Hosted by the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation and the Cleveland Indians, more than 150 WWII veterans and guests attended the ceremony. The event also featured remarks from the mayor of Cleveland, Frank Jackson, a U.S. Army veteran, and Bob DiBiaso, senior vice president for public affairs for the Cleveland Indians.

“To our World War II veterans, we don’t really know how to thank you," said Modly, a Cleveland native. "We try year after year, but it is impossible for the gestures of our gratitude to meet the measure of your courage and your sacrifices. It is truly a blessing to see so many of you here today.

"Your service to this country, in this simple and modest way, has continued well beyond the time you served in uniform," Modly continued. "It has been your most precious gift to us as a citizenry. You have shown us what is good and what is worth fighting for. There is no greater inheritance you could have given us than this.”

Along with paying tribute to the many WWII veterans during his visit to his hometown, Modly met with local Navy and Marine Corps recruiters, local industry and medical professionals. He also toured the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and swore in several new service members and Cleveland Browns headquarters and training facility.

Feller was a pitcher for Cleveland Indians and a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and a WWII veteran. He was the first active professional athlete to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation established the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2013. It annually recognizes eight recipients -- one MLB Hall of Famer, one current player, one Navy chief petty officer, two Mentoring Awards, a member of the Marine Corps and two children whose parents serve in the military and are winners of an essay contest.

Two simultaneous ceremonies took place at the Yogi Berra Museum in Montclair, New Jersey, and at the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, both through the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation.