WW2 Soldiers Who Made US Proud At Olympics

^{Nov 13, 2024 | Edition #49}

👋 Hey, Speedsters!

Ever wondered what happens when the worlds of combat boots and track spikes collide? Today, we're bringing you stories of Olympic legends who didn’t just fight for gold on the track but also served their country with honor!

If you caught our last newsletter, you know we celebrated the incredible Wilma Rudolph and other trailblazers like Ray Ewry and Walter Davis. Today, we’re continuing the theme of resilience with a fresh batch of legendary athletes who balanced Olympic dreams with military duty. From training on airstrips during wartime to breaking records and making history, their stories remind us that greatness doesn’t always follow a straight path. So how exactly did they make history?

Let’s find out!

📜 QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Good things come to those who wait!”

— Harrison Dillard

In today’s newsletter, we’ll uncover these top stories from Track & Field universe:

🏃🏻 Inspiring Journey of the ‘Marvelous Mal’!

🏅  ‘Fastest man alive’: Story of the Legendary Veteran

💫 Harrison Dillard: From Service to Olympic Glory

💪🏻 Willie Davenport’s Journey of Perseverance

🏃🏻Track Icons

‘Marvelous Mal’: From War Zones to World Records

When you think of Los Angeles, you might not picture an Olympic champion training on an airstrip at night, balancing life between track spikes and combat boots. But that’s exactly the story of Mal “Marvelous Mal” Whitfield, an athlete and decorated U.S. Army veteran. A member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, Mal didn’t just make waves on the track; he broke barriers in the military too.

Mal’s journey began in 1932, sneaking into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as an 8-year-old, already dreaming of Olympic glory. But his path took an unexpected turn when he joined the Army after high school, eventually serving as a gunner in Europe and Africa during WWII. When he returned, Mal enrolled at Ohio State University, developing into one of the best 400m and 800m runners of his era.

By the 1948 London Olympics, he was a force, capturing two golds and a bronze. But his military career didn’t take a back seat. Even as an active-duty soldier deployed in the Korean War, he found ways to train, running drills on airstrips between missions. In 1952, he won another gold and silver in Helsinki, proving his tenacity on both the battlefield and the track.

Whitfield went on to set six world records and, in 1954, became the first African American to win the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award. Even though he narrowly missed qualifying for the 1956 Olympics while studying at Los Angeles State College, his legacy was already cemented as one of the sport's greats.

Reflecting on his journey, he said, “I may have had to take a detour or two, but somehow I’ve achieved everything I started out to do.” Whitfield, the first active-duty service member to win Olympic gold, passed away in 2015 at 91, inspiring generations to come. And he wasn’t alone – his era saw more military heroes make their mark on the Games, laying a foundation for future greatness.

Continue Reading: How CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield (Daughter of Mal Whitfield) Managed to Train for Triathlons in Her Spare Time

📊 POLL OF THE DAY

American veterans have made a huge impact in the Olympics, combining military toughness with athletic skill. However, one veteran stands out with the most gold medals. So, here’s today’s trivia!

🏅Beyond-the-Medals

Charley Paddock: Running for Gold, Serving with Honor

Charley Paddock, known as the ‘fastest man alive’ in the 1920s, had an extraordinary life that blended athletics, military service, and, later, a career in journalism. Born in 1900, Paddock showcased his speed while serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery during World War I. After the war, he competed in the 1919 Inter-Allied Games in Paris, winning the 100- and 200-meter races, earning his ‘fastest man alive’ moniker.

Paddock went on to study at the University of Southern California, where he was a key member of the track and field team. In 1920, he returned to Europe for the Antwerp Olympics, where he claimed gold in the 100-meter dash (here is a clip capturing that moment!) and 4×100-meter relay, while also earning a silver in the 200 meters. Four years later, at the Paris 1924 Olympics, he repeated his silver-medal finish in the 200 meters, a performance that would be immortalized in the film Chariots of Fire.

Though he did not medal in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, Paddock’s career had already cemented him as one of the greats. Beyond athletics, he found success as a newspaper editor and publisher, while also returning to military service during World War II as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. Tragically, Paddock’s life was cut short in 1943 when he died in a plane crash near Sitka, Alaska, at the age of 42.

He may not have had a Hollywood ending, but Charley Paddock’s life wasn’t short on heroism. The ‘fastest man alive’ didn’t just leave a legacy in sports—he showed us what it means to be brave, on and off the track.

