Braves honor Medal of Honor recipients

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves honor seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients at Turner Field during a pregame ceremony on June 4, 2014.

The Braves honor seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients (from left): Col. Donald Ballard, Sgt. Gary Beikirch, Maj. Gen. Pat Brady, Col. Bruce Crandall, Col. Joe Jackson, Sgt. Maj. Ron Rosser, and Sgt. Maj. Ken Stump.

Sgt. Maj. Kenneth E. Stumpf was an Army squad leader in Vietnam when his company encountered an enemy bunker complex. Three of his men were injured and his unit was pinned down. Stumpf left his secure position and ran through gunfire to reach his wounded comrades. He carried one to safety and twice more braved gunfire to rescue the other two. Then he organized and led an assault against several enemy bunkers. When one remained a threat, he ran toward it through gunfire and hurled hand grenades that eliminated the threat posed by that key position. His unit was able to then overrun the enemy. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

Army Col. Bruce Crandall distinguished himself during the Vietnam War. His flight of 16 helicopters were lifting troops for a search-and-destroy mission. As he landed to drop off troops on his fifth lift, his unarmed helicopter came under such intense fire that the ground commander ordered the second flight to abort their mission. Crandall decided to "adjust his base of operations in order to deliver ammunition and evacuate wounded soldiers," according to his citation. He led two aircraft to Landing Zone X-ray and supervised the loading of seriously wounded soldiers aboard his aircraft. That day he completed 22 flights, most under intense enemy fire. His actions were portrayed in the Mel Gibson movie, "We were soldiers." CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

During the Vietnam War Air Force pilot Col. Joe Jackson distinguished himself in a volunteer rescue mission to extract a 3-man combat team from intense hostile fire near a damaged airstrip. He succeeded in getting airborne and flying the team to safety. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

During the Korean War, Sgt. Maj. Ronald E. Rosser charged a heavily fortified hill armed with only a rifle and a grenade. He silenced the first bunker with gunfire, reached the top of the hill and killed 2 enemy soldiers and went down the trench, killing 5 more as he advanced. He hurled his grenade into a bunker and shot 2 soldiers who emerged. When he ran out of ammo, he went back down the hill, through enemy fire, to re-arm. Urging others to follow him, he attacked two more bunkers until he ran out of ammo and had to run back for more. He charged the hill three times. After exhausting his ammo, he ran through enemy fire several times to rescue injured men. He is credited with single-handedly killing at least 13 enemy troops. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

060314 ATLANTA: The Braves honor seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients Col. Donald Ballard (from left to right), Sgt. Gary Beikirch, Maj Gen Pat Brady, Col. Bruce Crandall, Col. Joe Jackson, Sgt. Maj. Ron Rosser, and Sgt Maj. Ken Stump during a pregame ceremony on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, in Atlanta. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest military honor bestowed upon an individual serving in our nation's military. =

Sgt. Gary Beikirch was an Army Special Forces medic who was twice wounded when he braved enemy fire two times to pull a wounded officer and then a soldier to medical aid. He continued to try to locate and rescue other injured men until he himself collapsed. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

While serving as an Army med-evac pilot in the Vietnam War, Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Brady four times flew into heavily defended enemy territory to evacuate a total of 51 seriously wounded personnel. Throughout the day he used three helicopters. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

The Braves honor Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Donald Ballard, who served as a corpsman in the Navy during the Vietnam War, during a pregame ceremony on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, in Atlanta. According to his citation, he threw himself on a grenade to protect his comrades, and when it failed to detonate immediately, he tossed it back at the enemy. CURTIS COMPTON / CCOMPTON@AJC.COM

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez shakes hands with Congressional Medal of Honor recipients (from left to right) Ronald Rosser, Joe Jackson and Kenneth Stumpf before a pregame ceremony.

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez laughs with Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Bruce Crandall.

1/11

The Braves honor seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients (from left): Col. Donald Ballard, Sgt. Gary Beikirch, Maj. Gen. Pat Brady, Col. Bruce Crandall, Col. Joe Jackson, Sgt. Maj. Ron Rosser, and Sgt. Maj. Ken Stump.

Today's Gallery Headlines

PHOTOS: An early look at CNN Center's redevelopment in downtown Atlanta

PHOTOS: Wayfair opens first Atlanta store

PHOTOS: Hawks defeat Celtics in key East battle

People march in Bishop Park in Athens on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Protesters gathered in 10 different locations around Georgia’s Congressional District 10, leading up to a “Democracy Fair” at Bishop Park as part of a nationwide day of “No Kings” demonstrations. Organizers estimate that a few thousand people participated, many of them first-time protesters. (C.J. Bartunek for the AJC)

PHOTOS: 'No Kings' rally at Bishop Park in Athens, Ga.

More Galleries

PHOTOS: Day 3 of Spring Training for Braves

PHOTOS: Braves settle into day 2 of spring training

PHOTOS: Braves arrive for spring training

Newly hired Braves manager Walt Weiss speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Alerts