Vernon Baker

Baker was born on December 17, 1919, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the youngest of three children. After his parents died in a car accident when he was four, he and his two sisters were raised by their paternal grandparents. His grandfather Joseph S. Baker, a railroad worker in Cheyenne, taught him to hunt in order to feed the family and became "the most influential figure in Vernon's life." His relationship with his wheelchair-using grandmother was much more strained, and he spent a few years at the Boys Town orphanage in Omaha, Nebraska, to be away from her. Baker graduated in 1939 from Clarinda High School in his grandfather's hometown of Clarinda, Iowa. He worked as a railroad porter, a job he despised, until his grandfather's death from cancer on Christmas in 1939. A series of menial jobs followed. ==U.S. Army career==

Baker enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1941 from Cheyenne. On the second day of the assault, Baker volunteered to lead a battalion advance that secured the mountain. On June 10, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism on April 5–6. After World War II, he became an Army parachutist in the 11th Airborne Division and served in the Korean War. He retired from the Army in 1968. ==Family and later years==

Baker worked for the American Red Cross for almost 20 years. His second wife, born Helen Conley Stewart, was the granddaughter of Paschal Conley and niece of Congressman Bennett Stewart. His third wife was Fern Brown; the couple had three children. After Fern's death in 1986, Baker moved to a cabin in the Benewah Valley of northern Idaho. Baker was an avid hunter, and hunted elk in northern Idaho before and after moving to the area. In 1989, he met a German woman visiting the U.S., Heidy Pawlik, whom he would later marry. Baker died at his St. Maries, Idaho, home on July 13, 2010, after a long battle with cancer. He had been close to death from brain cancer in 2004 but had recovered. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, DC, on September 24, 2010, was attended by three other Medal of Honor recipients, and his family. Funds for them to travel to Arlington, Virginia, were raised by their local community. ==Military awards==

Baker's military decorations and awards: ==Medal of Honor citation==

Baker's Medal of Honor citation reads: The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 5 and 6 April 1945. At 0500 hours on 5 April 1945, Lieutenant Baker advanced at the head of his weapons platoon, along with Company C's three rifle platoons, towards their objective, Castle Aghinolfi – a German mountain strong point on the high ground just east of the coastal highway and about two miles from the 370th Infantry Regiment's line of departure. Moving more rapidly than the rest of the company, Lieutenant Baker and about 25 men reached the south side of a draw some 250 yards from the castle within two hours. In reconnoitering for a suitable position to set up a machine gun, Lieutenant Baker observed two cylindrical objects pointing out a slit in a mount at the edge of a hill. Crawling up and under the opening, he stuck his M-1 into the slit and emptied the clip, killing the observation post's two occupants. Moving to another position in the same area, Lieutenant Baker stumbled upon a well-camouflaged machine gun nest, the crew of which was eating breakfast. He shot and killed both enemy soldiers. After Captain John F. Runyon, Company C's Commander joined the group, a German soldier appeared from the draw and hurled a grenade which failed to explode. Lieutenant Baker shot the enemy soldier twice as he tried to flee. Lieutenant Baker then went down into the draw alone. There he blasted open the concealed entrance of another dugout with a hand grenade, shot one German soldier who emerged after the explosion, tossed another grenade into the dugout and entered firing his sub-machine gun killing two more Germans. As Lieutenant Baker climbed back out of the draw, enemy machine gun and mortar fire began to inflict heavy casualties among the group of 25 soldiers, killing or wounding about two-thirds of them. When expected reinforcements did not arrive, Captain Runyon ordered a withdrawal in two groups. Lieutenant Baker volunteered to cover the withdrawal of the first group, which consisted mostly of walking wounded, and to remain to assist in the evacuation of the more seriously wounded. During the second group's withdrawal, Lieutenant Baker, supported by covering fire from one of the platoon members, destroyed two machine gun positions (previously bypassed during the assault) with hand grenades. In all, Lieutenant Baker accounted for nine enemy dead soldiers, elimination of three machine gun positions, an observation post, and a dugout. On the following night, Lieutenant Baker voluntarily led a battalion advance through enemy mine fields and heavy fire toward the division objective. Lieutenant Baker's fighting spirit and daring leadership were an inspiration to his men and exemplify the highest traditions of the military service. ==Other honors==

On September 11, 2008, Vernon Baker was awarded the Sandor Teszler Award for Moral Courage and Service to Humankind by Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Along with the award, Baker received an honorary doctorate from the college. Vernon J. Baker Medal of Honor Main Street (3 blocks) in Clarinda, Iowa, was named after him in 2006. ==See also==