A Big Dose of Nostalgia

 Guy Johnson, MHS 68, and I - MHS66 - posed outside of Lagomarcino's in downtown Moline, not far from the historic location of Melo Cream.

 I see Jeff Hall in the top row, first guy on the left.
I told Christina I wanted to go back in a time machine and say to Jane, next to Jeff, "You are going to marry the Boston Chief of Police!" - and similar improbable predictions that would happen.

Today I learned from Facebook that Guy was in the hospital on a respirator. And I heard from Patty Puck Hall, about how much she missed Jeff - both of them from Garfield Grade School, where my mother taught.

The walk to Garfield went by Guy's home, and we often went to school together, and read stacks of comics on Saturdays. My mother was a celebrity teacher, still talked about today, and my father was a famous donut shop owner. When he added peanut brittle and fudge, they were the best, too. 

Friends ask me to come back to Moline and re-start Melo Cream. I can understand. Today's donuts make me sick, they are so poorly made. My father made donuts from the best ingredients, which made him the quality expert before W. Edward Deming.

One Moline reunion met at Lago's, and I was ambushed for never taking Christina there on a date. I said, "Lago's came to US, to Melo Cream! I did not need to walk a few blocks for candy and treats."

I started this blog for family in 2010, because I did not know very much about how and where my parents grew up. I figured the scattered Jacksons might want to know. 

I doubt whether any relatives care about what has been recorded here in the last 11 years or so. Almost 400,000 views mean that quite a few others have stopped by. I enjoy or am saddened by the posts that appear on the left column for having more reads for the week. Obituaries appear again on the left column, but so do fun and famous moments and people I have known.  

I especially enjoy lining up the Golden Wedding Anniversaries separately as they developed - united on one page. I still do that when I know it is happening. Maybe a Jackson will notice one day.

The star of that page is Bonnie Bartlett, married to William Daniels in 1951. They are both alive and married 60 years! I used go by the Bartlett Insurance Agency when I was a young lad, never knowing it fostered a future star and record-setting celebrity marriage.

Mary Gail is our acrobatic and dance princess, who made it to Broadway. We saw her trying out her early performances at Garfield. 

On our last trip to Moline, we had two priorities - seeing Guy Johnson and Tobie McGriff. We also had the pleasure of dining with good friends at the reunion dinner, until the aging rock band began jamming and ruined all conversation. Everyone left the moment we were reminded - what the word cacophony means.

The newly lit bridge looks spectacular, but the John Baker Bridge honors the soldier who earned the Medal of Honor. We were in high school gym together. Yes, I would love to go back in time and say, "You will earn the Medal of Honor, the highest and rarest distinction."

The Giant Killer - Contributed by Steven Quick

The Giant Killer

At 5' 2" 105 lbs, Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. certainly qualifies as a Giant Killer. He was also the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.

Sgt. Baker made up for his diminutive stature by building up his physique. Inspired by his father’s work as a circus trapeze artist, he joined a gymnastics squad in high school and trained on the rings, learning to execute a perfect iron cross.

Accepted by the Army during the Vietnam War — the Marine Corps said he was an inch too short — Sgt. Baker’s impressive strength helped him save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

On Nov. 5, 1966, Sgt. Baker’s unit was tasked with reinforcing a group of American soldiers pinned down near Dau Tieng, close to the Cambodian border. About 3,000 Vietnamese had taken positions in the surrounding jungle, hiding in underground bunkers and roping themselves to tree branches.

As the U.S. soldiers advanced, the lead scout was shot in the face.

The jungle erupted in enemy fire. Camouflaged machine gun positions spit bullets that whizzed by Sgt. Baker’s head. Mortar rounds thumped the ground. Snipers in the trees picked off Americans hiding on the ground.

Sgt. Baker ran toward the front with another soldier and helped destroy two enemy bunkers. During the attack, the other soldier was mortally wounded. Sgt. Baker killed four enemy snipers before carrying his comrade away from the ambush.

Returning to the battle, Sgt. Baker was blown off his feet by an enemy grenade but recovered to make repeated trips through withering fire to evacuate wounded American soldiers much larger than himself. By the end of the two-hour conflict, Sgt. Baker’s uniform was soaked in the blood of his comrades.

