#26: Ted Williams

Ted Williams embodied both baseball greatness and true heroism. In 1941, he famously chose to play a doubleheader on the season’s final day, risking his .400 batting average rather than sitting out to protect it—he went 6-for-8 and finished at .406, a mark untouched since.

But his bravery extended far beyond the diamond. Williams served as a fighter pilot in both World War II and the Korean War, missing the prime years of his career. He survived combat missions and even crash-landings, showing courage under fire.