SGT. John  F.

Baker Jr.

 (US Army)

 

At 5' 2" 105 lbs, *Medal of Honor* recipient, Sgt. John F. Baker Jr.

certainly qualifies as a Giant Killer.

He was also the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.

 

Sgt. Baker made up for his diminutive stature by building up his physique.

Inspired by his father’s work as a circus trapeze artist,

he joined a gymnastics squad in high school and trained on the rings,

learning to execute a perfect iron cross.

 

Accepted by the Army during the Vietnam War —

the Marine Corps said he was an inch too short —

Sgt. Baker’s impressive strength helped him

save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

On Nov. 5, 1966, Sgt. Baker’s unit was tasked with reinforcing

a group of American soldiers pinned down near Dau Tieng,

close to the Cambodian border.

About 3,000 Vietnamese had taken positions

in the surrounding jungle,

hiding in underground bunkers and roping themselves to tree branches.

 

As the U.S. soldiers advanced, the lead scout was shot in the face.

The jungle erupted in enemy fire.

Camouflaged machine gun positions spit bullets

that whizzed by Sgt. Baker’s head.

Mortar rounds thumped the ground.

Snipers in the trees picked off Americans hiding on the ground.

 

Sgt. Baker ran toward the front with another soldier

and helped destroy two enemy bunkers.

During the attack, the other soldier was mortally wounded.

Sgt. Baker killed four enemy snipers before carrying his comrade away

from the ambush.

 

Returning to the battle, Sgt. Baker was blown off his feet by an enemy grenade

but recovered to make repeated trips through withering fire

to evacuate wounded American soldiers much larger than himself.

By the end of the two-hour conflict, Sgt. Baker’s uniform

was soaked in the blood of his comrades.

 

In all, Sgt. Baker was credited with recovering eight fallen U.S. soldiers,

destroying six bunkers and killing at least 10 enemies.

As his Medal of Honor nomination was considered,

Sgt. Baker spent the rest of his tour as a “tunnel rat.”

Armed with a flashlight and pistol, he explored the spider-

and scorpion-infested subterranean network used by Viet Cong guerillas.

During one mission, he discovered a full-scale hospital complete

with surgical suites buried three stories below ground.

 

Returning home in August 1967, Sgt. Baker served as a drill instructor.

One day, he was told he had an urgent phone call.

It was President Lyndon B. Johnson on the line,

inviting him to the White House to be awarded the *Medal of Honor*,

the military’s highest decoration for valor.

According to his citation, “Sgt. Baker’s selfless heroism,

indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible

for saving the lives of several of his comrades,

 

and inflicting serious damage on the enemy.”

 

Joining Sgt. Baker at the ceremony in the East Room was his company commander,

then-Capt. Robert F. Foley, who also was awarded the *Medal of Honor*

for bravery during the same battle that November day in 1966.

 

Foley, who retired from the Army as a lieutenant general(☆☆☆) in 2000,

stood 6-foot-7 and played basketball a

t the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

 

Noticing the soldiers’ disparate heights,

Johnson told Sgt. Baker and Foley

that they reminded him of the cartoon characters Mutt and Jeff.

 

John Franklin Baker Jr. was born Oct. 30, 1945, in Davenport, Iowa,

and was raised in Moline, Ill.

After being awarded the Medal of Honor,

Sgt. Baker traveled the country as a recruiter.

His repeated requests to be sent back to Vietnam for combat duty were denied.

He retired from the military in 1989

and later worked at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Columbia, S.C.

 

This hero passed away on January 20, 2012 in Columbia, S.C. He was 66.

 

To learn more about the Vietnam war

and the incredible true story of 4'9" 97lbs

Green Beret Captain Richard Flaherty (Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars & 2 Purple hearts)

"The Giant Killer" Book, Audiobook, and eBook are available now on Amazon,

Spotify, Barnes and Nobles, Walmart and most major websites. 

God Bless our Vets!

 

 

 

하사 존 F. 베이커

 주니어
(미 육군)

키 175cm, 몸무게 50kg의 

*명예 훈장* 수상자 존 F.

베이커 주니어 병장은 

거인 사냥꾼으로서의 

자질을 충분히 갖추고 

있습니다. 

그는 또한 은성, 동성,

 그리고 퍼플 하트 훈장을 

받았습니다.

베이커 병장은 작은 체격을 보완하기 위해 체격을

 키웠습니다. 

서커스 곡예사였던 

아버지의 영향으로 

고등학교 시절 체조팀에

 들어가 링 위에서 완벽한

 철십자 동작을 연습했습니다.

베트남 전쟁 중 육군에 

입대했지만 해병대는 그의 키가 2.5cm밖에 안 된다고 

판단했습니다. 

베이커 병장의 놀라운 

근력은 동료 병사들의

 생명을 구하는 데 큰 

도움이 되었습니다.