In all, Sgt. Baker was credited with recovering eight fallen U.S. soldiers, destroying six bunkers and killing at least 10 enemies.

As his Medal of Honor nomination was considered, Sgt. Baker spent the rest of his tour as a “tunnel rat.” Armed with a flashlight and pistol, he explored the spider- and scorpion-infested subterranean network used by Viet Cong guerillas. During one mission, he discovered a full-scale hospital complete with surgical suites buried three stories below ground.

Returning home in August 1967, Sgt. Baker served as a drill instructor. One day, he was told he had an urgent phone call. It was President Lyndon B. Johnson on the line, inviting him to the White House to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest decoration for valor.

According to his citation, “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.”

Joining Sgt. Baker at the ceremony in the East Room was his company commander, then-Capt. Robert F. Foley, who also was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery during the same battle that November day in 1966.

Foley, who retired from the Army as a lieutenant general in 2000, stood 6-foot-7 and played basketball at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Noticing the soldiers’ disparate heights, Johnson told Sgt. Baker and Foley that they reminded him of the cartoon characters Mutt and Jeff.

John Franklin Baker Jr. was born Oct. 30, 1945, in Davenport, Iowa, and was raised in Moline, Ill.

After being awarded the Medal of Honor, Sgt. Baker traveled the country as a recruiter. His repeated requests to be sent back to Vietnam for combat duty were denied. He retired from the military in 1989 and later worked at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Columbia, S.C.

The Giant Killer book & page honors these incredible war heroes making sure their stories of valor and sacrifice are never forgotten. The Giant Killer book is available now on Amazon & Walmart websites. God Bless our Vets!

 In 2010 the Interstate 2-80 bridge was named the Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. Bridge. Initiating the successful process through all its steps and organizing the dedication ceremony was the Quad Cities Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 299. Spearheaded by Ray Hamilton and William Albracht.

Watching the Weekly Favorites on Moline Memories

 They were not from Moline, but we have aged with them.

We watched too much TV, our parents said, while watching TV.

I enjoy looking over the most watched for the week list in the left column, finding out which posts have suddenly gained attention. The all-time most viewed are at the bottom of the blog page.

Often one post will be viewed for the week because that person just passed away. My father used to read the Moline Dispatch and rattle the pages, saying in shock, "He was my classmate!"

I thought, long ago, some children and grandchildren might ask, "What was it like growing up in Moline? Did anyone famous come from there?"

The software that mapped the origin of readers often glowed for that spot called Hollywood, where we had three celebrities working or retired there.

I used to walk by the Bartlett Insurance Agency in downtown Moline, near Melo Cream. I never thought, "Maybe one will star on TV and be married to another star forever." No wait - "Maybe the family will build a beautiful addition on our new (in the 60s) high school."

Perhaps someone will win the Medal of Honor, someone I knew in school. No, too rare for that to happen.

 Downtown Moline in the 1950s. "Sir, Moline was a small town, as I have said, but there were those who loved her."

Bonnie Bartlett

 John Baker, Medal of Honor.

Memorial Day Weekend - Sgt. John Baker - Medal of Honor Winner

Above and beyond the call of duty, Viet Nam

 Sgt. John Baker Bridge

 John Baker's funeral

 Veterans Honor Rose is a fitting symbol of those who fought for their country. Classmates, spouses, and friends served in our military, and some died in action.

Moline High School Will Honor John F. Baker

http://www.theherald-news.com/2014/11/04/illinois-high-school-to-honor-medal-of-honor-vet/ah79mbm/

Caption

(AP photo)

By The Dispatch

MOLINE – A Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient will be inducted into the Moline High School Hall of Honor after being denied because he didn't officially graduate.

Master Sgt. John F. Baker was voted into the Hall of Honor last month, The Moline Dispatch reported. Baker died in 2012 at age 66.

Ray Hamilton is a member of the Hall of Honor committee and Vietnam Veterans Chapter 299. He helped lead a nearly decade-long effort to induct Baker, along with Bill Albracht of the veterans chapter and retired Moline High School principal Bill Burrus. [And mentioned on the Moline Memories blog four years ago - see below.]

"It was a chance to right a wrong," Hamilton said. "Sure, it took too long, but we are where we are."

The induction ceremony will be in February at Moline's Wharton Field House. Donnell Baker, John Baker's widow, will be invited to the event, Hamilton said.

"It would have been nice for this to happen when Johnny was alive, but this is the way it has to be," he said.

John Baker was born in Davenport, Iowa, and raised in Moline. He attended Moline High School from 1963 to 1966, leaving to enlist in the Army. He received a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat, for saving the lives of eight fellow soldiers in a 1966 firefight with the Viet Cong.

Hamilton and other supporters used a state veterans' diploma initiative to argue Baker should be inducted into the hall. The initiative grants diplomas to people who dropped out of high school to enlist in the armed forces.

"Former [Moline] superintendent Ben McAdams had a brother benefit from this," Hamilton said. "That's how we found it. His brother was a World War II veteran, who served honorably and used it to receive his diploma from Rock Island High School."

Seven people were nominated for the Hall of Honor and Baker received the most votes.

"He served so honorably that he received our nation's highest military honor," Hamilton said. "He went on to serve and represent his country in so many positive ways after he left active duty."

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Saturday, April 17, 2010

MHS Hall of Honor - Anyone Missing?

http://molinememories.blogspot.com/2010/04/mhs-hall-of-honor-anyone-missing.html


John Baker, Medal of Honor, Viet Nam, the highest honor bestowed on any soldier, awarded only for conspicuous bravery in combat.

John Baker - Moliner - on YouTube

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Private First Class John Baker, Jr., destroyed six enemy bunkers and saved eight comrades during a firefight to relieve a besieged unit in Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, on November 5, 1966. On May 1, 1968, President Johnson awarded him the Medal of Honor.

Julio Morales Remembers John Baker

"We were soldiers once and young."

Julio Morales has left a new comment on your post "John Baker, Medal of Honor Recipient: Rest in Peac...":

John and I went through the Army Recruiting Course at Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN during the fall of 1972. We were the first group of recruiters sent to the field to recruit for the Volunteer Army... We had rough time trying to recruit young men, however, when the draft and the Vietnam conflict ended during the spring of 73, recruiting was easier... Today, I was thinking about whatever happened to John and found out he died in 1910. Rest in Peace brother. My deepest sympathy to his wife and family. 1SG (Ret) Julio Morales, USA (1959-1991)

The Medal of Honor

No Matter How High His Rank, An Officer Salutes a Medal of Honor Winner. Sgt. John Baker. RIP.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor#section_4

Congressional Medal of Honor Society

BAKER, JOHN F., JR.

Rank: Sergeant

Organization: U.S. Army

Company: Company A, 2d Battalion

Division: 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division

Born: 30 October 1945, Davenport, Iowa

Departed: Yes (01/20/2012)

Entered Service At: Moline, Ill.

G.O. Number:

Date of Issue:  

Accredited To:

Place / Date: Republic of Vietnam, 5 November 1966

 

 

 

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.

Sgt. John Baker, Moline, RIP.

The President may award, and present in the name of Congress, a medal of honor of appropriate design, with ribbons and appurtenances, to a person who while a member of the Army (naval service; Navy and Marine Corps) (Air Force) (Coast Guard), distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.^[80]

Privileges and courtesies

The Medal of Honor confers special privileges on its recipients. By law, recipients have several benefits:^[81][82]

• Each Medal of Honor recipient may have his or her name entered on the Medal of Honor Roll (38 U.S.C. § 1560). Each person whose name is placed on the Medal of Honor Roll is certified to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as being entitled to receive a monthly pension above and beyond any military pensions or other benefits for which they may be eligible. The pension is subject to cost-of-living increases; as of 2011, it is $1,237 a month.^[83]

• Enlisted recipients of the Medal of Honor are entitled to a supplemental uniform allowance.^[84]

• Recipients receive special entitlements to air transportation under the provisions of DOD Regulation 4515.13-R. This benefit allows the recipient to travel as he or she deems fit across geographical locations, and allows the recipient's dependents to travel either Overseas-Overseas, Overseas-Continental US, or Continental US-Overseas when accompanied by the recipient.^[85]

