Vin Scully: The Veteran Voice Who Chronicled Baseball's Greatest Era

Scully's military file from the National Military Personnel Records Center reveals dates that contradict most obituaries and biographies. Born November 29, 1927, in the Bronx, New York, Vincent Edward Scully enlisted in the United States Navy on August 17, 1945—several days after Japan agreed to surrender on August 15. Military.com

He was 17 years old when he enlisted, requiring Navy officers to travel to his Manhattan home at 869 West 180th Street to obtain his mother Bridget "Bridie" Reeve's signature. He was discharged July 19, 1946, totaling approximately 11 months of active service.

Service Timeline

His Notice of Separation form listed his career aspiration: "Journalist" in "Radio Announcing in New York." He maintained a 4.0 in military conduct throughout his service.

Scully consistently deflected praise for his service with characteristic humility. At a 2017 Pasadena speaking event, he offered what became his most widely quoted statement on military service:

In the broadcast booth, when his service came up, he deflected simply: "Ah, I did very little." A 2021 interview revealed his matter-of-fact assessment: "By the time they called me up and sent me to boot camp, the war was over really."

This humility became central to how he honored combat veterans. As one of the last broadcasters to have served in World War II, Scully exemplified the Greatest Generation's tendency to underplay personal contributions while elevating others' sacrifices—a philosophical stance that shaped his six-plus decades of military tributes.

After his Navy discharge, Scully enrolled at Fordham University, graduating in 1949 with a degree in English. He worked at the campus radio station WFUV, calling football, basketball, and baseball games. Wikipedia

Scully called his first Dodgers game on April 18, 1950, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia—exactly three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947. The 22-year-old broadcaster replaced Ernie Harwell as the third announcer behind Red Barber and Connie Desmond. Baseball Hall of Fame

Robinson was in his fourth season. That first game featured six future Hall of Famers. Robinson hit a double and scored the Dodgers' only run in the seventh inning—which Scully called.

The one thing I do remember was that I was terrified.

— Vin Scully, on his first Dodgers broadcast Philadelphia Inquirer

Career Milestones

• 67 consecutive seasons with the Dodgers (1950—2016) — longest tenure with a single team in professional sports history
• Youngest person to broadcast a World Series (age 25, 1953) — record still stands
• Called the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series championship — Brooklyn's only title
• Final broadcast: October 2, 2016

Most of us, when we're angry, lose something. Jackie was the rare person that could get even better when he was angry.

— Vin Scully, on Jackie Robinson Sports Illustrated

Scully's most iconic personal story about Robinson occurred at Grossinger's resort in the Catskill Mountains during a Dodgers promotional symposium, likely winter 1951. Rachel Robinson was visibly pregnant with daughter Sharon.

Jackie looked at my ice skates and said, 'I'll get some skates,' and Rachel said, 'I'm going too.' So we get out there on the ice, and Jackie says, 'I'll race you.' I said, 'Come on, Jack; I know you're from Southern California.' He said, 'I've never been on skates.' I told him, 'You can't beat me, never having skated before.' He said, 'I know, but that's how I'll learn.'

— Vin Scully FanGraphs

And here's Jackie standing on his ankles and he turned and said to me, 'I'll bet you five bucks I can beat you.' That look came over his face. His competitive drive was so great. Yeah I won, sure, but I mean he was walking on the ice on his ankles. One of the great athletes of all time.

— Vin Scully MLB.com

A photograph exists of Vin and Jackie on skates, poised to race, with Rachel watching—published in Rachel Robinson's book Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait. The phrase "Ice Skating with Jackie Robinson" became legendary in baseball storytelling as the gold standard for personal anecdotes.

From 1950 through Robinson's retirement in 1956, Scully witnessed the second half of one of history's most consequential athletic careers, including the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series championship—Brooklyn's only title.

Scully's most powerful testimony about Robinson's struggles involved a death threat before a game at Crosley Field in Cincinnati:

Jackie had received some serious threats against his life, so that when the Dodgers came to Cincinnati, they had riflemen on the rooftops and on the roof of the big laundry building back in left field. There was a pall over the visitor's locker room as the Dodgers prepared for the game.

— Vin Scully MLB.com

Teammate Gene Hermanski broke the tension:

I've got it! We'll all wear number 42, and they'll never know which one is Jackie Robinson!

