The Braves honored Goggin as their “Hometown Hero” during their series against the Rockies last weekend. He earned a standing ovation during Friday night’s series opener and signed autographs in the pavilion before Sunday’s finale.

For Goggin, the recognition was not about him, though he certainly earned it after receiving a Bronze Star and Purple Heart during his time in Vietnam. Instead, he said the ovation belonged to those he served with in the Marine Corps, including the 35 Marines who were killed in action.

By stepping onto the ceremonial red carpet before a sellout crowd at Truist Park, Goggin said he gave a voice to their stories and honored the bravery of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“I’ve always tried to keep them alive a little bit by being able to honor them whenever I could,” Goggin said. “This kind of does that for me tonight. I get to thank them for their service as well as, when people thank me for mine, that means they’re thanking them as well.”

“It is a feeling of sorrow and regret that most of them were not old enough to vote or old enough to drink a beer, but they were old enough to serve their country and give their life for their country,” Goggin continued, sitting next to his grandson. “And you don’t know what those people might have grown up to be. There could have been doctors and lawyers. There might have been a president of the United States in there. You never know. They didn’t get the chance.

“So what it means to me is to try to live my life a little bit to honor them.”

Goggin’s draft selection came as a surprise because he previously had a “4F label” next to his name that deemed him ineligible to serve because of a knee surgery. However, his status changed, and next thing he knew, he was headed to Marines boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina.

The draft pulled Goggin away from his lifelong dream of becoming a professional baseball player, but he did not have time to feel sorry for himself — especially in an environment as tense as the Marines, where one drop in focus could cost a life.

“The Marines don’t really give you time to think about anything else,” Goggin said. “They just beat the hell out of you and try to make you a Marine.”

Goggin’s two years on the battlefield forced him to grow up quickly. The 20-year-old had no choice but to mature while confronting the brutal realities of war — including surviving a land-mine explosion.

One of Goggin’s more impactful moments in the Marines came March 2, 1967, during a battle against the North Vietnamese Army.

Eleven people from his team lost their lives that day, and more than 50 others were injured. But the detail that really puts the experience into perspective is that Goggin’s team technically “won” the battle.

“When I say things like that, you think they kicked our butt,” Goggin said. “But we actually won that fight, so that was a very significant day.”

As crazy as it sounds, there were similar aspects of serving in the Marines and playing on a baseball field. Both forge a bond among a group of people who must work together for a bigger purpose. They even have reunions, where team members meet and recount old stories.

But there is one stark difference: While a mistake on the diamond could end a game, a slipup on the battlefield could end your life.

“I learned that there are worse things than striking out with the bases loaded,” Goggin said. “You can strike out with the bases loaded, and you can come back and go to bat again the next day. The equivalent of striking out with the bases loaded is getting killed in Vietnam, and then you can’t come back and give it a try the next day.”

“You might lose a game here. You might lose your life there.”

Goggin returned home after two years of serving, and he immediately went back to chasing his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He arrived home Feb. 10, 1968, and reported to Vero Beach, Florida, nine days later for spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And his return played out like a feel-good, Hollywood movie. Goggin’s first official at-bat was a home run. Even better? The two-run homer put his team, which was trailing 2-1, ahead.

“I didn’t sprint around the bases, but I ran hard until I knew it was a home run,” Goggin said. “And then I eased on around. I thought this was outstanding; it was really outstanding.”

Goggin later faced adversity with an injury, but if joining the military did not stop him from chasing his dream, neither could a broken ankle.

And in 1972, his lifelong pursuit turned into a reality. The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted him to the big leagues, and his first at-bat — a pinch-hit walk — made the journey worth it.

“It was the culmination of a lifetime,” Goggin said. “All I ever wanted to be was be a Major League Baseball player. When the game was over, I went up and shook (Pirates manager Bill Virdon’s) hand and said, ‘Thank you very much. Because if a bus hit me on the way home, I made it to the big leagues and I had an at-bat. So I was official.’”

Goggin put together a four-year MLB career with the Pirates, Braves and Boston Red Sox. Friday night at Truist Park, 20 of Goggin’s relatives joined him as he took in the Braves game from behind home plate, watched batting practice and struck up a conversation with manager Brian Snitker.

“He looks like an old baseball guy,” Snitker said. “He’s like right out of a (former Braves assistant Bobby Dews) — kind of looks like him, an old baseball player, manager and really nice guy. I really enjoyed visiting with him, telling him, ‘Don’t be a stranger.’ I’d love for him to come back and hang around with the guys and see me again because he seemed like a wonderful man. And what he’s been through and everything, it was really cool to honor him tonight.”

Now, Goggin resides in Nashville, Tennessee, where he watches the Braves — he said they sometimes make his blood pressure spike — spends time with his family and just enjoys life after making countless sacrifices.

But for Goggin, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

“If I could do it again in place of somebody, I would take their place and do it again,” Goggin said.