David Earle Baker (1946 - 2009)

Brigadier General David Baker was a Prisoner of War in Cambodia for 230 days during the Vietnam War.

Biography

Brigadier General David Baker served in the United States Air Force in the Vietnam War
Service started: June 1969
Unit(s): 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron
Service ended: Oct 1997

Birth

Brig Gen David Earle Baker was born on 30 September 1946 in Huntington, Suffolk, New York, United States. ^[1]

Marriage and Family

He married Carol Ann Proniewych about 1969.

Children of the Baker-Unknown Marriage

1. David Earle Baker Jr. born 25 May 1970 in Howard, Texas according to the Texas Birth Index.
2. Christopher Baker born about 1979.

Education

He attended and graduated from Hofstra University, Hempstead, Nassau, New York with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree and later received a Master's of Business Administration Degree from the University of Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii. In 1996 he graduated from the Johns Hopkins, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. ^[2]Alumnus of the College de la Defense Nationale in Canada, the Defense Institute for Security Assistance Management and of the Air War College.

Military Service

On 18 January 1969 he entered Officer Training School in Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Bear, Texas and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force upon graduation on 15 May 1969.^[3]

He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and received his Wings at Webb Air Force Base, Big Spring, Howard, Texas in June 1970. From June 1970 to October 1971 he was an EC-121 Warning Star pilot with the 552nd Airborne Early Control Wing at McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Orange, Florida. He completed Forward Air Controller training and received an assignment to the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam in January 1972.^[4] He was flying forward air support when he was shot down.

Prisoner of War from 27 June 1972 to 12 February 1973.^[5]

He was captured while flying his Cessna O-2A Skymaster on 27 June 1972 during his 50th combat mission and taken prisoner by the Viet Cong in Cambodia. He spent eight months (230 days) in a Cambodian prison camp and was wounded after trying to escape. He suffered a serious leg wound which injured a major artery that he suffered from for years. He was released on 12 February 1973 during Operation Homecoming. Captain Baker was the only Air Force POW returned from Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

After being released, he was hospitalized for his wounds and then sent to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii from August 1973 to September 1974.

From September 1974 to September 1979 he was a T-38 instructor pilot with the 97th Flying Training Squadron. He rose to flight commander, assistant section commander, chief of standardization and evaluation with 82nd Flying Training Wing, Williams Air Force Base in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona. He was an F-15 fighter pilot from September 1979 to January 1983 and then went to Camp New Amsterdam, Netherlands as the assistant operations officer, chief, F-15 standardization and evaluation for the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron.

He attended Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia in January-July 1983. His international experience encompassed international program manager in Africa in July 1983 through December 1986 and chief of international programs, Egypt at United States Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

From December 1986 to January 1991 he was an F-15 instructor pilot and later assistant deputy commander for operations of the 405th Tactical Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base near Glendale, Maricopa, Arizona.

He went to Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia in January 1991 and was the deputy commander for operations of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing and 4404th Tactical Fighter Wing until August 1991.

He attended the National Defense College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, Canada from August 1991 until August 1992.

His last assignment was as the Vice Director of the Operational Plans and Interoperability Directorate on the Joint Staff from October 1994 until retirement on 1 October 1997.

Honors

1. Defense Distinguished Service Medal
2. Defense Superior Service Medal
3. Legion of Merit
4. Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster
5. Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and oak leaf cluster
6. Purple Heart
7. Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
8. Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
9. Army Commendation Medal

The full ribbon set is available here.

Later Life

Retirement from the United States Air Force

He retired on 1 October 1997. He had been promoted to Brigadier General on 1 October 1994.

Occupation after Military Service

He served as Director of National Security Research for the Stanford Financial Group. ^[6]

Death and Burial

He died on 29 January 2009 at the age of 62. The caused of death was congestive heart failure in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. He had gone into hospital due to complications from the leg wound caused by the bullet in Cambodia. He was in the hospital for several months before his death. ^{[7] [8]}His last residence of record before the hospital was Honolulu, Hawaii. He was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington, Virginia. Find A Grave: Memorial #34548812 ^[9]

Sources

• Vietnam War, Casualties Returned Alive, 1962-1979.
• Arlington National Cemetery Website click to view [1]
• U.S. Obituary Collection.
• NAM POW, Inc. The Association of Former Vietnam War POWs. [2]
• Veteran Tributes. The entire tribute here.
• Wyatt, Barbara Powers. We Came Home. Toluca Lake, CA: P.O.W. Publications, 1977.
• Find A Grave Index.
• Texas Birth Index for David Earle Baker Jr., 1903-1997 Texas Department of State Health Services. Provided by Janice Norris who found on Family Search.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Vet Trib
2. ↑ This is considered one of the top graduate schools for international relations in the world. There are locations in Washington, D.C., USA, Bologna, Italy and Nanjing, China.
3. ↑ Vet Trib
4. ↑ His job was to take his small airplane and fly at low altitude over the jungle, marking targets for fighters and bombers. It was quite dangerous.
5. ↑ Vietnam Casualties
6. ↑ NAM POW
7. ↑ NAM POW
8. ↑ Vet Trib
9. ↑ FAG

Acknowledgements