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The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams
The inspiring, previously untold story of the unique fifty-year friendship between two disparate American John Glenn, the unassailable pioneer of space exploration and Ted Williams, indisputably the greatest hitter in baseball history.
It was 1953, the Korean War in full throttle, when two men—already experts in their fields—crossed the fabled 38th Parallel into Communist airspace aboard matching Panther jets. John Glenn was an ambitious operations officer with fifty-nine World War II combat missions under his belt. His wingman was Ted Williams, the two-time American League Triple Crown winner who, at the pinnacle of his career, was inexplicably recalled to active service in the United States Marine Corps. Together, the affable flier and the notoriously tempestuous left fielder soared into North Korea, creating a death-defying bond. Although, over the next half century, their contrasting lives were challenged by exhilarating highs and devastating lows, that bond would endure.
Through unpublished letters, unit diaries, declassified military records, manuscripts, and new and illuminating interviews, The Wingmen reveals an epic and intimate portrait of two heroes—larger-than-life and yet ineffably human, ordinary men who accomplished the extraordinary. At its heart, this was a conflicted friendship that found commonality in mutual respect—throughout the perils of war, sports dominance, scientific innovation, cutthroat national politics, the burden of celebrity, and the meaning of bravery. Now, author Adam Lazaraus sheds light on a largely forgotten chapter in these legends’ lives—as singular individuals, inspiring patriots, and eventually, however improbable, profoundly close friends.
It was 1953, the Korean War in full throttle, when two men—already experts in their fields—crossed the fabled 38th Parallel into Communist airspace aboard matching Panther jets. John Glenn was an ambitious operations officer with fifty-nine World War II combat missions under his belt. His wingman was Ted Williams, the two-time American League Triple Crown winner who, at the pinnacle of his career, was inexplicably recalled to active service in the United States Marine Corps. Together, the affable flier and the notoriously tempestuous left fielder soared into North Korea, creating a death-defying bond. Although, over the next half century, their contrasting lives were challenged by exhilarating highs and devastating lows, that bond would endure.
Through unpublished letters, unit diaries, declassified military records, manuscripts, and new and illuminating interviews, The Wingmen reveals an epic and intimate portrait of two heroes—larger-than-life and yet ineffably human, ordinary men who accomplished the extraordinary. At its heart, this was a conflicted friendship that found commonality in mutual respect—throughout the perils of war, sports dominance, scientific innovation, cutthroat national politics, the burden of celebrity, and the meaning of bravery. Now, author Adam Lazaraus sheds light on a largely forgotten chapter in these legends’ lives—as singular individuals, inspiring patriots, and eventually, however improbable, profoundly close friends.
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First published August 22, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
October 6, 2023
The author begins with a definition:
wingman noun
a : a pilot who flies behind and outside the leader of a flying formation
b informal : a male friend or partner who accompanies and supports a man in some activity
He means to suggest that John Glenn and Ted Williams were wingmen to each other and in both definitions. I confess that although Glenn and Williams were large figures in my early childhood I never connected the two. But connected they were.
The short version is that Glenn and Williams were both pilots in the Korean War, with Williams serving as Glenn's wingman. Glenn, an ambitious marine, pulled strings to get there. Williams, arguably the best baseball hitter at the time, was not at all pleased to have been recalled to service. But both served with great bravery. There are thrilling stories of their derring-do here, but I won't share them. You'll have to read them yourself if interested. What is true though, as the rest of the title of this book suggests, is that the two men formed an unbreakable bond that lasted until both of them died.
And unlikely only because they appeared to be so different. The author summed it up nicely:
John Glenn was modest, measured, and above all loyal, loyal to his Presbyterian faith, his nation, the Democratic Party, his children, and his wife of seventy-three years, Annie. Ted Williams was a cocky, moody, foulmouthed agnostic, an unwavering Republican who had three ex-wives, multiple mistresses, and three children whom he only saw when it was convenient.
I knew much of the story told here, but still learned some things. Like Ted Williams was born "Teddy" Williams, named after the Republican president Teddy Roosevelt. Williams' father claimed to have served in Roosevelt's fabled Rough Riders. Williams later changed his name to Theodore, which he preferred.
I did know that Williams often said, "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.'" And some people do say that.
If, like me, you were fascinated by these men when you were a child, I think you must read this book.
And at the risk of plot-spoiling, I need to share their divergent endings. John Glenn was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors after a solemn cortège. Williams, who only wanted to be cremated and have his ashes mixed with his dog Slugger's ashes and deposited in the deep waters off Florida, instead was whisked off to a cryogenics laboratory at the direction of his son. There, his head and body were frozen . . . separately.
wingman noun
a : a pilot who flies behind and outside the leader of a flying formation
b informal : a male friend or partner who accompanies and supports a man in some activity
He means to suggest that John Glenn and Ted Williams were wingmen to each other and in both definitions. I confess that although Glenn and Williams were large figures in my early childhood I never connected the two. But connected they were.
The short version is that Glenn and Williams were both pilots in the Korean War, with Williams serving as Glenn's wingman. Glenn, an ambitious marine, pulled strings to get there. Williams, arguably the best baseball hitter at the time, was not at all pleased to have been recalled to service. But both served with great bravery. There are thrilling stories of their derring-do here, but I won't share them. You'll have to read them yourself if interested. What is true though, as the rest of the title of this book suggests, is that the two men formed an unbreakable bond that lasted until both of them died.
And unlikely only because they appeared to be so different. The author summed it up nicely:
John Glenn was modest, measured, and above all loyal, loyal to his Presbyterian faith, his nation, the Democratic Party, his children, and his wife of seventy-three years, Annie. Ted Williams was a cocky, moody, foulmouthed agnostic, an unwavering Republican who had three ex-wives, multiple mistresses, and three children whom he only saw when it was convenient.
I knew much of the story told here, but still learned some things. Like Ted Williams was born "Teddy" Williams, named after the Republican president Teddy Roosevelt. Williams' father claimed to have served in Roosevelt's fabled Rough Riders. Williams later changed his name to Theodore, which he preferred.
I did know that Williams often said, "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.'" And some people do say that.
If, like me, you were fascinated by these men when you were a child, I think you must read this book.
And at the risk of plot-spoiling, I need to share their divergent endings. John Glenn was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors after a solemn cortège. Williams, who only wanted to be cremated and have his ashes mixed with his dog Slugger's ashes and deposited in the deep waters off Florida, instead was whisked off to a cryogenics laboratory at the direction of his son. There, his head and body were frozen . . . separately.
October 10, 2024
Wartime fighter jet pilots risking their lives flying side by side at 500 mph in communist North Korea form strong bonds. And although they had very different personalities, they had many things in common. They were both fearless and had exceptional flying skills. And both had strong personalities and were intelligent, dedicated, and successful throughout their lives. They maintained a lifetime respect for each other.
September 20, 2024
“John Glenn was measured, and above all loyal, loyal to his Presbyterian faith, his nation, the Democrat Party, his children and his wife of 73 years, Annie. Ted Williams was a cocky, moody, foul mouthed agnostic,an unwavering Republican who had 3 ex-wives, multiple mistresses and three children whom he only saw when it was convenient.
The two also sounded and looked totally different.
