinwartime.com) that now contains in excess of 650 biographies.