Medal of Honor: John F. Baker Jr. – Vietnam War – November 5, 1966
In the jungles of Vietnam, one soldier became a one-man army. Wounded, surrounded, and outgunned, Sergeant John F. Baker Jr. charged through enemy fire again and again — to save his brothers and destroy the enemy.
November 5, 2025
Name: John Franklin Baker Jr.
Rank: Sergeant (then Private First Class)
Organization: U.S. Army
Unit: Company A, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division
Place and Date: Republic of Vietnam – 5 November 1966
Entered Service At: Moline, Illinois
Born: October 30, 1945 – Davenport, Iowa
Departed: January 20, 2012 – Columbia, South Carolina
Accredited to: Illinois
Summary of Action
Deep in the Vietnamese jungle, Company A moved to reinforce another unit under heavy attack when they were ambushed by withering enemy fire. The lead man fell dead, and chaos threatened to consume the column — until Private First Class John F. Baker Jr. stepped forward.
Charging to the front, Baker destroyed two enemy bunkers before his comrade beside him was mortally wounded. He refused to stop. Spotting snipers in the trees, he took them out one by one, then carried his fallen comrade to safety — only to return immediately to the fight.
Hit by grenade blasts and pinned down by fire, Baker pressed on. He single-handedly assaulted enemy bunkers, wielded machine guns from fallen comrades, and led repeated attacks through explosions and gunfire. Each time he fell back, it was only to drag another wounded man to safety — and then return to cover his platoon’s withdrawal.
By the end of the battle, Baker’s courage had saved countless lives. His relentless assaults and unshakable will turned the tide in one of the 25th Infantry Division’s fiercest firefights of the war.
Medal of Honor Citation
Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 5 November 1966.
Entered service at: Moline, Ill.
Born: 30 October 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.