Williams spoke in a loud, boisterous twang that echoed John Wayne, or as Williams said, John Wayne echoed him. The monotone, soft spoken Glenn rarely raised his voice above library decibels.” —Adam Lazarus
The above quote perfectly encapsulates the highly disparate personalities to an enduring friendship that spanned decades, beginning with these two intrepid men flying missions together in Grumman F9F Panther Jets in the Korean War in 1953, each being shot down by anti-aircraft fire, survive it and fly again another day. Glenn of course had many fine accolades, being just two victims shy of ace status flying F4U Corsairs in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Theater of WW2, the first man to fly supersonically across the US, and the first to orbit the Earth in the Gemini-Atlas program, aboard the capsule “Friendship 7”. Ted Williams for his part was something of an enigma—crass, truculent and highly dismissive of both fans and reporters alike, who was also very insular and scientific when it came to the art of hitting a baseball. Considering that he lost nearly 5 prime years of Major League Baseball seasons, his career stats are incredible. And he had a genuine soft spot, being very giving of his time and providing fund raising efforts for children stricken by cancer.
These two luminaries, one of the aerospace world, the other of the sporting world were the kinds of heroes our nation admired and even idolized—and Adam Lazarus does a fine job in showcasing what is becoming increasingly an anachronism.
The two also sounded and looked totally different.
Williams spoke in a loud, boisterous twang that echoed John Wayne, or as Williams said, John Wayne echoed him. The monotone, soft spoken Glenn rarely raised his voice above library decibels.” —Adam Lazarus
The above quote perfectly encapsulates the highly disparate personalities to an enduring friendship that spanned decades, beginning with these two intrepid men flying missions together in Grumman F9F Panther Jets in the Korean War in 1953, each being shot down by anti-aircraft fire, survive it and fly again another day. Glenn of course had many fine accolades, being just two victims shy of ace status flying F4U Corsairs in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Theater of WW2, the first man to fly supersonically across the US, and the first to orbit the Earth in the Gemini-Atlas program, aboard the capsule “Friendship 7”. Ted Williams for his part was something of an enigma—crass, truculent and highly dismissive of both fans and reporters alike, who was also very insular and scientific when it came to the art of hitting a baseball. Considering that he lost nearly 5 prime years of Major League Baseball seasons, his career stats are incredible. And he had a genuine soft spot, being very giving of his time and providing fund raising efforts for children stricken by cancer.
These two luminaries, one of the aerospace world, the other of the sporting world were the kinds of heroes our nation admired and even idolized—and Adam Lazarus does a fine job in showcasing what is becoming increasingly an anachronism.
August 18, 2023
Adam Lazarus' new book (released Aug 22, 2023), "The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams" is a captivating exploration of the unlikely bond between two iconic figures, astronaut John Glenn and baseball legend Ted Williams. While the book successfully sheds light on their unique camaraderie, it also falls short in certain aspects, leaving readers with mixed feelings about its overall impact. Lazarus masterfully delves into the lives of Glenn and Williams, providing readers with a compelling account of their friendship. He skillfully juxtaposes their vastly different backgrounds and accomplishments, highlighting the curious circumstances that brought them together. The book offers a fascinating insight into the parallel worlds of space exploration and professional sports, showcasing the contrast between Glenn's pioneering space missions and Williams' record-breaking baseball career. Lazarus' meticulous research is evident in his vivid descriptions of their interactions, making it easy for readers to envision the camaraderie that developed between the two. One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to capture the essence of Glenn and Williams as individuals. Lazarus goes beyond their public personas, revealing their vulnerabilities and insecurities. This humanizing portrayal adds depth to their characters and allows readers to connect with them on a more personal level. The anecdotes shared in the book humanize these larger-than-life figures, making their friendship feel relatable and genuine. However, the book occasionally stumbles in its narrative flow. Lazarus' decision to alternate between Glenn's and Williams' perspectives disrupts the coherence of the story. The constant back-and-forth between their lives sometimes feels disjointed and detracts from the overall reading experience. While this approach is intended to provide a comprehensive view of their relationship, it occasionally hampers the book's ability to maintain a consistent momentum. Furthermore, Lazarus' writing style, while engaging, occasionally veers into excessive sentimentalism. The author appears to be overly enamored with the idea of this extraordinary friendship, at times bordering on idealization. While it's understandable to celebrate the bond between Glenn and Williams, this romanticized portrayal may leave some readers skeptical about the authenticity of their connection. A more nuanced exploration of their friendship, including potential conflicts and disagreements, could have provided a more balanced perspective. Additionally, the book's analysis of the broader social and cultural contexts in which Glenn and Williams lived is somewhat shallow. While Lazarus briefly touches upon the societal challenges they faced, such as the pressures of fame and the changing landscapes of space exploration and professional sports, he doesn't fully delve into the complexities of these issues. A deeper exploration of how their friendship intersected with these larger dynamics could have enriched the narrative and provided a more comprehensive understanding of their bond. In terms of research, "The Wingmen" draws heavily from existing sources, leaving readers wanting more original insights. While Lazarus does conduct interviews with individuals close to Glenn and Williams, the reliance on secondary materials occasionally limits the book's ability to offer fresh perspectives. A more exhaustive exploration of primary sources and exclusive interviews could have added a layer of depth to the narrative. Despite these instances, the book is a commendable attempt to uncover the intricate friendship between two remarkable individuals. It successfully captures the essence of Glenn and Williams, highlighting their shared experiences and the human aspects of their bond. While the book is an enjoyable read for those interested in the lives of these iconic figures, it falls short of becoming the definitive exploration of their extraordinary relationship. Aviation and baseball enthusiasts alike will enjoy turning these pages.
February 14, 2024
Found it boring
April 29, 2024
I was intrigued by this book for several reasons - I remember John Glenn orbiting the earth in the Friendship 7, my dad was a Korean War Air Force pilot, and my husband is a retired Marine - and I never knew Ted Williams had been a Marine pilot during the Korean War.
I was not disappointed! John Glenn and Ted Williams were very different men who supported each other during very difficult times. That forged a bond that strengthened over time.
I thought the author did an excellent job of combining the biography of John Glenn and Ted Williams into a single tale. All relationships ebb and flow and theirs was no different. As we age we place more value in the significant people in our lives - these men were no different. As they grew older their friendship grew deeper.
I found this an enjoyable, easy read. I even read parts of it aloud to my husband.
I am grateful to Goodreads for my free copy. This is my honest review.
I was not disappointed! John Glenn and Ted Williams were very different men who supported each other during very difficult times. That forged a bond that strengthened over time.
I thought the author did an excellent job of combining the biography of John Glenn and Ted Williams into a single tale. All relationships ebb and flow and theirs was no different. As we age we place more value in the significant people in our lives - these men were no different. As they grew older their friendship grew deeper.
I found this an enjoyable, easy read. I even read parts of it aloud to my husband.
I am grateful to Goodreads for my free copy. This is my honest review.
Read
December 24, 2023can't rate this as stopped before finishing....
I only got to 25%, and stopped as thought i would be more interested in these two heroes than that i actually was. I liked reading about their military careers and successive moves with families. Less interest in Ted Williams' baseball. Lots of facts and research; valuable to certain people
Some parts about their flying were pretty interesting re what they did in their various planes for the successive wars they were involved in, especially when their paths crossed. Recommend for ex-military members with more in common.
Overdrive @ 1.15 speed
I only got to 25%, and stopped as thought i would be more interested in these two heroes than that i actually was. I liked reading about their military careers and successive moves with families. Less interest in Ted Williams' baseball. Lots of facts and research; valuable to certain people
Some parts about their flying were pretty interesting re what they did in their various planes for the successive wars they were involved in, especially when their paths crossed. Recommend for ex-military members with more in common.
