Vernon Baker
United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
Died when: 90 years 208 days (1086 months)Star Sign: Sagittarius
Vernon Joseph Baker (December 17, 1919 – July 13, 2010) was a United States Army first lieutenant who was an infantry company platoon leader during World War II and a paratrooper during the Korean War.
In 1997, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor, for his actions on April 5–6, 1945, near Viareggio, Italy.
Baker and six other Black Americans who served in World War II were formally awarded the Medal of Honor on January 12, 1997.
A day later, Baker (the only living recipient) and representatives for the six other men were given the awards by President Bill Clinton at a ceremony in the White House in Washington, D.C.
The seven recipients were the first (and only) Black Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II.
Baker died in 2010 at the age of 90 and was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.
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