• Special identification cards and commissary and exchange privileges are provided for Medal of Honor recipients and their eligible dependents.^[86]

• Recipients are granted eligibility for interment at Arlington National Cemetery, if not otherwise eligible.^[87]

• Fully qualified children of recipients are eligible for admission to the United States military academies without regard to the nomination and quota requirements.^[88]

• Recipients receive a 10 percent increase in retired pay.^[89]

• Those awarded the medal after October 23, 2002, receive a Medal of Honor Flag. The law specified that all 103 living prior recipients as of that date would receive a flag.^[90]

• Recipients receive an invitation to all future presidential inaugurations and inaugural balls.^[91]

• As with all medals, retired personnel may wear the Medal of Honor on "appropriate" civilian clothing. Regulations specify that recipients of the Medal of Honor are allowed to wear the uniform "at their pleasure" with standard restrictions on political, commercial, or extremist purposes (other former members of the armed forces may do so only at certain ceremonial occasions).^[92]

• Most states (40) offer a special license plate for certain types of vehicles to recipients at little or low cost to the recipient.^[93] The states that do not offer Medal of Honor specific license plate offer special license plates for veterans which recipients may be eligible for.^[94]

Saluting

Admiral Eric T. Olson salutes Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry at a ceremony at The Pentagon.

• Although not required by law or military regulation,^[95] members of the uniformed services are encouraged to render salutes to recipients of the Medal of Honor as a matter of respect and courtesy regardless of rank or status and, if the recipients are wearing the medal, whether or not they are in uniform.^[96] This is the only instance where a living member of the military will receive salute from members of a higher rank.

Baker should be in Hall of Honor - Quad Cities Online. We Honor All Vets When We Honor One

Baker should be in Hall of Honor - Quad Cities Online:


Moline High School administrators and retiring principal Bill Burrus got it right. Now it's time for the school's Hall of Honor to follow suit.

Sgt. John F. Baker, who was 66 when he died in January, deserved his high school diploma and posthumously will receive it Monday. The next step is to place Baker's name among the other greats who graduated from Moline High.

The contribution Sgt. Baker made to his country through his service is well known. In discussions with Sgt. Baker through the years, I learned he hoped to get his high school diploma and someday make it into Moline's Hall of Honor, though he knew those dreams might never come true.

I found it odd that a man as highly decorated as one can be for service to his country, wanted to be recognized by his high school and the community where he was raised. A man respected everywhere he turned as a Medal of Honor recipient was not appreciated at home.

It puzzled him at times, but it did not stop him from moving forward with his life. Still, he wanted to be recognized at home.

Enter a local veterans group that appreciated Sgt. Baker's trials and worked to break down barriers between Sgt. Baker and our community.

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 299 was the driving force behind the local recognition Sgt. Baker received. Chapter members appealed to legislators to have the Interstate 280 bridge named after Sgt. Baker, and worked with Jumer's Casino for the

veteran's monument detailing Sgt. Baker's accomplishments.

It was Chapter 299 that asked Bill Burrus to help Sgt. Baker, albeit posthumously, receive his diploma.

Now the ball is back in the hands of the committee that selects Hall of Honor recipients for Moline High School.

The technicality of Sgt. Baker only having an honorary diploma from Moline is no longer an issue, a wall that should never been there in the first place.

It's time for that group to do the right thing. It would give some positive closure to a situation that has hung over many heads for years.

A Medal of Honor recipient is certainly worthy of induction to any school's hall of honor.

Monday, Moline High School will take the first step by awarding Sgt. Baker's family his diploma.

The school's Hall of Honor is now on the clock.

Columnist John Marx can be reached at (309) 757-8388 or jmarx@qconline.com.


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Johnny goes marching home again

John F. Baker was in the Class of 1966,
The Class the Stars Fell On.

His decorations -

•   Medal of Honor
•   Silver Star
•   Legion of Merit
•   Bronze Star
•   Purple Heart

Johnny goes marching home again:

I sure hope it was enough.

We are now left to trust the love and admiration that were lavished upon Master Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. by his fellow veterans, laborers, police officers and firefighters, city, county and state officials, family, friends, strangers - that all of it was enough to make up for one deeply painful snub.

