62 Years Later

Paul Baker, 82, will be awarded a Bronze Star with a Combat V by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter during a ceremony next Friday at the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Chili, NY. Sixty-two years after being caught up in the opening moments of the battle of Iwo Jima, an Irondequoit man will finally be honored for his actions that day.

On Feb. 19, 1945, Baker was a pharmacist's mate serving on a Navy landing ship that was the third to unload tanks and Marines onto the shores of Iwo Jima. Military commanders believed a sustained bombing campaign had driven off or killed most of the Japanese soldiers stationed there, but more than 20,000 Japanese were hiding in caves and deep inside Mount Suribachi. Shortly after Baker's ship unloaded, the Japanese soldiers ambushed the American infantrymen, opening a bloody 36-day battle that left more than 6,800 Americans dead and nearly 20,000 wounded.

As the battle started, Baker ran for the first-aid kits. His ship took five artillery hits, one of which hit about 2 feet from where Baker was standing. He was thrown 15 feet into the air and was knocked out. When he came to, he found a piece of metal in his ankle and a chunk of debris in his eye. He immediately began caring for the wounded Marines and corpsmen on his ship's deck.

It wasn't until 2003 that Baker learned an officer on his ship that day had recommended he receive a Silver Star, but the paperwork had been lost. He enlisted the help of Rep. James Walsh in search of his medal.

Baker often considered dropping his quest for the medal, but his receiving it was a way to honor Ensign Emon Riordan, the now-deceased officer who recommended him for the award, as well as his shipmates and the thousands of Americans who lost their lives during the battle.

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