Walt Hemperly
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | January 22, 1919 Lancaster, PA |
| Date and Place of Death: | November 5, 2006 Lititz, PA |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Infield |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | 200th Field Artillery Battalion US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
John W. "Walt" Hemperly, Jr., was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on
January 22, 1919. He was playing baseball with the Lancaster Athletics
of the city league when he was signed by Philadelphia Athletics' scout
Ira Thomas. Hemperly broke into professional baseball with the Allentown
Fleetwings in 1939. Earning $150 a month, the scrappy shortstop hit .245
in 62 games. The following season Hemperly played for no fewer than five
teams and finished the year with Allentown of the Canadian-American
League. He received his draft call on April 4, 1941, and took basic
training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. "I didn't want to go," he
admitted. "I wasn't an Army person. I wanted to pursue my baseball
career."
Hemperly was assigned to the 200th Field Artillery Battalion and
continued his baseball activities in England. He played third base for
the U.S. Army in the all-professional game at Wembley in 1943, and
offered the only threat to Air Force pitcher Bill Brech's no-hitter when
he hit a 400-foot shot to left field that just tailed foul.
The 200th Field Artillery was in combat in Europe for 11 months from
June 9, 1944. Hemperly was wounded in Germany on April 4, 1945. A
compound fracture to his left leg ended the promising young infielder's
career. "It was four years to the day that I went into service," he
recalled. "I spent the next year in various hospitals."
Hemperly worked for 43 years for the U.S. Postal Service. "I was given a
lifetime gold pass to all major league and minor league ball parks
because I was not able to return to baseball."
Walt Hemperly passed away on November 5, 2006, in Lititz, Pennsylvania.
Walt hemperly, ballplayer, wounded veteran and recipient of the Purple
Heart, passed away on November 5, 2006, in Lititz, Pennsylvania, aged
87.
Date Added December 15, 2017
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