Vernon Baker found cover as the second round of artillery began pounding the German lines. Baker and his men had already ascended the first of three hills on their way to the objective – Castle Aghinolfi, southeast of Genoa, Italy. With the artillery salvo reaching its conclusion at 0900 hours, Baker led his men up further. It wasn’t long before he saw the first signs of German soldiers. He raised his gun and fired, killing two of them before they had the chance to fire on the Americans. Baker killed two more just a few yards further up the hill, and then came upon a gun nest with two more enemy soldiers. Baker dropped them as well with a few short bursts of gunfire.
With Baker taking the lead, one would have assumed he was in command. But he was not. Captain John Runyon was commanding this day’s mission. What occurred next would reveal just who was in charge. Advancing further up Hill Y, Runyon and Baker came face to face with a German soldier, who upon seeing the Americans, pulled out a grenade, threw it, and then turned and ran. Baker immediately shot the retreating German. Runyon, meanwhile, screamed in fright and fell back. Fortunately for them both, the grenade was a dud.
Baker searched the dead German’s body for any information. When he turned back, Runyon was gone. Baker told the remaining men that he was going to advance up the hill alone to see what lay ahead. He soon came upon a cave dugout protected by a car door. He could not pry it loose so he stuck a grenade in it and blew it off. A German poked his head out after the blast. Baker shot him. He then proceeded into the mouth of the cave and triggered a few bursts. He waited a few moments and then entered, finding three more dead German soldiers. Having cleared this, he advanced even further up the hill, coming upon a brush-covered opening. He dropped another grenade in, killing three more enemy soldiers. At this point, Baker felt like he needed to return to his men, so he began to descend down the hill. Reaching the remnants of his platoon, he asked where Runyon went. One of the sergeants pointed to a spot where the captain lay frozen in fear.
Seeing Baker approach, Runyon came to his senses, and informed him that he would return back down the hill and send reinforcements. Baker was furious, but there was nothing he could do…Runyon was a captain, Baker a lieutenant. After a short break in the action, American artillery began firing back up the hill. The Germans responded with their own. Now, Baker and his remaining eight platoon members hunkered down. After what seemed like an eternity, the shelling stopped. Then the unimaginable occurred.
A group of Germans dressed as medics suddenly appeared, carrying litters. Baker’s suspicions were on high alert. And for good reason. In an instant, the Germans pulled blankets off the litters, revealing guns. Baker and his men wasted no time. They took them out before the Germans could get off a shot. At this point, Baker believed that reinforcements were not going to show. It was time to get back down to the base. On the descent, with Baker in the lead, the Americans discovered another machine gun nest. Once again, Baker took it upon himself to eliminate the threat, killing two more Germans.
Baker arrived at the bottom of the hill with just seven men. They were exhausted. It had been 12 hours of constant fighting. A messenger found Baker and told him that the battalion commander wanted to see him. Colonel Murphy wanted to hear what had transpired directly from Baker. Finding the colonel in his tent, Baker rehashed the mission’s events, even leaving out the part about Captain Runyon. As Baker turned to leave, Colonel Murphy told him that they had a done a good job. It wasn’t until later that Baker learned that Captain Runyon had also stopped by Colonel Murphy’s tent while Baker and his men were up the hill fighting. Runyon informed the commander that Baker and the platoon had all been killed. No reinforcements were ever going to come.
A few months later, Baker was summoned to Genoa, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. This should have been an incredible moment for the lieutenant. And it was. But seven months after Baker got the medal pinned on his chest, Captain Runyon was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery on that hill at Castle Aghinolfi. His citation read like a fantasy, because, well, it was. Everything in it was an exact description of what Baker did…not Runyon. However, that is not the end of Vernon Baker’s story.
Fifty-two years later, Vernon Baker stood in the White House as President Bill Clinton placed the Medal of Honor around his neck. What had been unknown until just a few years before his ceremony on this day, was that the United States Army had denied awarding the nation’s highest honor to Baker. Baker knew nothing of the attempt to award him the MOH. He retired from the Army in 1968, and had worked with the Red Cross for 20 years. The incredibly disappointing conclusion Vernon Baker’s story is this; the Army denied Baker being awarded the MOH, not because his actions on that day in April 1945 were not heroic enough…not because he was just a lieutenant…not because Runyon tried to take credit for what he had done. No, Baker was denied the Medal of Honor for 52 years because of the color of his skin. You see, Vernon Baker was a black man.
While our nation’s military has made leaps and bounds in working to eliminate discrimination, we know that there is still work to be done. For Baker and the families of six other black soldiers (awarded posthumously), that day in the White House, was a day in which courage was shown to have no melanin limitations.
We should be reminded that God views all of us from the same lens. Let us practice the same. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” James 2:8-9
Faith, Leadership, and History 