1966년 11월 5일, 베이커

병장의 부대는 캄보디아

국경 근처 다우티엥 근처에 

고립된 미군 병력을

지원하는 임무를 맡았습니다. 

약 3,000명의 베트남군은 

주변 정글에 진지를 구축하고 

지하 벙커에 숨어 

나뭇가지에 몸을 묶었습니다.

미군 병사들이 진격하자 

정찰대장 한 명이 얼굴에 

총을 맞았습니다.

적군의 총격이 정글을 

뒤덮었습니다. 

위장한 기관총 진지에서 

쏟아지는 총알이 베이커

하사의 머리를 스쳐 

지나갔습니다.

 박격포탄이 딸을 

강타했습니다. 

나무 속 저격수들은 땅에 

숨어 있던 미군 병사들을 

사살했습니다.

베이커 하사는 다른 병사와

함께 전선으로 달려가 적의 

벙커 두 곳을 파괴하는 데 

일조했습니다. 

공격 중 다른 병사는 

치명상을 입었습니다.

 베이커 상사는 적 

저격수 네 명을 사살한 후 

동료를 매복에서 

구출했습니다.

전투로 복귀한 베이커

하사는 적의 수류탄에 맞아

쓰러졌지만, 회복하여 

자신보다 훨씬 큰 부상을 당한 

미군 병사들을 후송하기 위해 

맹렬한 포화 속을 여러 번

헤쳐 나갔습니다. 

2시간에 걸친 전투가 끝날

무렵, 베이커 상사의 

군복은 그의 피로 흠뻑 

젖었습니다. 동지 여러분
베이커 하사는 전사한 미군 

병사 8명을 구출하고, 

벙커 6개를 파괴하고, 

최소 10명의 적을 사살한 

공로를 인정받았습니다.

 명예 훈장 후보 지명

심사가 진행되는 동안, 

베이커 하사는 남은 복무

 기간을 "터널 랫"으로

보냈습니다. 

손전등과 권총으로 무장한

 그는 베트콩 게릴라들이 

사용하는 거미와 전갈이 

들끓는 지하 네트워크를 

탐험했습니다. 

한 임무에서는 지하 3층에 

수술실을 갖춘 본격적인 

병원을 발견했습니다.

1967년 8월 귀국 후, 

베이커 하사는 훈련 

교관으로 복무했습니다. 

어느 날, 그는 긴급 전화가

 왔다는 통보를 받았습니다. 

린든 B. 존슨 대통령에게서 

백악관으로 초대받아 

군 최고 용맹 훈장인 

*명예 훈장*을 받았습니다.

그의 공적에 따르면,

 "베이커 상사는…" 

베이커의 사심 없는 

영웅심, 불굴의 투혼, 

그리고 뛰어난 용맹함은 

그의 동료 여러 명의 목숨을

 구하고 적에게 심각한 

피해를 입힌 직접적인 

원인이 되었습니다.

백악관 이스트 룸에서 열린 

수훈식에 베이커 상사와

함께 참석한 사람은

 당시 그의 중대장이었던 

로버트 F. 폴리 대위였는데, 

그는 1966년 11월 같은 전투에서의 용맹함으로 

*명예 훈장*을 받았습니다.

2000년 중장(☆☆☆)으로 

예편한 폴리는 키가 

193cm였고

 웨스트포인트 미국

육군사관학교에서 농구를 

했습니다.

존슨은 두 군인의 키가 

다르다는 것을 알아차리고 

베이커 하사와 폴리에게 

만화 캐릭터인 

머트와 제프를 떠올리게

한다고 말했습니다.

존 프랭클린 베이커

주니어는 1945년 10월 30일

 아이오와주 데븐포트에서 

태어나 일리노이주 

몰린에서 자랐습니다.

명예 훈장을 받은 후, 

베이커 하사는 모병관으로

 전국을 여행했습니다. 

베트남 전투 임무에 다시 

파견해 달라고 여러 차례 

요청했지만 거절당했습니다.

 그는 1989년 군에서 

예편한 후 한 부서에서 

근무했습니다. 

사우스캐롤라이나주 

컬럼비아 재향군인회 병원

이 영웅은 2012년 1월 20일 사우스캐롤라이나주 

컬럼비아에서 향년 66세로 

별세했습니다.

베트남 전쟁과 193cm, 

43kg의 그린베레 대위

리처드 플래 허티

((은성훈장 1개,

 동성훈장  2개, 

퍼플 하트훈장  2개))의 

놀라운 실화에 대해

 더 자세히 알고 싶으시다면, 

"거인 킬러" 책, 오디오북, 

전자책을 

지금 Amazon, Spotify, 

Barnes and Nobles,

 Walmart 및 대부분의 

주요 웹사이트에서 

구매하실 수 있습니다.

우리 참전용사들에게

신의 가호가 있기를!

 

2025년 6월 1일 주일