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Army 2nd Lt. Vernon Baker
| Army
2nd Lt. Vernon Baker |
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| Medal of Honor holders Clarence Sasser
(left) and Vernon Baker cut the ribbon dedicating the Pentagon's
African Americans in Defense of Our Nation corridor during ceremonies
Feb. 19. The corridor's first display honors African-American
Medal of Honor heroes. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Stephen
Barrett) |
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Black Soldier's Achievements In World War
II Ignored For Over 50 Years
By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Military.com Writer
In 1997, retired Army Gen. Colin Powell told an audience he had been
privileged to come into the military at a time when most segregation
barriers had fallen. But "while I was privileged," he said, "I will
never forget those who went before me and those who were willing to
serve their country which was not willing to serve them."
Seated next to Powell during the speech was a quiet, dignified man named
Vernon Baker. The World War II veteran from St. Maries, Idaho, was one
of seven black soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor in 1997 for deeds
long past. A then-segregated Army had ignored their achievements. Baker
was the only one of the group still alive to accept the honor.
Baker, who enlisted in 1941, was selected for Officer Candidate School
shortly after Pearl Harbor. In April 1945, he found himself in a firefight
on an Italian mountainside. He took out German gun posts and killed
nine enemy soldiers with a gun and hand grenades, an action that the
Army rewarded with the Distinguished Service Cross.
Five decades later, he was astonished when the Army called to tell him
his medal was being considered for an upgrade to the Medal of Honor.
But his surprise was swept aside by anger when he read declassified
Army performance reports that described blacks as "unsuited for combat"
and spoke of "black cowardice." "In my unit, there were no cowards,"
Baker snapped to a journalist in 1996. "We fought, and men in my platoon
died."
Yet Baker remains loyal to superiors and subordinates both black and
white. In accepting his medal, he said: "As I look out, I don't see
color. I see America. America, I love you."
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