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Page 34 February 2016 The Catoctin Banner Newspaper www.TheCatoctinBanner.com Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com
Our Neighborhood Veterans Courtesy Photos
by Jim Houck, Jr.
1ST LIEUTENANT GEORGE WARREN
BAKER, U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS
Born on April 5, 1921, just north sergeant allowed him to take it easy George and his wife (left photo) and George and his mother (right photo).
of Thurmont at Franklinville, to Roy until his sunburn healed.
and Blanche Baker, was a boy they they came from. They started to strafe he was George Baker, so they paid him.
named George. George had three They were forming new fighter the area that George was in so he ran George’s parents were notified on
brothers and two sisters: Raymond, groups, and they had P-36s and the over to the tent area and got his guns.
Donald, and Leroy, and Ruth and newer P-40s arriving frequently. the 10th of December that he had
Helen (nicknamed Tootie). In 1940, George was assigned to the 72nd There was a rumor going around been killed. They were not notified
at the age of nineteen, George decided fighter squadron, and in September that the Japanese were landing on the until December 24th that he was alive,
he wanted to join the military. His 1941, he was sent to Hickam Field beach across from Hickam, so they even though George was told to write
brother, Raymond (nicknamed Hun), to attend Aircraft and Engine School. loaded George on a truck with some a letter home soon after the attack.
had already been in the military It was a three-month course and machine guns and took him over to Due to priorities, mail was very slow
several months, and was somewhere was going along nicely. At the end the beach-side of Hickam. They set leaving Hawaii. All the plaques and
around Washington, D.C. of November, he was taken out of up machine guns where they could monuments listing George’s name as
school and put on ground defense. cover the beach and left George there being dead weren’t cleared until 1996.
George enlisted in the Army Air George was issued a rifle and pistol with very little ammunition. From his
Corps at Baltimore, Maryland, in and was on guard at different places vantage point, George could see the Several days after the bombing at
November of 1940, and asked to be around the base and then, they bombing and burning of Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, George was transferred
sent to Hawaii. He was sent to Fort were moved from the new barracks and Hickam Field. Some planes tried back to Wheeler Field. He was in
Slocum, New York, for basic training, to a tent area across from the Post to take off (B-18s and B-12s) and the 72nd fighter squadron where
where it was bitter cold, which Exchange. On the night of December were shot down by our own people. he went to Hickam to school. The
made his training very difficult. He 6, 1941, George was on guard duty Everything was very confusing and planes were in short supply because
volunteered for a “honey dipping” job at the water tower of Hickam from some B-17s coming in from the states of the bombings. They had little use
because he heard he could keep warm. midnight until 6:00 a.m., the morning tried to land and some made it and for crew chiefs, so he was assigned as
He found out the job was dipping of December 7. While he was walking some didn’t. crew chief on the Group Commander
solids out of the sewage; he said it did in from the tower he saw a float Colonel Steele’s P-36. Colonel Steele
keep him warm, but he didn’t smell plane fly across very high. George just The Japanese hit very hard for was a West Point officer and very
very good at the end of the day. thought it was one of our navy planes a couple of hours. Around noon, strict.
and forgot about it, but it could have the officers asked George and the
When it was time to go home on been a Japanese observation plane. other soldiers to go over to where George didn’t like Headquarters
leave for Christmas, George caught the buildings and planes were and Group and wanted to get back to the
the flu; if you had a temperature George decided to go to the see if they could help. They were to 72nd Squadron, but Colonel Steele
over 100 degrees, you couldn’t leave. barracks and eat breakfast and take see if they could find anyone injured wouldn’t transfer him. They hadn’t
George knew his was high, so he kept a shower. He was getting dressed and take them to the hospital. The received many planes. One time,
ice in his mouth until his temperature when there were several explosions. hospital was already filled and some Colonel Steele came down to fly his
was taken; he passed and was allowed He thought it was the Navy dive- were waiting outside. George helped plane and it wouldn’t start, so George
to go home. Christmas of 1940 bombing off Pearl Harbor. He raised several to the hospital and he found a asked him to get out. George tried and
was the last time he was home until a window blind and saw a plane drop leg and part of an arm and saw some it started right up. It was right after
January 1943. He stayed at Fort a bomb into the Hawaiian Air Force things he couldn’t identify. a rain and Wheeler Field was a grass
Slocum until the end of January 1941, Depot Hanger and knew it wasn’t the strip at that time. When the Colonel
when he was loaded on a ship; the Navy doing the bombing. George said his hatred for Japanese landed, George could tell he was mad.