Overdrive @ 1.15 speed
May 21, 2024
Overall a solid book. If this isn't the type of book you normally read I'd recommend a few others ahead of this one.
A couple of passages that stood out -
John Glenn reflecting on his failure to win in the primaries for the presidential election of 1984: "At least early in the campaign the media does not do the job it should do in putting forward the issues and the things that are important as opposed to just the trivia of the campaign... Of course, being president is part personality and part personal attributes and all that. But it really comes down to who bangs the podium and who screams the most in the microphone and who speak the alliterative phrases. The nature of the campaign is such that we discourage a lot of very fine people, whether they are academicians or labor or managment or bankers, or philosophers, or whatever. We have a lot of people that should be running for high political office that just won't because of that kind of demand on their life."
John Glenn testified before Congress on why the nation needed a memorial for the Korean war (excerpt), "I guess I have my own memorial, because my own memorial is in my memories, it's in my mind already... I remember seeing planes on fire. And most people here in the room probably have never seen a plane crash, and know that someone was in it that you knew was a friend." He also spoke of Lt Col John Giraudo being shot down near the Yalu river and his own encounters with anti-aircraft fire. And while praising the heroic efforts of Marine Corps forces on the ground near the Chosin river, he recalled a friend, a forward air controller, whose job it was to call in air strikes.
"While he was standing on this ridge, he was shot right through the neck," Glenn said. "And he fell down, got up again-the story went from people that were with him-and was trying to still give directions... gurgling through his own blood. And he died." Glenn struggled to finish the story as he began to cry, something he had vowed not to do earlier in the morning.
"I can't pass along those memories, vivid though they may be," he continued fighting back tears. "And they are vivid. I can still almost feel the stick in my hands, and what it's like to make a run and do the things that needed to be done out there. So I hope we do have this memorial, if for nothing else then to pass on to our kids and grandchildren an appreciation for this heritage-the heritage of freedom is not free."
A couple of passages that stood out -
John Glenn reflecting on his failure to win in the primaries for the presidential election of 1984: "At least early in the campaign the media does not do the job it should do in putting forward the issues and the things that are important as opposed to just the trivia of the campaign... Of course, being president is part personality and part personal attributes and all that. But it really comes down to who bangs the podium and who screams the most in the microphone and who speak the alliterative phrases. The nature of the campaign is such that we discourage a lot of very fine people, whether they are academicians or labor or managment or bankers, or philosophers, or whatever. We have a lot of people that should be running for high political office that just won't because of that kind of demand on their life."
John Glenn testified before Congress on why the nation needed a memorial for the Korean war (excerpt), "I guess I have my own memorial, because my own memorial is in my memories, it's in my mind already... I remember seeing planes on fire. And most people here in the room probably have never seen a plane crash, and know that someone was in it that you knew was a friend." He also spoke of Lt Col John Giraudo being shot down near the Yalu river and his own encounters with anti-aircraft fire. And while praising the heroic efforts of Marine Corps forces on the ground near the Chosin river, he recalled a friend, a forward air controller, whose job it was to call in air strikes.
"While he was standing on this ridge, he was shot right through the neck," Glenn said. "And he fell down, got up again-the story went from people that were with him-and was trying to still give directions... gurgling through his own blood. And he died." Glenn struggled to finish the story as he began to cry, something he had vowed not to do earlier in the morning.
"I can't pass along those memories, vivid though they may be," he continued fighting back tears. "And they are vivid. I can still almost feel the stick in my hands, and what it's like to make a run and do the things that needed to be done out there. So I hope we do have this memorial, if for nothing else then to pass on to our kids and grandchildren an appreciation for this heritage-the heritage of freedom is not free."
January 15, 2024
Centered around the Korean War, this book tells the life story of Ted Williams and John Glenn. While serving in Korea they became friends. While this book is sold as a unique friendship between a flying ace and one of the best hitters in MLB history, it really tells more as two separate stories. While the premise is misleading, the book is still fascinating. Mr. Lazarus does a great job telling us the story of each man. You get a great incite into the Korean War, and the day to day activities of both Ted Williams and John Glenn. If your a fan of history, this is well worth the read, especially if you like World War II history.
January 26, 2025
Good thing I wasn’t a Red Sox fan as this book doesn’t hold back on William’s shortfalls. An interesting examination of the two men, though the actual discussion of flight between the two was lacking. Still an interesting read for anyone interested in the military, space, baseball, or weird connections.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2025
As a baseball fan I loved learning about how the lives of Ted Williams and John Glenn intertwined over the years. It’s very refreshing to see how two totally different men can be such lifetime friends any yet so successful in different careers.
May 31, 2025
This was an interesting dual-biography with a focus on the friendship and connections between Ted Williams and John Glenn. I knew quite a bit about Williams before this book, but not much about Glenn and the book left me wanting to read more about him. A quick read worth the time if you are interested in these two American icons.
October 9, 2023
Enjoyable read, learned more about both Ted Williams and John Glenn, two American icons
October 30, 2024
I was a big fan of John Glenn in my younger days so I was happy to see new material written about him. Ted Williams not so much. Still I was very intrigued. It was interesting to learn that they served together in Korea as fighter pilots. And it was also interesting to see how their lives changed and developed after the war. And how these two American icons managed to touch base from time to time even though in many ways they were polar opposites.
I did struggle with the writing at times. I thought the writing about Korea should have been more engaging than it was. I found myself looking ahead at times to see when my next break was. I do think it got a little better after the war.
I also felt a bit misled about the friendship of Glenn and Williams. Clearly they had tremendous respect for one another and did meet up at times. But not necessarily that often and Williams even declined to endorse his “friend” when he ran for president. But the Ted Williams wasn’t exactly the nicest guy either. All in all it was still a decent and informative read.
I did struggle with the writing at times. I thought the writing about Korea should have been more engaging than it was. I found myself looking ahead at times to see when my next break was. I do think it got a little better after the war.
I also felt a bit misled about the friendship of Glenn and Williams. Clearly they had tremendous respect for one another and did meet up at times. But not necessarily that often and Williams even declined to endorse his “friend” when he ran for president. But the Ted Williams wasn’t exactly the nicest guy either. All in all it was still a decent and informative read.
March 13, 2024
I am not the right audience for this book. To me, this isn’t particularly compellingly written but I stuck with it up to 2/3 of the way in to see if it improved and then I gave up. It seemed to just be about the entitled baseball player and why he felt he didn’t belong in active duty despite benefiting from the titles and military privileges contrasted with the traits of a humble man who wanted to be in the military for honor’s sake. The Korean War is explained from their experiences but it’s very dry in reporting style to me. Their friendship was forged by their having to be on missions together (forced bonding to survive) but didn’t seem to really need a book about it.
July 4, 2024
I read this book because Ted Williams was one of my idols, flaws and all. I saw Ted play one time at Fenway Park, and I rarely took my eyes off of him.
I feel Ted wasn't treated fairly by Marine recruiter Robert Conley. Conley stated when he called Theodore Williams back into the military, that he didn't know that it was "thee" Ted Williams. Even though his call back notice was sent to Fenway park? Williams was too old to to be called back into the Marines, he was also sole support of his mother and hadn't flown in ten years. Plus the author points out there were thousands of younger more seasoned officers on the inactive list.This was a publicity stunt at its worst. Ted was used to draw up support for the war effort. Ted ended up getting shot down and made a number of flights as Glenn's wingman. Both made forced landings, their Marine experience created a lasting bond between them.
