Take a moment to remember

In the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, at the eleventh hour, 1918, World War I, the Great War to end all wars, ended in Europe. The last surviving American WWI veteran was Frank Woodruff Buckles, and he died in 2011, he was 110. He entered the Army in 1917 at the age of 16 and served as an ambulance driver and motorcycle messenger on the front lines. He was captured by the Japanese during WWII while working as a civilian in the Philippines. He spent three years in a prison camp. Originally Nov. 11 was named Armistice Day, to remember the end of WWI. In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day, to honor all Veterans. It is now time to remember all those who served and all those who gave the supreme sacrifice for their country. One such person is Major Arthur Dale Baker, 8TH Bomber Squadron, 34TH Tactical Group, 405TH Fighter Wing, 13TH Air Force, of the United States Air Force. He was the navigator in a B-57B Canberra aircraft and was shot down while on a bombing raid on April 7, 1965, over Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. A rescue mission was sent in to find them but was unsuccessful. Major Baker and his pilot, Col. James Lewis, were declared MIA after determining they had not landed at any other airfield. Major Baker and his pilot were declared KIA Jan. 7, 1965. The war ended but the missing in action were not forgotten and the United States began a campaign to recover the remains of our dead from Vietnam. Many years went by and many remains were recovered. However, it was not until October and November, 2004 that Major Baker’s plane was thoroughly excavated and his remains recovered. When his remains were returned to the U.S., DNA testing completely resolved his identity and he was returned to his family. He was interned July 29, 2005 with a Military Honors Service in Rosewood Park Cemetery, Longview.

By Ellis Knox, reporter@campcountynow.com -- To continue reading this article, purchase the print edition of The Pittsburg Gazette or go to our online e-edition at: http://www.etypeservices.com/Pittsburg%20GazetteID315/default.aspx