John F Baker Jr
John was born on the 30th of October, 1945, in Davenport, Iowa. In high school, he was a gymnast since his father was a trapeze artist for the circus. He graduated from Moline High School in 1966 and enlisted in the military soon after. The Marine Corps said that he was one inch too short for them, since John measured in at 5' 2”, but the US Army took him and by September of 1966 he was in the Republic of Vietnam. It was his actions on the 5th of November, 1966, that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. En route to assist another unit that was engaged with the enemy, Company A came under intense enemy fire and the lead man was killed instantly. Sgt. Baker immediately moved to the head of the column and together with another soldier knocked out 2 enemy bunkers. When his comrade was mortally wounded, Sgt. Baker, spotting 4 Viet Cong snipers, killed all of them, evacuated the fallen soldier and returned to lead repeated assaults against the enemy positions, killing several more Viet Cong. Moving to attack 2 additional enemy bunkers, he and another soldier drew intense enemy fire and Sgt. Baker was blown from his feet by an enemy grenade. He quickly recovered and single-handedly destroyed 1 bunker before the other soldier was wounded. Seizing his fallen comrade's machine gun, Sgt. Baker charged through the deadly fusillade to silence the other bunker. He evacuated his comrade, replenished his ammunition and returned to the forefront to brave the enemy fire and continue the fight. When the forward element was ordered to withdraw, he carried 1 wounded man to the rear. As he returned to evacuate another soldier, he was taken under fire by snipers, but raced beyond the friendly troops to attack and kill the snipers. After evacuating the wounded man, he returned to cover the deployment of the unit. His ammunition now exhausted, he dragged 2 more of his fallen comrades to the rear. Sgt. Baker's selfless heroism, indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible for saving the lives of several of his comrades, and inflicting serious damage on the enemy. His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
John received the Medal of Honor from President Johnson in a ceremony at the White House along side Captain Robert Foley. His story will be covered on the next episode. John continued to serve in the Army, as a recruiter, until his retirement as a Master Sergeant in 1989. John had made many requests to return to Vietnam and they were all denied. He became a computer analyst for the Veterans Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina and was also the vice president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. John was married twice and had one son, John Baker III.
John Franklin Baker Jr died on the 20th of January, 2012, at the age of 66 in his home. He had been suffering from heart problems and using oxygen in the last few years of his life. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 34, Grave 687.