Baker, the Quad-Cities' only Medal of Honor recipient, passed away Friday. He was with his beloved wife, Donnell, near their home in Columbia, S.C., when his heart failed.

Born in Davenport and raised in Moline, Baker dropped out of Moline High School in 1965 to join the Army and go to Vietnam. He served with such distinction that 10,000 Quad-Citians turned out for a parade in Moline to welcome him home.

Sadly, a few decision-makers never forgave Baker for dropping out. When he was nominated in 2004 for Moline High School's Hall of Honor, he was rejected. Even though school officials had excitedly awarded him an honorary diploma upon his return from war, it wasn't good enough.

Gary Koeller, Moline's principal at the time, added that more than "just a single phenomenon" was expected of a Hall of Honor inductee. [GJ - Only 82 Medal of Honor winners are alive.]

But even before President Lyndon Johnson hung the Medal of Honor around Baker's neck for selflessly saving the lives of eight Americans, the 5-foot, 2-inch soldier was awarded the Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart. He completed 300 missions as a "tunnel rat," crawling through tunnels and planting explosives where the enemy traveled.

In 1989, Baker retired from the U.S. Army as a master sergeant after serving 24 years. After that, he went to work as a computer analyst for the Veterans Affairs hospital in Columbia, S.C., one of the largest VA hospitals in the country.

He long served as vice president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. And he was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 to serve on the National Cemetery Association's advisory committee on cemeteries and memorials.

He accepted invitations to speak at more than 1,000 public schools. The Interstate 280 Bridge was renamed Baker Bridge.

He was no one-hit wonder.

But the decision-makers at the high school refused to back off. One of Baker's former stepsons launched a relentless attack, claiming Baker was an alcoholic and was abusive to his mother after returning from Vietnam.

Even after an investigation by a retired FBI agent and a former member of the Secret Service revealed no such darkness in his past, school officials clung to their snubbing.

Ironically, the purpose of the Hall of Honor is: "To honor Moline High School alumni who have achieved distinction and positively influenced the lives of others."

Baker achieved the highest possible distinction in his field, and he positively influenced the eight American soldiers whose lives he saved.

I first met him for an interview at a picnic table at Middle Park in Bettendorf on a Sunday in July 2004.
I was taken at first by his slight build and wondered how he could have managed the enormously physical accomplishments that were attributed to him in the Medal of Honor citation. One of his sisters told how her big brother, "Johnny," used to run around the football field at the high school with dummies over his shoulders. He was training to be a gymnast.

Instead, he dropped out of school and went to war.

Talking to Baker that day, I could see he was emotional, but he wasn't angry. He had been wounded, but he wasn't scarred.

He admitted the slight from the high school hurt his feelings. He was confounded by how badly the committee got him wrong.

I wondered whether he got over it. I spoke to him a dozen more times over the years, and I was so touched when he sent me a Medal of Honor commemorative medallion last year. But I tried to avoid the topic of the Hall of Honor.

Bill Albracht, past president of Vietnam Veterans of America, Quad-Cities Chapter 299, was getting ready to leave for Baker's services at Arlington National Cemetery when I called him Tuesday.

He said a group of veterans had been working on a plan to ask the Moline High School Class of 2012 to "adopt" Baker, have him take part in graduation ceremonies and receive an actual diploma.

He agreed his friend was hurt by the high school's rejection. And he said he hasn't gotten over it, either: the Quad-Cities' greatest hero being told he was not good enough - that his name did not belong among a small collection of respected politicians, business people, actors and athletes.

"But he will rest in peace," Albracht assured, adding that plans are in the works for a local memorial service, complete with a 21-gun salute, taps and the entire veterans' community.

It was a glorious celebration, when Johnny came marching home to the Quad-Cities. It would seem a final salute from that Civil War anthem is in order.

As the lyrics go:

"And let each one perform some part,
"To fill with joy the warrior's heart."

Most of us, thankfully, leapt at the opportunity.


Read more: http://www.qctimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/columnists/barb-ickes/johnny-goes-marching-home-again/article_da95f362-4719-11e1-8e26-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1lcJW7bAs


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