Ted was never treated very well by the press, the Red Sox as a franchise weren't very successful and Ted was making the most money, and was by far their best player and was made the scapegoat. This is not to say Ted did bring some of this on himself, he was known to be loud, profane and opinionated.
I knew more about Williams than Glenn, I never knew that Glenn was a war hero, that he set a flying speed record. He being the first American to to circle the earth in a capsule certainly demonstrated his courage, and to do it again at 77! There is no doubt John Glenn is a true American hero. Glenn also was a Senator from Ohio, and ran for president.
While reading the Wingmen I sensed there was slight bias in favor of Glenn, This is easy to do with the soft spoken Glenn vs the pugnacious Williams.
Though I felt the authors need to fill us in on Williams sex life, came access as petty and unnecessary. He also spared no details on the end of Williams life, and John Henry having his fathers body cryogenically frozen. John Henry's exploitation of his father was difficult for a fan to read.
Williams life was more dysfunctional, he had an absentee father, and a mother who wasn't often available to her son. But where Williams shined was his dedication to children's charity. He would frequently visit sick children in hospitals and at home , he did this without publicity or fanfare, and raised millions for the JIMMY FUND.
An area Williams doesn't get much recognition, was his civil rights advocacy. He felt that the great players from the negro leagues should be inducted into the major league Hall of Fame.
Reading this I felt the author projected a mutual admiration between Glenn and Williams. Williams often referred to Glenn as his idol, and I did get the feeling they were close friends. Whenever they had the opportunity they would attend events honoring the other. Glenn visited Williams in the hospital. A sick elderly Williams attended Glenn's flight on the space shuttle.
Both Glenn and Williams were perfectionist and loved what they did. Both are American heroes
I feel Ted wasn't treated fairly by Marine recruiter Robert Conley. Conley stated when he called Theodore Williams back into the military, that he didn't know that it was "thee" Ted Williams. Even though his call back notice was sent to Fenway park? Williams was too old to to be called back into the Marines, he was also sole support of his mother and hadn't flown in ten years. Plus the author points out there were thousands of younger more seasoned officers on the inactive list.This was a publicity stunt at its worst. Ted was used to draw up support for the war effort. Ted ended up getting shot down and made a number of flights as Glenn's wingman. Both made forced landings, their Marine experience created a lasting bond between them.
Ted was never treated very well by the press, the Red Sox as a franchise weren't very successful and Ted was making the most money, and was by far their best player and was made the scapegoat. This is not to say Ted did bring some of this on himself, he was known to be loud, profane and opinionated.
I knew more about Williams than Glenn, I never knew that Glenn was a war hero, that he set a flying speed record. He being the first American to to circle the earth in a capsule certainly demonstrated his courage, and to do it again at 77! There is no doubt John Glenn is a true American hero. Glenn also was a Senator from Ohio, and ran for president.
While reading the Wingmen I sensed there was slight bias in favor of Glenn, This is easy to do with the soft spoken Glenn vs the pugnacious Williams.
Though I felt the authors need to fill us in on Williams sex life, came access as petty and unnecessary. He also spared no details on the end of Williams life, and John Henry having his fathers body cryogenically frozen. John Henry's exploitation of his father was difficult for a fan to read.
Williams life was more dysfunctional, he had an absentee father, and a mother who wasn't often available to her son. But where Williams shined was his dedication to children's charity. He would frequently visit sick children in hospitals and at home , he did this without publicity or fanfare, and raised millions for the JIMMY FUND.
An area Williams doesn't get much recognition, was his civil rights advocacy. He felt that the great players from the negro leagues should be inducted into the major league Hall of Fame.
Reading this I felt the author projected a mutual admiration between Glenn and Williams. Williams often referred to Glenn as his idol, and I did get the feeling they were close friends. Whenever they had the opportunity they would attend events honoring the other. Glenn visited Williams in the hospital. A sick elderly Williams attended Glenn's flight on the space shuttle.
Both Glenn and Williams were perfectionist and loved what they did. Both are American heroes
September 3, 2023
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RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: AN AMERICAN ICON IN OUTER-SPACE… AND AN AMERICAN ICON IN FENWAY PARK… MEET DURING WAR… AND BECOME LIFETIME FRIENDS!
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John Glenn… the world famous astronaut… and American politician… and Ted Williams the Boston Red Sox star… and one of the all-time greatest hitters in baseball history… met as jet pilots during the Korean War. Though so deeply different as human beings… they miraculously become adoring… lifetime friends after the war. This combination of absolute historical figures… and the incomprehensible relationship… built between these two men… in the furnace of war… in the deepest and most uncontrollable flames… of a daily… constant life and death struggle as jet pilots… is an absolute enticing… tantalizing… story-line subject… for a reader like myself!
When I was growing up… baseball was all I lived and breathed for… and though… “Teddy-Ball-Game”… “The-Kid”… “The Splendid-Splinter’s”… heyday… was before my time… from the time I was eight-years-old… I read and studied every book on baseball history… from cover to cover. Including one of the greatest gifts I ever got on my eighth birthday…”THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BASEBALL”… which I literally read and studied cover to cover… and still have on my shelf by my desk… as I type this review at this very moment. So Ted Williams was my biggest idol that wasn’t a Dodger. In Babe Ruth League I was on the Red Sox and wore number 9! And how could any child… or adult… not know all about the most famous Astronaut at the beginning of the exploration of outer space??
What a daunting… and delicious… literary combination… for an author to attempt to pull off successfully! And let me tell you wholeheartedly… that the author Adam Lazarus… more than pulls it off... in spades! He melds these two dissimilar characters… into a tale… that flows like peanut butter and jelly!
Miraculously… Lazarus… is able to successfully move from Glenn’s love of flying in childhood… which included idolizing the anti-Semitic… Nazi loving… Charles Lindbergh…. (solely for his flying accomplishments)… to Williams’s… lifetime goal and dream… of one day walking down the street… and have people point at him and say… “There goes the greatest hitter who ever played!”
Somehow… amazingly… the author never misses a beat… never does the indelible… magical link… between the two G-ds of their professional endeavors… become disengaged… whether in war time… or when “Teddy-Ballgame”… becomes… and still is… the last player in baseball history to hit over 400… when he hit 406… in 1941… or when he won two triple crowns… or when he battles sportswriters… or disgustingly… and disappointingly… spits on fans… or when Glenn became the first human to orbit the earth… or when Glenn became the oldest man at seventy-seven-years- old to enter space.
** DEFINITION OF WINGMAN** - “A PILOT WHO FLIES BEHIND AND OUTSIDE THE LEADER OF A FLYING FORMATION”
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“FIGHTER FORMATION FLYING TAKES ITS BASIS IN THE RULE THAT WINGMEN UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES STICKS WITH HIS SECTION LEADER. THE LARGE SQUADRON FORMATION MAY BREAK DOWN TO FLIGHTS, DIVISIONS, AND SECTIONS IN COMBAT, BUT THE SECTION IS NEVER BROKEN UP. THE WINGMAN’S FIRST AND PRIMARY DUTY AHEAD OF EVERYTHING ELSE IS TO STICK WITH HIS SECTION LEADER.”
