When most people see Vernon Baker, the idea of a World War 2 hero never crosses their mind. Many people see a humble individual who had a great love for his family and friends. However, the late Vernon Baker is only one out of seven African Americans who have received the Medal of Honor for their heroic efforts during World War II in the 1940s. Sadly, it took 50 years for this distinguished award to be given to him and this was because of the blatant racism that was still prevalent during that time. However, for 90 year old Vernon Baker, it was better late than never.
Although he would humbly deny any claims of being an amazing World War 2 hero, his story of his heroic acts will linger on beyond his recent death.
His official Medal of Honor citation describes what he did:
“When his company was stopped by the concentration of fire from several machine gun emplacements, he crawled to one position and destroyed it, killing three Germans. Continuing forward, he attacked and enemy observation post and killed two occupants. With the aid of one of his men, Lieutenant Baker attacked two more machine gun nests, killing or wounding the four enemy soldiers occupying these positions. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy’s fire.”
After spending a major part of a day placing himself at risk to lead his unit, Baker was back in action the following evening:
“On the following night Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective.”
Baker was originally given the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts during the war. However, in the early 1990s, a study was done to discover that none of the more than 400 World War II Medal of Honor recipients were black. The research identified “a racial disparity in the way Medal of Honor recipients were selected.”
Seven African American heroes from World War 2 were selected to acquire the Medal of Honor from President Bill Clinton. Sadly, four of them had died during the war, and two veterans had died during the years following the war. Interestingly, Vernon Baker was the only African American World War II veteran present at the White House to have the iconic star and pale blue ribbon placed upon his neck.
Sadly, this past Tuesday, Vernon Baker had died at his home in Idaho after fighting through a long battle with Cancer. His wife and members of his family were by his side. Baker is survived by his wife, Heidy, and five children. He is expected to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
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