FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: SGT John F Baker, Jr ~ 16 October 2023

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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---

~ Hall of Heroes ~

SGT John F. Baker, Jr.

(Info found here.)

           

John F. Baker, Jr. (October 30, 1945 - January 20, 2012) is a retired United States Army Sergeant who served in the Vietnam War and received the Medal of Honor.

John Baker was born in Davenport, Iowa and attended Moline High School from 1963 to 1966. At only 5 1 he was a gymnast before joining the army. His wife thought that gave him the strength and stamina to carry his buddies to safety. He became a tunnel rat in Vietnam, a soldier who entered Viet Cong tunnels searching out the enemy and destroying their caches of war material. Baker made the military his career, retiring in 1989. He then began working as a computer analyst at a Veterans Hospital in South Carolina. In addition to serving as the Vice-President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, he serves as a member on the Nation s Monuments and Cemeteries Committee.

In 2008, the I-280 Bridge, connecting Davenport, Iowa with Rock Island, Illinois, was renamed the Sergeant John F. Baker, Jr., Bridge in honor of Baker.

Baker entered the U.S. Army in Moline, Illinois, serving as a private in A Company, 2nd Battalion of the 27th Infantry, 25th Division. In Vietnam, Baker took part in Operation Attleboro which began in September 1966. On November 5, 1966, Baker and his unit were called to assist another squad who were taking enemy fire. En route, A Company began to take fire and lost their lead soldier. Together with two other soldiers, Baker took over the head of the column and assisted in destroying two enemy positions. They were moving to take two others when a hand grenade knocked Baker off of his feet.

With the two other soldiers wounded, Baker "single handedly" destroyed another bunker before recovering his comrades. Despite taking further fire from enemy bunkers and snipers, Baker continually fell back to replenish ammunition and take back several wounded. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor along with Captain Robert F. Foley, who also received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle. When awarded the citation, President Lyndon B Johnson stated:

The battlefield is the scarred and the lonely landscape of man s greatest failure. But is a place where heroes walk. Today we come here to the East Room of the White House to honor two soldiers, two soldiers who in the same battle and at the same time met the surpassing tests of their lives with acts of courage far beyond the call of duty. Captain Foley and Sergeant Baker fought in the same company. Now, together, they join the noblest company of them all. They fought because their Nation believed that only by honoring its commitments, and only by denying aggression its conquest, could the conditions of peace be created in Southeast Asia and the world."

Rank and organization: Sergeant (then Pfc.), U.S. Army, Company A, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, November 5, 1966. Entered service at: Moline, Ill. Born: October 30, 1945, Davenport, Iowa.

Citation:

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.

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[MoochPooch]

Wow! Top 10?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mooch...you are first! I’m just starting the ping. WTG!

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: SGT John F Baker Jr ~

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[ExTexasRedhead]

F-15E Strike Eagles Arrive in Middle East and Immediately Deploys for Air Operations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjLyJd8iNTM

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Did you manage a little downtime today to help yourself energize for the week ahead?

[PROCON]

Hi Kathy, thanks for tonight’s Canteen and for honoring this amazing Hero!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...feetsies feeling better today?

We actually had several hours of beautiful sunshine and blue skies. I need to go out a rake a low spot in the back yard that is collecting LOTS of dead leaves. It’s a eye sore that no one but me can see. LOL!!

OMG!!! A huge smash into my front window...a duck flew into it!! Don’t see any cracks, but man was that a loud crash! Little birds crash all the time, but this was a duck! He’s gonna have quite the headache.

[The Mayor]

October 16

Who Am I?

Bible in a Year:

• Isaiah 47–49
• 1 Thessalonians 4

God said, “I will be with you.”

Exodus 3:12 Kizombo sat watching the campfire, pondering the great questions of his life. What have I accomplished? he thought. Too quickly the answer came back: Not much, really. He was back in the land of his birth, serving at the school his father had started deep in the rainforest. He was also trying to write his father’s powerful story of surviving two civil wars. Who am I to try to do all this?

Kizombo’s misgivings sound like those of Moses. God had just given Moses a mission: “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). Moses replied, “Who am I?” (v. 11).

After some weak excuses from Moses, God asked him, “What is that in your hand?” It was a staff (4:2). At God’s direction, Moses threw it on the ground. The staff turned into a snake. Against his instincts, Moses picked it up. Again, it became a staff (v. 4). In God’s power, Moses could face Pharaoh. He literally had one of the “gods” of Egypt—a snake—in his hand. Egypt’s gods were no threat to the one true God.

Kizombo thought of Moses, and he sensed God’s answer: You have Me and My Word. He thought too of friends who encouraged him to write his father’s story so others would learn of God’s power in his life. He wasn’t alone.

On our own, our best efforts are inadequate. But we serve the God who says, “I will be with you” (3:12). .

Reflect & Pray

What do you have that God can use? How might it encourage you to consider what He might do with you?

Father, with You I lack nothing, no matter the situation.

Discover your God-given calling.

[radu]

Hey there, Kathy.

Yes, the burning has finally subsided in da tootsies. LOL I haven’t done much of anything but sit at the computer all day. Too cold and windy to eeeeeeven want to go out today. brrrrrrr

I did check the Rust’s cam earlier and saw you FINALLY had some sunshine today. ‘Bout time!!! Good luck with those leaves. As thick and wet as they must be by now, they’re going to be hard to move.

A DUCK hit your window? Wow! Small birds doing that is pretty common but a DUCK? The light must have been hitting that window just right. Poor duck. I hope it’s ok.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...did you and Blue spend some time together today?

We actually had a couple hours of sunshine.

[luvie]

John F. Baker, Jr.
October 30, 1945 - January 20, 2012
Retired United States Army Sergeant
Served in the Vietnam War
...and Medal of Honor Recipient.
God Rest The Soul Of This Brave Hero!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Not much down time except for a couple naps.

Lots of stuff that I want done by morning.

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

I hope it warmed up more there than it did here today. It was a good day to stay tucked inside and I did just that. LOL

[radu]

Naps are good for re-energizing. There won’t be much sleep the next couple of nights. I wish you luck getting everything lined up tonight for tomorrow!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...glad you enjoyed today’s hero. He surely was.

[luvie]

It was and is pretty chilly. Well, it's 59 outside right now, but we don't have the heat on and my feet are cold. I even wore a jacket over my lightweight sweater to church today. And on Wednesday, it'll be high 80s. Go figure. Yep....the roller coaster liiiiivvvveeesssssss! LOL!

Good idea to stay "tucked inside" and I woulda if I coulda. :)

Here is a little video I took of the "Ring of Fire" yesterday. Mark was just a bit excited :)