Biography

First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class 148-43 on January 11, 1943. He was briefly assigned to Camp Rucker, Alabama, before being transferred back to Fort Huachuca, where he was a weapons platoon leader in the all-Black 370th Infantry Regiment in the 92nd Infantry Division. The 92nd Division was one of two segregated all-Black divisions in World War II. By April 1944, Baker and the rest of the 92nd Infantry Division had completed field maneuvers at Camp Polk, Louisiana, learned they would be soon ship out to join the Fifth U.S. Army in Italy.
 
Baker's awards and decorations include the Medal of Honor, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Key Assignment

Weapons Platoon Leader, Company C, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division near Castle Aghinolfi, Germany

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