Continue Reading: Why the ‘Fastest Man Alive’ Visited Norco, Riverside in 1920s, ’30s

📽️ Video Vault

WWII Veteran’s Unstoppable Run at 100!

This 100-year-old WWII vet Lester Wright tearing up the track! At the Penn Relays, Lester didn’t just show up—he showed out, blazing through the 100m in an epic 26.34 seconds. Age? Just a number for this legend! Watch as he demonstrates that it’s never too late to go for the gold!

⏳Timeless Legends

Harrison Dillard’s Unstoppable Olympic Legacy

While talking about stories of the legends, we have another—Harrison “Bones” Dillard. The Cleveland-born sprinter stands as the only man in history to capture Olympic gold in both the 100m sprint and the 110m hurdles, but it’s not just the medals that make his legacy remarkable.

In 1941, Dillard enrolled at Baldwin-Wallace College with dreams of an Olympic career, but by 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Assigned to the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division, famously known as the Buffalo Soldiers, Dillard spent three formative years away from the track. When WWII ended, he returned to his college campus but never left behind his Olympic ambitions. As fate would have it, he soon got a taste of competition again in an Olympic-style tournament organized by the army, giving him the spark he needed to push forward.

In 1948, at the first post-war Olympics in London, Dillard stunned the world, earning gold with a photo finish in the 100m sprint and claiming the title of “World’s Fastest Man.” Catch his legendary feat here! Four years later, he added another gold in the 110m hurdles at the Helsinki Olympics. His path to greatness was inspired by his hometown hero, Jesse Owens, another East Technical High School alum whose achievements Dillard admired from a young age.

The U.S. Army veteran passed away in 2019, at 96 years old. However, Dillard isn’t the only ex-military personnel who brought golden hardware to the USA from the biggest sporting tournament in the world. Want to know more? Follow our next story!

Continue Reading: Baldwin-Wallace Remembers Olympic Champion Harrison Dillard

 💫Inspiring Feats

The Unbreakable Spirit of Willie Davenport

Let’s talk about Willie Davenport—the real groundbreaker who took track and field to whole new heights and then kept climbing! Born in Troy, Alabama, Davenport was just five years old when Harrison Dillard snagged Olympic gold in the hurdles. Flash forward two decades, and Davenport would go on to follow in Dillard’s footsteps, capturing his own gold in the 110m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. But Davenport didn’t stop there. From 1964 to 1980, he was an Olympic fixture, competing in five Games, something that’s nearly unheard of in track and field.

Davenport was a proud Southern University and A&M College alum and had another Olympic gem in his collection—a bronze from the 1976 Montreal Olympics. If that wasn’t enough, he juggled this all while serving in the U.S. Army, having enlisted in 1961 and getting stationed at Mainz for several years before his discharge in 1965.

Now, the USA boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980, but guess what? Davenport wasn’t done making history. That same year, he made the Winter Olympic bobsled team for Lake Placid, becoming the first Black American to represent the country in the Winter Games. He wasn’t just breaking records; he was shattering stereotypes. In his own words, “There’s this myth that Blacks can’t make the Winter Olympic team. Jeff [Jordan] and I proved this to be wrong.” 

And that’s not all, he also dabbled in football! Drafted by the New Orleans Saints as a wide receiver in 1969, Davenport was already leaving his mark on yet another sport. The man simply wouldn’t quit, and every step of his journey was laced with that army-level resilience. No challenge seemed too big for Davenport, whether it was on the track, in the snow, or on the field. He proved that with enough grit, no hurdle—literal or figurative—can hold you back. Talk about a true army-esque mentality!

Continue Reading: Willie Davenport Has Olympic ‘Gold Fever.’

📝 Highlighted Stories!

1. Gabby Thomas Expressed Her Biggest Paris Olympics Fear - Full Story

2. Letsile Tebogo Makes Heartfelt Confession About Track & Field Career- Full Story

3. Kenny Bednarek Had a Deeper Motive at Paris Olympics - Full Story

4. After Quincy Wilson Stunned Baltimore Ravens Players, Track & Field Star Receives Special Gift From The NFL Team - Full Story

5. Mondo Duplantis Clears Major Life Milestone at LSU Home - Full Story

That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!

💌 FEEDBACK