World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award from President Bill Clinton at the White House on January 13, 1997 for his actions as a 1st lieutenant with the Weapons Platoon, Company C, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division, US Army, on April 5-6, 1945, near Aghinolfi Castle, Italy. Orphaned at the age of four, he was raised by his paternal grandparents. He graduated from high school in 1939 and when the US entered World War II in December 1941, he was working as a railroad porter. He was initially turned down when he tried to enlist in the US Army, but in June 1941 he was finally accepted. Following his recruit training, he entered Officer Candidate School and graduated in January 1943 with a commission as a 2nd lieutenant. He served in the Italian campaign and was wounded in action. On April 5, 1945, his platoon was ordered to assault a German-occupied mountain stronghold. In doing so, her personally eliminated three enemy machineguns, an observation post, and a dugout. 1The assault took a heavy toll, as 19 of the 25 men in his platoon were killed. On the second day of the assault, he volunteered to lead a battalion advance that eventually secured the objective. He was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism, However, after the conclusion of an extensive 1993 review of World War II African-American soldiers who received the Distinguished Service Cross, it was determined that a systematic racial discrimination existed in the criteria for awarding Medal of Honor decorations and his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Following the war, he became an Army parachutist in the 11th Airborne Division and served in the Korean War After his discharge from the US Army, he worked for the American Red Cross. He died from cancer at the age of 90. His other notable military awards and decorations include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star (with 'V' device and one oak leaf cluster), the Purple Heart (with one oak leaf cluster), the Italian Croce Al Valor Militate, and the Polish Cross of Valor. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "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 of 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 his 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 voluntary 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."