__FIRST LIEUTENANT J. H. GLENN JR.,
MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON 218
SQUADRON DOCTRINE, CIRCA 1948
John Glenn flew 57 combat missions in World War II… and 63 in Korea. Williams flew 39 official combat missions in Korea… including 8 combat missions with Glenn.
Williams’ most infamous mission was when returning from the current mission… his jet lost the complete functioning electrical system… when he tried to lower the landing gear…”immediately the fire erupted right underneath the fuselage”… the accompanying jet yelled over the radio… “EJECT! EJECT! EJECT! “Sitting atop billowing smoke and fire and unable to hear through his inoperable radio, Williams continued to descend and target the ground. Fortunately the runway at K-13 stretched ten thousand feet long”… twice the length of the runway they had diverted from…
“AT ROUGHLY 225 MILES PER HOUR---MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NORMAL SPEED OF A CONVENTIONAL LANDING---WILLIAMS BROUGHT THE PLANE IN. WITH THE HYDRAULICS SYSTEM TURNED OFF, HIS DIVE BRAKES--- ESSENTIALLY AIR FLAPS THAT INCREASED DRAG ON THE PLANE, THUS SLOWING IT DOWN---NO LONGER WORKED. AND WITH ONLY ONE WHEEL BARELY PROTRUDING DOWN FROM ITS WELL DOOR, THERE WAS ANOTHER PROBLEM. WITH THE WHEEL WELL OPEN, LEAKING FUEL MIGHT COLLECT BENEATH THE FUSELAGE, WHERE FIRE HAD ALREADY BROKEN OUT. WILLIAMS WISELY PULLED THE LONE WHEEL BACK INTO THE WELL AND CLOSED THE DOOR. FROM THAT POINT ON, HE WOULD HAVE TO “BELLY” THE PLANE IN, SLIDING ON THE FUSELAGE ALONG THE RUNWAY AND RELYING ON TIME, DISTANCE, AND FRICTION TO STOP THE PANTHER. AS SPARKS FLEW, A PIECE OF THE PLANE, POSSIBLY THE METAL PANEL COVERING THE WHEEL WELL, RIPPED OFF, SMASHING INTO THE K-13 MESS HALL. COASTING FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YARDS PROMPTED WILLIAMS TO DO SOMETHING UNUSUAL…
***IF I EVER PRAYED IN MY LIFE, THE ONLY G-D DAMN THING I SAID WAS, “IF THERE’S A G-D DAMN CHRIST THIS IS THE TIME OLD TEDDY BALLGAME NEEDS YA.” HE REMEMBERED. “I HAD TO LEAN THAT WAY---I HAVE TO FEEL THAT CHRIST IS RESPONSIBLE, SOMEBODY’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. SOMEBODY’S GOTTA BE IN CHARGE.”
John Glenn… was a G-d fearing man his entire life… and when he looked out the window of his spacecraft… above the earth… he said: “To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in G-d is to me impossible “It just strengthens my faith.”
The story covers both men to their passing… and when it comes to Williams… it covers the good with the bad… the three marriages… the philandering… and the unfortunate embarrassments with his children… including the insulting cryogenics and abuse of his remains. Happily it also covers all of Ted’s “off the record”… visits to children’s hospitals… and involvement with the Jimmy Fund.
This book… and author… accomplish the near impossible with its synergistic blending of two such different personalities that unequivocally… made eternal lasting impacts on our world.
REVIEWERS FINAL NOTE: Not to take away from the book… but one thing of deep importance to me… from the time I was eight-years-old… and is even more important to me now. The current powers that be and talking heads in baseball… as a whole have blindly… failed to impress upon the last decades of fans the following: TED WILLIAMS SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY DURING TWO WARS…. WORLD WAR II AND THE KOREAN WAR. HE GAVE UP FIVE-AND-A-HALF-YEARS… OF HIS ABSOLUTE PRIME YEARS OF HIS CAREER! HE WOUND UP WITH 521 HOME-RUNS … IF YOU TAKE HIS AVERAGE HOME RUNS PER YEAR… LET ALONE… HIS PRIME YEARS… HE WOULD HAVE HAD … MORE THAN SEVEN-HUNDRED-HOME-RUNS … ALONG WITH HIS LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE OF 344 WHICH WOULD ASSUREDLY BEEN EVEN HIGHER…
WELL… THEN…
EVEN THESE IDIOTIC SHORT SIGHTED EGG HEADS WITH THEIR SABRE-METRICS… AND IDIOTIC W.A.R. STATISTICS… THAT IGNORE WHEN BASEBALL HAD COMPLETE GAMES… PITCHERS BATTED… AND THE BASES WEREN’T THE SIZE OF BLOATED PIZZA BOXES… THAT IF… RIGHT NOW… TED WILLIAMS CAME WALKING DOWN THE STREET… EVEN THEY’D BE FORCED TO SAY…
*** THERE GOES THE GREATEST HITTER OF ALL TIME!!! ***
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: AN AMERICAN ICON IN OUTER-SPACE… AND AN AMERICAN ICON IN FENWAY PARK… MEET DURING WAR… AND BECOME LIFETIME FRIENDS!
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John Glenn… the world famous astronaut… and American politician… and Ted Williams the Boston Red Sox star… and one of the all-time greatest hitters in baseball history… met as jet pilots during the Korean War. Though so deeply different as human beings… they miraculously become adoring… lifetime friends after the war. This combination of absolute historical figures… and the incomprehensible relationship… built between these two men… in the furnace of war… in the deepest and most uncontrollable flames… of a daily… constant life and death struggle as jet pilots… is an absolute enticing… tantalizing… story-line subject… for a reader like myself!
When I was growing up… baseball was all I lived and breathed for… and though… “Teddy-Ball-Game”… “The-Kid”… “The Splendid-Splinter’s”… heyday… was before my time… from the time I was eight-years-old… I read and studied every book on baseball history… from cover to cover. Including one of the greatest gifts I ever got on my eighth birthday…”THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BASEBALL”… which I literally read and studied cover to cover… and still have on my shelf by my desk… as I type this review at this very moment. So Ted Williams was my biggest idol that wasn’t a Dodger. In Babe Ruth League I was on the Red Sox and wore number 9! And how could any child… or adult… not know all about the most famous Astronaut at the beginning of the exploration of outer space??
What a daunting… and delicious… literary combination… for an author to attempt to pull off successfully! And let me tell you wholeheartedly… that the author Adam Lazarus… more than pulls it off... in spades! He melds these two dissimilar characters… into a tale… that flows like peanut butter and jelly!
Miraculously… Lazarus… is able to successfully move from Glenn’s love of flying in childhood… which included idolizing the anti-Semitic… Nazi loving… Charles Lindbergh…. (solely for his flying accomplishments)… to Williams’s… lifetime goal and dream… of one day walking down the street… and have people point at him and say… “There goes the greatest hitter who ever played!”
Somehow… amazingly… the author never misses a beat… never does the indelible… magical link… between the two G-ds of their professional endeavors… become disengaged… whether in war time… or when “Teddy-Ballgame”… becomes… and still is… the last player in baseball history to hit over 400… when he hit 406… in 1941… or when he won two triple crowns… or when he battles sportswriters… or disgustingly… and disappointingly… spits on fans… or when Glenn became the first human to orbit the earth… or when Glenn became the oldest man at seventy-seven-years- old to enter space.
