Thomas A Baker ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from New York

On July 7, 1944 Sergeant Baker was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of New York. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.

Thomas A Baker

World War II

New York

Medal of Honor

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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Thomas A Baker is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2015-09-11 14:35:05.

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Missing : Core Data

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Missing : Supplemental Data

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Service Details

This Profile ID	307089
Name	Thomas A Baker
From	Troy, Rensselaer County, New York
Birth Date	June 25, 1916
Casualty Date	July 7, 1944
War	World War II
Service Branch	Army
Rank	Sergeant
Unit/Group	105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry division
Casualty Type	KIA killed in action
Location	Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Burial	Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, New York
Notable Awards	★ Medal of Honor ★ Purple Heart
Remembered	Thomas A Baker is buried or memorialized at Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, New York. This is a National American Cemetery administered through the Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Additional Details

By June 19, 1944, he was serving as a private in Company A of the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division. On that day, on Saipan in the Marianas Islands, he advanced ahead of his unit with a bazooka and destroyed a Japanese emplacement which was firing on his company.

Several days later, he single-handedly attacked and killed two groups of Japanese soldiers. On July 7, Baker's position came under attack by a large Japanese force. Although seriously wounded early in the attack, he refused to be evacuated and continued to fight in the close-range battle until running out of ammunition.

When a comrade was wounded while trying to carry him to safety, Baker insisted that he be left behind. At his request, his comrades left him propped against a tree and gave him a pistol, which had eight bullets remaining. When American forces retook the position, they found the pistol, now empty, and eight dead Japanese soldiers around Baker's body.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II during the Battle of Saipan.

Commendations + Awards

Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.

★ Medal of Honor

★ World War II Victory Medal

★ Combat Infantryman Badge

★ Purple Heart

★ American Campaign Medal

★ Army Presidential Unit Citation

★ Army Good Conduct Medal

★ Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

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Honoring the men and women of New York who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.

▶ New York was home to over 30,000 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:

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• 23,280 World War II
• 516 Korean War
• 1,281 Vietnam War
• 102 Prisoners of war
• 2,166 Missing in action
• 1 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 16 Medal of Honor recipients

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