Major League Baseball will salute 30 Medal of Honor recipients prior to the 2018 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday, July 17 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The honorees in attendance will be recognized on the field following the introduction of the MLB All-Stars. The ceremony will be broadcast live during the FOX Pre-Game Show which begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
Four-time Academy Award nominated actor Bradley Cooper will narrate a video that will play in the ballpark and on FOX celebrating the honorees. As part of the ceremony, a community of choirs from the Washington, D.C. area will perform the national anthem. Nolan Williams, Jr. is the commissioned arranger and music director for the performance. Williams, who is CEO of NEWorks Productions, has written and produced music for television, film and live events of national and international prominence.
"As the national pastime in the nation's capital, Major League Baseball is proud to celebrate these heroes who demonstrated bravery and selflessness in serving and protecting the United States of America," said Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. "These extraordinary veterans are national treasures and we are honored by their attendance. I hope this stage provides an opportunity to recognize their unmistakable commitment to our country and start the 89th MLB All-Star Game in an inspiring and patriotic way."
"Medal of Honor recipients are honored to be included in the All-Star celebration of America's favorite pastime sport, Baseball," said Drew Dix, President, Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Following are the recipients scheduled to participate in the All-Star pre-game ceremony. The names link to their bio page on the Congressional Medal of Honor Society web site where the reasons for their citation are highlighted.
Bennie Adkins
Donald Ballard
Harvey Barnum, Jr.
Gary Beikirch
Edward Byers
Bruce Crandall
Roger Donlon
Michael Fitzmaurice
Robert Foley
Harold Fritz
Charles Hagemeister
Thomas Kelley
Charles Kettles
Gary Littrell
James Livingston
Walter Marm, Jr.
James McCloughan
Melvin Morris
Robert Patterson
Leroy Petry
Alfred Rascon
Gordon Roberts
Clinton Romesha
Gary Rose
Ronald Rosser
Clarence Sasser
Kenneth Stumpf
James Taylor
Brian Thacker
Hershel "Woody" Williams
MLB All-Star Week includes the MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at Nationals Park (July 17th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring the T-Mobile Home Run Derby (July 16th), All-Star Sunday featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game (July 15th), GEICO All-Star FanFest at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (July 13th-17th), and PLAY BALL Park at The Yards (July 13th-17th), plus a lineup of additional events taking place around the city. The 89th Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit www.allstargame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.