** DEFINITION OF WINGMAN** - “A PILOT WHO FLIES BEHIND AND OUTSIDE THE LEADER OF A FLYING FORMATION”
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“FIGHTER FORMATION FLYING TAKES ITS BASIS IN THE RULE THAT WINGMEN UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES STICKS WITH HIS SECTION LEADER. THE LARGE SQUADRON FORMATION MAY BREAK DOWN TO FLIGHTS, DIVISIONS, AND SECTIONS IN COMBAT, BUT THE SECTION IS NEVER BROKEN UP. THE WINGMAN’S FIRST AND PRIMARY DUTY AHEAD OF EVERYTHING ELSE IS TO STICK WITH HIS SECTION LEADER.”
__FIRST LIEUTENANT J. H. GLENN JR.,
MARINE FIGHTING SQUADRON 218
SQUADRON DOCTRINE, CIRCA 1948
John Glenn flew 57 combat missions in World War II… and 63 in Korea. Williams flew 39 official combat missions in Korea… including 8 combat missions with Glenn.
Williams’ most infamous mission was when returning from the current mission… his jet lost the complete functioning electrical system… when he tried to lower the landing gear…”immediately the fire erupted right underneath the fuselage”… the accompanying jet yelled over the radio… “EJECT! EJECT! EJECT! “Sitting atop billowing smoke and fire and unable to hear through his inoperable radio, Williams continued to descend and target the ground. Fortunately the runway at K-13 stretched ten thousand feet long”… twice the length of the runway they had diverted from…
“AT ROUGHLY 225 MILES PER HOUR---MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NORMAL SPEED OF A CONVENTIONAL LANDING---WILLIAMS BROUGHT THE PLANE IN. WITH THE HYDRAULICS SYSTEM TURNED OFF, HIS DIVE BRAKES--- ESSENTIALLY AIR FLAPS THAT INCREASED DRAG ON THE PLANE, THUS SLOWING IT DOWN---NO LONGER WORKED. AND WITH ONLY ONE WHEEL BARELY PROTRUDING DOWN FROM ITS WELL DOOR, THERE WAS ANOTHER PROBLEM. WITH THE WHEEL WELL OPEN, LEAKING FUEL MIGHT COLLECT BENEATH THE FUSELAGE, WHERE FIRE HAD ALREADY BROKEN OUT. WILLIAMS WISELY PULLED THE LONE WHEEL BACK INTO THE WELL AND CLOSED THE DOOR. FROM THAT POINT ON, HE WOULD HAVE TO “BELLY” THE PLANE IN, SLIDING ON THE FUSELAGE ALONG THE RUNWAY AND RELYING ON TIME, DISTANCE, AND FRICTION TO STOP THE PANTHER. AS SPARKS FLEW, A PIECE OF THE PLANE, POSSIBLY THE METAL PANEL COVERING THE WHEEL WELL, RIPPED OFF, SMASHING INTO THE K-13 MESS HALL. COASTING FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YARDS PROMPTED WILLIAMS TO DO SOMETHING UNUSUAL…
***IF I EVER PRAYED IN MY LIFE, THE ONLY G-D DAMN THING I SAID WAS, “IF THERE’S A G-D DAMN CHRIST THIS IS THE TIME OLD TEDDY BALLGAME NEEDS YA.” HE REMEMBERED. “I HAD TO LEAN THAT WAY---I HAVE TO FEEL THAT CHRIST IS RESPONSIBLE, SOMEBODY’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. SOMEBODY’S GOTTA BE IN CHARGE.”
John Glenn… was a G-d fearing man his entire life… and when he looked out the window of his spacecraft… above the earth… he said: “To look out at this kind of creation and not believe in G-d is to me impossible “It just strengthens my faith.”
The story covers both men to their passing… and when it comes to Williams… it covers the good with the bad… the three marriages… the philandering… and the unfortunate embarrassments with his children… including the insulting cryogenics and abuse of his remains. Happily it also covers all of Ted’s “off the record”… visits to children’s hospitals… and involvement with the Jimmy Fund.
This book… and author… accomplish the near impossible with its synergistic blending of two such different personalities that unequivocally… made eternal lasting impacts on our world.
REVIEWERS FINAL NOTE: Not to take away from the book… but one thing of deep importance to me… from the time I was eight-years-old… and is even more important to me now. The current powers that be and talking heads in baseball… as a whole have blindly… failed to impress upon the last decades of fans the following: TED WILLIAMS SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY DURING TWO WARS…. WORLD WAR II AND THE KOREAN WAR. HE GAVE UP FIVE-AND-A-HALF-YEARS… OF HIS ABSOLUTE PRIME YEARS OF HIS CAREER! HE WOUND UP WITH 521 HOME-RUNS … IF YOU TAKE HIS AVERAGE HOME RUNS PER YEAR… LET ALONE… HIS PRIME YEARS… HE WOULD HAVE HAD … MORE THAN SEVEN-HUNDRED-HOME-RUNS … ALONG WITH HIS LIFETIME BATTING AVERAGE OF 344 WHICH WOULD ASSUREDLY BEEN EVEN HIGHER…
WELL… THEN…
EVEN THESE IDIOTIC SHORT SIGHTED EGG HEADS WITH THEIR SABRE-METRICS… AND IDIOTIC W.A.R. STATISTICS… THAT IGNORE WHEN BASEBALL HAD COMPLETE GAMES… PITCHERS BATTED… AND THE BASES WEREN’T THE SIZE OF BLOATED PIZZA BOXES… THAT IF… RIGHT NOW… TED WILLIAMS CAME WALKING DOWN THE STREET… EVEN THEY’D BE FORCED TO SAY…
*** THERE GOES THE GREATEST HITTER OF ALL TIME!!! ***
June 25, 2024
I first picked this book up because I had no idea that Ted Williams and John Glen had a friendship. With the title of the book saying their friendship was “unbreakable” I was very interested. However, the book did not deliver on the unbreakable friendship front. The first half of the book takes place mostly detailing Williams’ and Glen’s roads to Korea and their time there. At no point did I feel that the two men were friends; instead I got the sense that they were only colleagues. Throughout the back half of the book I still was not convinced that they were anything more than people who highly respected each other. The book makes it seem that the two men only saw each other once a decade and at public events. So the author (in my mind) did not deliver on his biggest promise.
That being said, I did enjoy getting to know more about each of the legendary figures. There were portions of both of their lives that I had no idea about prior to reading this book. Since I learned a great deal about both men I give this book three stars.
That being said, I did enjoy getting to know more about each of the legendary figures. There were portions of both of their lives that I had no idea about prior to reading this book. Since I learned a great deal about both men I give this book three stars.
September 25, 2024
This is an interesting read about two of 20th century America's most famous sons. In an odd twist of fate, these men were also longtime friends. They met each other in Korea in the 1950s flying jets for the Marine Corps. Williams was already a well-known baseball player; Glenn was pilot and Marine regular. They remained friends until their respective deaths, Wililams early in the 21st century, Glenn 14 years later.
The book narrates the development of this friendship these two men established and maintained through the last halves of their very public lives. Despite vastly different backgrounds, interests, and demeanors, they bonded during their Marine service together and kept that friendship up until the end of their lives. They had vastly different political and personal views but those differences never seemed to get in the way of their friendship.
Good story about two famous Americans and the twist of fate that led to their meeting in a foreign country, then the lifelong friendship that ensued.
