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Medal of Honor Recipient U.S. Army Air Forces Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker was honored with a B-52 Bomber flyover at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., on Sept. 14, 2022.
Baker was killed on August 1, 1943 in Ploiesti, Romania in World War II, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, was accounted for on April 8, 2022.
In the summer of 1943, Baker was the commander of the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, Baker was piloting a B-24 Liberator bomber during Operation TIDAL WAVE, the largest World War II bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. During its bombing run, his plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire and crashed, but not before he dropped his bombs on the target and avoided crashing into the other B-24s in his formation. Baker’s remains were not identified following the crash. Remains that could not be identified were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.
In 2017, DPAA began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE losses. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification.
To identify Baker’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.
Baker’s name is recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2022 14:47 |
| Photo ID: | 7418202 |
| VIRIN: | 220914-D-TT930-241 |
| Resolution: | 1100x619 |
| Size: | 876.59 KB |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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