 In October 1943, Wakefield entered the U.S. Navy as an aviation cadet and was discharged in July 1944, when the cadet program was discontinued.Upon his discharge from the Navy, Wakefield rejoined the Tigers in mid-July 1944 and went on a tear, hitting .355 in 78 games and collecting an OPS score of 1.040.Wakefield was recalled up for service to the Navy in November 1944 and remained in the service until January 1946.