Getting the Record Straight Shoeless Joe Jackson Military service

[blackbetsy]

Joe Jackson never served in the U.S. Army or ANY other branch of service for THIS or any other country. Let me clarify that a bit, the man we know as Shoeless Joe Jackson NEVER served in the military, granted, there were probably more than a few "Joe Jackson's" that served this great country, but the fellow from South Carolina with incredible baseball skills was not one of them. The order to Fight or Go to Work In Support of the War was given in 1918 and Joe Jackson was ordered to report to Greenville, SC, (his local draft board), which he did and he was granted an exemption due to he was the sole support for his mother, brothers and sisters and his wife Katie (Joe never was listed as a Class One in the draft due to his sole provider status). That meant Joe would need to go to work in support of the war effort, which he did in May of 1918. He went to work for the Harlan and Hollingsworth Shipbuilders in Wilmington, DE (very well documented I might add). He worked in the shipyards and played baseball for the company team (see the team photo here: http://www.blackbetsy.com/imagefarm/...-1918-auto.jpg). Joe is 9th man from left standing. He was not a slacker (see article about him: http://www.blackbetsy.com/imagefarm/...o_date-850.jpg). By all accounts he was back in Savannah, GA by December of 1918 and possibly getting ready to make his return to the big leagues for the 1919 season. Unless someone / anyone can bring me IRON CLAD provenance on this photo, I'm simply gonna have to cry BULLS***. Bottom line folks, it ain't Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Mike Nola
Official Historian
Shoeless Joe Jackson's Virtual Hall of Fame
http://www.blackbetsy.com