— Gene Hermanski, as recounted by Vin Scully

Scully noted this was prophetic: In 2004, MLB instituted the tradition of all players wearing #42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

Every June 6th, Scully transformed his broadcast into a history lesson. Sources confirm he shared stories about the Allied invasion of Normandy to ensure listeners understood the historical importance of that day. Next Avenue

June 6, 2015 Broadcast (71st Anniversary)

His broadcast during the Dodgers vs. Cardinals game offers the clearest documentation of his approach:

It included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, 150,000 servicemen and it came down to this. The boat ramp goes down, you jump, swim, run and crawl to the cliffs.

— Vin Scully, June 6, 2015 MLB.com

Many of the first young men were not yet 20 years old, and they entered the surf carrying 80 pounds of equipment. Many of them drowned. They faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection at all.

— Vin Scully, June 6, 2015

That night, he told the story of Lt. Col. "Mad Jack" Churchill, who jumped from his landing craft with a sword in hand and captured over 40 German officers at swordpoint during one raid. He closed with J.D. Salinger landing on Utah Beach with the first six chapters of The Catcher in the Rye in his backpack.

Memorial Day Traditions

During annual Memorial Day broadcasts, Scully read "In Flanders Fields," the WWI poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae written after presiding over his friend's funeral at the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. Think Blue LA

The actual games played on Memorial Day took somewhat of a backseat to the history lessons that Scully artfully and movingly passed along to his listeners between pitches and innings. Vinny had a way of putting baseball into its proper perspective on those occasions when he recounted D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and the many other military battles throughout our nation's history.

— Think Blue LA tribute

On January 5, 1982, Scully became the sixth announcer honored with the Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. The announcement at Dodger Stadium featured a congratulatory call from President Ronald Reagan, recorded messages from Walter Alston and mentor Red Barber, and speeches by Peter O'Malley, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, and Tommy Lasorda. Baseball Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame citation described him as: "entertaining, precise, proficient, charming, friendly, outgoing, smooth, relaxed, warm, knowledgeable, intelligent, literate, concise, well-prepared, colorful."

Additional Honors

Even after retiring in 2016, Scully continued veteran advocacy. At age 94, he became the voice of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation, a Camarillo nonprofit helping homeless military veterans. Yahoo News

His contributions included:

• Radio PSAs about veteran homelessness
• Narrated introductions for the Veterans' Village housing program
• Recorded a holiday poem about Rose Burgess, a 94-year-old widow of two American veterans rescued from homelessness

In July 2022—one month before his death on August 2, 2022—he recorded "The Difference Between July 4th and Independence Day," a PSA reminding Americans about the holiday's meaning. PRWeb

Bob, what if we recorded a series of public service announcements like this one, reminding people of the meaning behind every major American holiday? They don't teach this stuff in school as much as they should—some people just look at these holidays as a day off of work.

— Vin Scully to Gold Coast Veterans Foundation director, 2022

On Military Service

• "I was in the Navy for a year. Didn't go anywhere. Didn't do anything. But I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war." — Vin Scully, 2017
• "By the time they called me up and sent me to boot camp, the war was over really." — Vin Scully, 2021
• "Ah, I did very little." — Vin Scully, when service came up in broadcasts

On Jackie Robinson

• "Most of us, when we're angry, lose something. Jackie was the rare person that could get even better when he was angry."
• "I'll bet you five bucks I can beat you." — Jackie Robinson to Scully before ice skating race
• "That look came over his face. His competitive drive was so great." — Scully on Robinson
• "I've got it! We'll all wear number 42, and they'll never know which one is Jackie Robinson!" — Gene Hermanski, as recounted by Scully

On D-Day

• "The boat ramp goes down, you jump, swim, run and crawl to the cliffs."
• "Many of the first young men were not yet 20 years old, and they entered the surf carrying 80 pounds of equipment. Many of them drowned."

On Legacy

• "You and I have been friends for a long time, but I know in my heart that I've always needed you more than you've ever needed me." — Final broadcast, October 2, 2016
• "Why, with the millions and millions of more deserving people, would a red-haired kid with a hole in his pants and his shirttail hangin' out, playing stickball in the streets of New York, wind up in Cooperstown?"

Documentary Scene Recommendations

Positioning for Episode 2

Scully offers a unique narrative thread for "THE FIGHT BEFORE THE FIGHT": the veteran broadcaster whose Navy service and 67-year career made him both witness to and chronicler of baseball's integration and military connections. He wasn't a combat hero—and made sure everyone knew it—which gave him the moral authority to honor those who were.