The book narrates the development of this friendship these two men established and maintained through the last halves of their very public lives. Despite vastly different backgrounds, interests, and demeanors, they bonded during their Marine service together and kept that friendship up until the end of their lives. They had vastly different political and personal views but those differences never seemed to get in the way of their friendship.
Good story about two famous Americans and the twist of fate that led to their meeting in a foreign country, then the lifelong friendship that ensued.
November 29, 2023
I believe this book is a story that needed to be told. I was very put off by the author’s continued use of sniveling when writing about John Glenn. I feel it was denigrating to John Glenn, any man who could be a combat fighter pilot and an early astronaut deserves better treatment. Promoting oneself is not offensive when backed up with superior performance. On the author’s treatment of Ted Williams’ sensitivity to criticism, I believe he downplayed it too much. It was a character flaw of Ted’s , but it also cannot take away from his-accomplishments as a pilot and hitter. I believe a more balanced portrayal of both men would have better severed the author’s purpose. Their friendship and relationship would not have been hurt by a more balanced treatment of both. Still all and all a fascinating story of two famous men and their relationship.
April 20, 2024
Excellent Read
This book about a friendship many people didn't know about. The friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams began in the Korean war. I'm not big baseball fan so I didn't know much about Ted Williams. I was 9 years old when John Glenn went into space, his was one of my heroes. But this book illuminates these men's personalities and how combat veterans forge life-long friendships.
This book also illustrates how two men of different political ideologies can be tolerant of each other and still be friends. This is a lesson we all need to learn or relearn.
This book about a friendship many people didn't know about. The friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams began in the Korean war. I'm not big baseball fan so I didn't know much about Ted Williams. I was 9 years old when John Glenn went into space, his was one of my heroes. But this book illuminates these men's personalities and how combat veterans forge life-long friendships.
This book also illustrates how two men of different political ideologies can be tolerant of each other and still be friends. This is a lesson we all need to learn or relearn.
April 30, 2024
When I started this book, I did not expect to come away with a lesser opinion of both men. At least, that’s how I felt two-thirds through the book. But as I finished it, I began to sense my reactions were more about the maturity of both that increased with their aging and coping with the reality of their mortality, with the truth that every day does not end hitting .406 or going to space. Worth reading if you don’t mind a little wistfulness for heroes, real or imagined. Overall, the book was a little short on context and not as insightful as might be desired.
June 2, 2023
A truly outstanding book about two men whose lives could not have been more different. The bond they formed while serving in Korea carried over the rest of their lives. A great story! The lives that they led was truly interesting to follow. Two great heroes - one in the military and the other in sports.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 15, 2024
To start off, I should say that my 4-star rating is based on the fact that my boyhood idols were baseball players and the Mercury Seven astronauts, and this book is about the friendship between a baseball player and one of those astronauts. For someone not as interested in stories about men like this, the rating might seem a little high. It is rare that two "celebrities" of this nature have a friendship like this, which began in a venue that was far from the area of life where each one's notoriety was centered. But these two men did fly dozens of missions together during the war in Korea and while they did not spend a great deal of time together after the war, their relationship lasted until Williams died in the early 21st century. The book provides a brief overview of the early biographies of the two men and then takes the reader into their role in the Korean War. The narrative is useful in the way that it gives a "bird's eye" view of the war (at least from the vantage point of Marine pilots), but it says very little about the war itself, even what we were doing there in the first place. The individual missions are described in terms of enemy contact and near-death experiences, but there is no indication of how those missions connected to the overall purpose of the fighting. Once the book finishes its description of Williams' and Glenn's wartime exploits, it becomes more or less a dual biography, tracing the latter stages of Williams' career with the Red Sox and Glenn's role as one of the original NASA astronauts. I had always heard that Williams could be a real jerk, and the book provides the evidence behind his reputation, including his three divorces, his strained relationship with his children, and his less than admirable treatment of the media and even the Red Sox fans. However, one of the benefits of the book was learning about Williams dedication to the sick children of Boston, through both the Jimmy Fund charity and his visits to individual children, both in hospitals and even in their homes. In short, Williams was a complicated guy, but the way that he treated children, especially those suffering from cancer, was more than admirable. The story of John Glenn is one that is pretty well known: the first American to orbit the earth, the Senate, a run for the presidency, and then- at age 77- a return to space. Once Glenn had retired from politics, he and Williams began visiting each other more frequently, and increasingly found opportunities to publicly express their mutual admiration. The book takes the reader to the end of the lives of both men which, unfortunately, forces the reader to revisit (or visit) the creepy story of Williams' children fighting over his body after he had died. In the end, his two youngest children won the court case against their half-sister and were allowed to "freeze" their father's body at a seedy cryopreservation center in Arizona. Glenn's burial at Arlington after his death in 2016 was a little more dignified. In short, this is not a book for everyone, but it provides some interesting details about the lives of these two men.
October 6, 2023
The Wingmen by Adam Lazarus
Fascinating factual account of two famous men who became fast friends as Marine pilots during the Korean War.
One of the reasons I was drawn to this book was that it reminded me of one of my maternal uncles telling me a few stories about his time as a soldier in Korea. Additionally, I wanted to find out what these two men, a professional baseball player and an astronaut, might have in common. The book was well researched, the writing flowed and was easy to read, and the men came to life on the page.
I actually started a list of “similarities” and “differences” and realized that the main thing John Glenn and Ted Willams had in common was the trust and admiration that formed between the two men while flying missions together. They both had planes damaged, limped back to base, and survived to return home. Ted returned to play professional baseball while John opted to stay career Marine in various positions till his last as the first astronaut to orbit the earth. There was a lot to take in from how they were raised to how they were buried.
I didn’t know a lot about either man before reading this book but came away with an understanding of and appreciation for the good things they both did. I felt I got to know them and learned a bit more ab the Korean War, too.
NOTES:
1) My father was in WWII, my uncle fought in Korea, I wrote letters to men in Vietnam, and have been through the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia – this book had me thinking about how war impacts the soldiers, their families, and the country the war takes place in.
2) I googled after finishing and found out that Ted’s rather controversial son died a couple years after his choice of burial for his father and chose the same for himself.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensginton Publishing – Citadel Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Fascinating factual account of two famous men who became fast friends as Marine pilots during the Korean War.
One of the reasons I was drawn to this book was that it reminded me of one of my maternal uncles telling me a few stories about his time as a soldier in Korea. Additionally, I wanted to find out what these two men, a professional baseball player and an astronaut, might have in common. The book was well researched, the writing flowed and was easy to read, and the men came to life on the page.
I actually started a list of “similarities” and “differences” and realized that the main thing John Glenn and Ted Willams had in common was the trust and admiration that formed between the two men while flying missions together. They both had planes damaged, limped back to base, and survived to return home. Ted returned to play professional baseball while John opted to stay career Marine in various positions till his last as the first astronaut to orbit the earth. There was a lot to take in from how they were raised to how they were buried.
I didn’t know a lot about either man before reading this book but came away with an understanding of and appreciation for the good things they both did. I felt I got to know them and learned a bit more ab the Korean War, too.
NOTES:
1) My father was in WWII, my uncle fought in Korea, I wrote letters to men in Vietnam, and have been through the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia – this book had me thinking about how war impacts the soldiers, their families, and the country the war takes place in.
