Joseph Rodgers
| Date and Place of Birth: | September 18, 1924 Millsboro, PA |
| Date and Place of Death: | October 10, 1943 off coast of Salerno, Italy |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Infield |
| Rank: | Seaman Second Class |
| Military Unit: | US Navy |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Joseph W. Rodgers, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester D.
Rodgers, was born in Millsboro, Pennsylvania, and raised at Reedsville, a small community in Kishacoquillas Valley, Pennsylvania. Rodgers was an excellent ballplayer
at Reedsville High School and was the shortstop with the Reedsville
American Legion junior team in 1940 and 1941.
Following graduation in 1942, he signed with the Hornell Pirates of the
Class D PONY League but made only a handful of appearances. In 1943, he
reported for duty with the Navy on June 28. Upon completion of his basic
training in August, Seaman Second Class Rodgers served in the
Mediterranean Theater aboard the destroyer USS Buck (DD-420). In
September 1943, the Buck supported the Allied landings at Anzio. While
on patrol off the coast of Salerno, Italy, on October 9, the Buck was
torpedoed by the German submarine U-616. The destroyer flooded quickly
and sank within four minutes and a severe underwater explosion killed
and wounded many sailors in the water. Ninety-seven crew members were
rescued. Rodgers was among the 163 that did not survive. His body was
never recovered and he is memorialized at the Sicily-Rome American
Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy.
|
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
|
| 1942 | Hornell | PONY | D | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
The destroyer USS Buck (DD-420)
Thanks to Astrid van Erp for help with information for this biography.
Date Added February 12, 2012 Updated August 2, 2017
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is associated with Baseball Almanac
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is proud to be sponsored by
