EASLEY—In 1942, Easley’s Joe Anders was on the verge of fulfilling a livelong dream as the New York Yankees offered him a contract to play major league baseball.

But just months earlier, in December, 1941, the United States had joined World War II after a cowardly Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Anders love for baseball was great, but not as great as his love for his country. So he turned down the Yankees and joined the army.

Four years later, at the end of World War II, Anders was discharged from the army. He was offered a chance to play for a Texas minor league team affiliated with the Brooklyn

Dodgers, but he chose instead to return home and play Textile League baseball.

“Back then, the Major League really didn’t play that well, and the Minor League was even worse,” he said. “You could make more money in the Textile Leagues.”

Last November, Anders and five others who sacrificed time in the Major Leagues to serve their country in the military were invited to serve on a panel as part of the 11th Annual Conference of the American Veterans Center in Washington, D.C.

Included on the panel was Anders longtime friend Lou Brissie. Brissie signed with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1941 at age 17. He volunteered for military service in 1942.

On Dec. 7, 1944, Brissie was hit by enemy fire, shattering his left shinbone and breaking his left ankle and right foot. He convinced doctors not to amputate his leg.

After he returned home, he still wanted to return to Major League baseball, despite having to spend countless hours in rehabilitation due to his injury. Three years later, after 23 operations, Brissie returned to the Athletics as a pitcher. He played for seven more seasons.

Jerry Coleman was also on the panel. Coleman served in the Korean War. He played for six seasons for the New York Yankees. He was manager of the San Diego Padres in 1980. Currently, at age 84, he is the play-by-play announcer for the Padres’ radio broadcasts.

Also on the panel was Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, who spent four years in the military during World War II. Feller, who played for the Cleveland Indians both before and after his time of military service, was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, making him – at age 90 – the earliest Hall of Fame inductee still living.

Monte Irvin was also on the panel. Andrews was playing in the Negro Leagues when he accepted the call to military service in 1943.

After serving in World War II, he returned to the Newark Eagles and led the team to the league championship.

He made his Major League debut in 1949 for the New York Giants. He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1973,

The final member of the panel was Ralph Kiner, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975. Kiner served in the military 1943-45. After the war, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was the National League leader in home runs for seven straight seasons.

At age 86, he is still the play-by-play announcer for the New York Mets radio broadcasts.

With such a star-studded panel, Anders was delighted to be part of the event. During the panel discussion, Anders was able to tell a few stories about his lifelong friend, Shoeless Joe Jackson.

Anders learned baseball from Jackson, who was from Greenville and returned to live there after being banned from baseball as part of the 1919 Black Sox scandal. Jackson worked with neighborhood kids, helping them learn the game of baseball.

Anders has long been part of the effort to have Jackson re-instated into baseball to open the door for Jackson to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 1919 White Sox were accused for throwing the World Series in exchange for money from mobsters. However, Jackson batted .375 in the series, had no fielding errors and hit the only home run in the series – hardly the statistics of somebody trying to throw the game. Years later, others involved in the scandal admitted Jackson was not present for any of the meetings concerning the fix, and they only used his name to give the idea of throwing the series more credibility with the gamblers.

Anders still hopes Jackson will get a fair shake and be re-instated.

“Things will open up in Joe’s favor, then things will cool off again,” Anders said. “We just can’t seem to get anybody to listen to Joe’s true story.”

The panel discussion was just one of dozens of activities during the three-day event last November. Anders said he especially enjoyed a program by the five surviving members of “The Filthy 13,” who were the inspiration for the movie, “The Dirty Dozen.”

Anders got a chance to talk with the men, and before the end of the seminar, he considered them his friends.

“They said something about getting together again in Columbia later this year,” Anders said.

The former players also attended a 90th birthday party for Feller at the newly built Nationals Park.

Anders also enjoyed visiting the World War II memorial in Washington, where his group was present for the daily laying of the wreath.

The group also visited Walter Reed Hospital, where current soldiers are recovering from injuries suffered in the line of duty.

Anders was especially proud of being selected to receive the Audie Murphy Award. The award is named after Murphy, who was one of the most decorated soldiers in World War II. Murphy later had a career as an actor, starring in the autobiographical “To Hell and Back.”

Murphy died in a plane crash in 1971 and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. His grave is second only to President John F. Kennedy’s in attracting visitors each year.

“I’m proud to have an award bearing his name,” Anders said.