2) I googled after finishing and found out that Ted’s rather controversial son died a couple years after his choice of burial for his father and chose the same for himself.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensginton Publishing – Citadel Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
February 9, 2024
Compelling narrative of the intertwined lives of two American icons and Marine Corps pilots, Ted Williams and John Glenn, wingmen in VMF-311 flying combat missions in the Korean War. Besides their shared service, each was incredibly competitive in his own way but had otherwise had little in common with the other. Williams, arguably baseball's greatest ever hitter, was a prickly narcissist. John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth and later a US senator, was a master sniveler. Nonetheless, there is a great deal to admire in both men and they maintained a cordial friendship for more than half a century, during both were monumental figures. Recommended for those with an interest in baseball, the space program or American history.
"Williams soon returned with his children to the VIP Center and awaited the launch. At 2:19 p.m. [29 October 1998], with no further delays, main engines were given 'a go' and the shuttle lifted off. Under the power of twin solid rocket boosters - capable of nearly twenty times the thrust of the Atlas rocket that powered Friendship 7 - it broke free from Launchpad 39B. As Discovery rose up in the air, Ted Williams rose up in his wheelchair and shouted 'That's my friend!' over the thunderous blast." p201
"Williams soon returned with his children to the VIP Center and awaited the launch. At 2:19 p.m. [29 October 1998], with no further delays, main engines were given 'a go' and the shuttle lifted off. Under the power of twin solid rocket boosters - capable of nearly twenty times the thrust of the Atlas rocket that powered Friendship 7 - it broke free from Launchpad 39B. As Discovery rose up in the air, Ted Williams rose up in his wheelchair and shouted 'That's my friend!' over the thunderous blast." p201
March 25, 2024
The Wingmen is a book about an interesting piece of Americana. Ted Williams, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was after serving in World War 2 still in the Marine Corp Reserve. During the Korean War, shockingly in the middle of the American League baseball season, he was called back to active duty and sent off to be a fighter pilot in the middle of the Korean War. He was not there for window dressing. He was a fighter pilot and he flew numerous, dangerous mission, at one point having to almost ditch his airplane and parachute into North Korea. For many flights he was the wingmen for John Glenn, who at that point was just an anonymous Marine Corp aviator who had flown over 50 missions in World War 2 and many in North Korea. Williams and Glenn flew many bombing raids over the 38th parallel and into North Korea. From these missions, a life long friendship developed. Went Williams retired in the early 1960's, John Glenn's career was just beginning. He was the first American to orbit the earth. He was also a US senator from Ohio, and at one point he even campaigned for the Presidency. In his 70's he flew a space shuttle mission as a guinea pig. NASA could compare his medical condition from his original space flight on Friendship 7 to his condition on the shuttle. As they both aged, they became better and better friends. Williams, while in poor health, even attended Glenn's shuttle. launch.
February 18, 2024
A fun book about the lifelong friendship astronaut John Glenn and baseball great Ted Williams developed when they served together in the Korean War. The two men could not have been more different: Glenn was eternally faithful to his wife, while Williams cheated his way through three marriages. Glenn was religious and soft-spoken, while Williams was profane and could be something of a jerk. Glenn was eager to serve in Korea, while Williams was dragged kicking and screaming into it by the draft board. Their politics were often polar opposites. But both were naturally superb pilots and Williams flew as Glenn's wingman on a number of dangerous missions. They stayed in contact after the war and never lost a deep respect for each other.
The book is appropriately balanced in discussing each man's virtues as well as faults. Williams, for instance, could be abrasive with baseball fans, reporters and his own family, but also cared for children and put his heart into a charity for sick kids. There's a great anecdote about him meeting some young Japanese baseball fans in Kyoto while on leave there and giving them a moment they would never forget despite not sharing a language with them.
Wingman isn't a comprehensive biography of both men, but a story of a friendship that was forged in combat and lasted a half-century.
The book is appropriately balanced in discussing each man's virtues as well as faults. Williams, for instance, could be abrasive with baseball fans, reporters and his own family, but also cared for children and put his heart into a charity for sick kids. There's a great anecdote about him meeting some young Japanese baseball fans in Kyoto while on leave there and giving them a moment they would never forget despite not sharing a language with them.
Wingman isn't a comprehensive biography of both men, but a story of a friendship that was forged in combat and lasted a half-century.
June 1, 2025
A friend loaned me this book. I probably would not have bought it for myself as I'm not much of a baseball fan.
But it turned out to be very entertaining. Although I knew a little about both John Glenn and Ted Williams, the author brought these two men to life with all their faults. John Glenn was an incorrigible "sniveler" charming and cajoling his way into opportunities including one of the first seven astronauts. Ted Williams had a mean, angry streak seldom acknowledging the baseball crowds who adored him, failing in three marriages, and slow to repair the troubled relationships with his children.
Glenn and Williams bonded in Korea when they were both fighter pilots flying the Grumman F9 Panther jets. Glenn was a career military man and loved every minute he was in the air. Williams was furious he had been called up to serve in Korea in 1952 after serving in World War II and now earning $100,000 a year playing for the Red Sox.
If you are interested in what it was like flying missions in the Korean War, playing baseball, being the first American to orbit the earth, or the complex relationship between two very different men, you'll like this book. I did, far more than I expected.
But it turned out to be very entertaining. Although I knew a little about both John Glenn and Ted Williams, the author brought these two men to life with all their faults. John Glenn was an incorrigible "sniveler" charming and cajoling his way into opportunities including one of the first seven astronauts. Ted Williams had a mean, angry streak seldom acknowledging the baseball crowds who adored him, failing in three marriages, and slow to repair the troubled relationships with his children.
Glenn and Williams bonded in Korea when they were both fighter pilots flying the Grumman F9 Panther jets. Glenn was a career military man and loved every minute he was in the air. Williams was furious he had been called up to serve in Korea in 1952 after serving in World War II and now earning $100,000 a year playing for the Red Sox.
If you are interested in what it was like flying missions in the Korean War, playing baseball, being the first American to orbit the earth, or the complex relationship between two very different men, you'll like this book. I did, far more than I expected.
February 29, 2024
A unique story about Ted Williams and John Glenn who maintained a close and special friendship but whose lives, ideals, and personalities could not have been more different. Their lives intertwined during the time they served in the Korean War as US Marine pilots where they developed a friendship that lasted long after the war ended. Despite being a dual biographical account of both men, the narrative focuses on both men’s shared dedication to duty and mutual respect which created a bond between the men. Despite being reluctant to go to Korea, Williams put on a brave face, and as he did with most everything in his life, accepted the challenge, and trained hard, eventually piloting and flying dangerous missions into North Korea. It was during his early days in Korea where he met the daring and enthusiastic John Glenn, who like Williams was a dedicated pilot known to take risks and accept challenges - one of the very few similarities between the two men. Adam Lazarus does a great job of drawing sharp contrast between Williams and Glenn while also maintaining the strong ties between them that continued on long after their service time. Both Williams and Glenn entered distinctive and varied paths to their lives; Glenn as a test pilot and famed Mercury astronaut, who made a career in politics as a senator from Ohio, and Williams as a baseball manager for the Washington Senators and spokesperson for Sears sporting goods. This is not as much a baseball book (although there is plenty of baseball included in it) as many might initially think, but more of a story of two famous Americans who most people would never imagine could be friends, but were very much lifelong friends. It is a good lesson in overlooking individual differences for the greater good.
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