Before He Orbited Earth, John Glenn Flew Fighter Jets with Ted Williams

He might have been "The Kid" and "Teddy Ballgame" in Boston, but Ted Williams was "Bush Williams" while serving in the Korean War, a nickname bestowed on him by none other than frequent wingman and future astronaut John Glenn, who passed away this week at 95.

In a 2002 tribute to Williams, Glenn recalled:

"You know when you call a baseball player 'bush'—well, that's the worst thing you could say to a major league player, 'You're bush league.' When Ted got to Korea, somebody referred to something about him being bush one day, joking. Ted responded like you might expect Ted to respond, sort of negatively—well, that set a pattern. He was known as 'Bush Williams' from then on. Everybody liked him."

The two Marine Corps pilots were often wingmen, flying about half their missions together, according to one estimate by Glenn.

Another time, it was a round of mockery when Williams—who had previously, famously landed a plane struck by enemy fire—told Glenn he'd been hit again. According to Glenn's remembrance in Ted Williams: The Pursuit of Perfection, he flew up to inspect Williams' plane, and realized that there was no bullet or mortar at all — rather it was a rock, lodged in the wing after a bombing run. A new nickname ensued.

As biographer Ed Linn chronicles, the two had few opportunities to reconnect in the States for many years, with Glenn undergoing training with NASA and Williams on the road with the Sox.

When they finally reunited, writes Linn, it was after Glenn had been elected Ohio Senator, a Democrat.

"It's just too bad you're a Republican," Glenn reportedly told the fiercely partisan Williams.

But no hard feelings.

Glenn said in Pursuit of Perfection, "Ted ONLY batted .406 for the Red Sox. He batted a thousand for the Marine Corps and the United States."

And Williams, not a man known for admiring others, once said, according to Linn: "When things started happening with John Glenn, I was so happy and proud of the fact that I knew him. John Glenn is an extraordinarily talented, brave hero. He's a hell of a man."

Shortly before his death in 2002, Williams told biographer Dave Anderson, "John Glenn is my idol in life right now."

Image credit NASA