U.S.A.T. Republic headed for Hawaii. started at that time and kept up to the He told George he rolled the plane
George finished dressing and was very day he wrote about it. He said over several times and a piece of dirt
George arrived in Honolulu in going to try to get back to the tent he would never forgive them and had hit him in the face, and if that was
early March and was put in a truck area. When going down the steps a they declared war first he may have combat, he could have been killed.
and taken to a small train that took sergeant yelled, “everybody out on the looked at it differently. George said, “Colonel look at your
him to Wheeler Field in central Oahu. parade ground.” George looked at the boots, they have mud on them from
Some of his friends, “Pipe” Fuss, parade ground which had quite a lot George said that that evening they the rain.” The colonel said, “Baker
Jim Adelsberger, and Jack Stoner, of soldiers on it. As a Japanese plane returned to the beach where they had how long have you been in the Army?
were already in Hawaii and wanted came across strafing, he decided that set up. During the night, they were You never have an excuse.”
to see him, but because they were was not the place to be, so he stayed awakened several times and asked
sick, they were quarantined and did close to the buildings and worked his their name, rank and serial number. George decided then he wanted
not get to see him until later. When way to the Post Exchange. By that They got very little sleep that night. to return to the 72nd Squadron. The
they finally saw each other, they had time, the Jap planes were bombing next morning George was in his office
quite a chat about Emmitsburg and Pearl Harbor and then flying across They spent a couple of days on the asking for a transfer. He was told no,
Hawaii. George was allowed to have Hickam Field strafing. Soon after, they beach “digging in” and reinforcing so George did that for about a week
a pass to go anywhere on the island; bombed Hickam Field, and from what their positions. On the 10th of and the answer was always no.
while at Waikiki Beach, he got a bad George understood, several different December, they were told to go to
sunburn. He didn’t want to report to places in Hawaii. a place to be paid. When George’s Finally, he told George that the
the hospital, because it was a court- turn came, he was told they couldn’t only way he would transfer him
martial offense to get sunburned. He At the Post Exchange they stood pay him, as he was listed as dead. A was to be busted. George was Staff
was digging a ditch from Wheeler to behind concrete pillars and watched couple of soldiers he knew told them Sergeant and hated to lose it but, he
Schofield Barracks, and it would have the planes fly over. George could
been bad for his sunburn. Luckily his see the big red ball painted on their
planes, but no one knew what nation
Our Neighborhood Veterans Courtesy Photos
by Jim Houck, Jr.
1ST LIEUTENANT GEORGE WARREN
BAKER, U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS
Born on April 5, 1921, just north sergeant allowed him to take it easy George and his wife (left photo) and George and his mother (right photo).
of Thurmont at Franklinville, to Roy until his sunburn healed.
and Blanche Baker, was a boy they they came from. They started to strafe he was George Baker, so they paid him.
named George. George had three They were forming new fighter the area that George was in so he ran George’s parents were notified on
brothers and two sisters: Raymond, groups, and they had P-36s and the over to the tent area and got his guns.
Donald, and Leroy, and Ruth and newer P-40s arriving frequently. the 10th of December that he had
Helen (nicknamed Tootie). In 1940, George was assigned to the 72nd There was a rumor going around been killed. They were not notified
at the age of nineteen, George decided fighter squadron, and in September that the Japanese were landing on the until December 24th that he was alive,
he wanted to join the military. His 1941, he was sent to Hickam Field beach across from Hickam, so they even though George was told to write
brother, Raymond (nicknamed Hun), to attend Aircraft and Engine School. loaded George on a truck with some a letter home soon after the attack.
had already been in the military It was a three-month course and machine guns and took him over to Due to priorities, mail was very slow
several months, and was somewhere was going along nicely. At the end the beach-side of Hickam. They set leaving Hawaii. All the plaques and
around Washington, D.C. of November, he was taken out of up machine guns where they could monuments listing George’s name as
school and put on ground defense. cover the beach and left George there being dead weren’t cleared until 1996.
George enlisted in the Army Air George was issued a rifle and pistol with very little ammunition. From his
Corps at Baltimore, Maryland, in and was on guard at different places vantage point, George could see the Several days after the bombing at
November of 1940, and asked to be around the base and then, they bombing and burning of Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, George was transferred
sent to Hawaii. He was sent to Fort were moved from the new barracks and Hickam Field. Some planes tried back to Wheeler Field. He was in
Slocum, New York, for basic training, to a tent area across from the Post to take off (B-18s and B-12s) and the 72nd fighter squadron where
where it was bitter cold, which Exchange. On the night of December were shot down by our own people. he went to Hickam to school. The
made his training very difficult. He 6, 1941, George was on guard duty Everything was very confusing and planes were in short supply because
volunteered for a “honey dipping” job at the water tower of Hickam from some B-17s coming in from the states of the bombings. They had little use
because he heard he could keep warm. midnight until 6:00 a.m., the morning tried to land and some made it and for crew chiefs, so he was assigned as
He found out the job was dipping of December 7. While he was walking some didn’t. crew chief on the Group Commander
solids out of the sewage; he said it did in from the tower he saw a float Colonel Steele’s P-36. Colonel Steele
keep him warm, but he didn’t smell plane fly across very high. George just The Japanese hit very hard for was a West Point officer and very
very good at the end of the day. thought it was one of our navy planes a couple of hours. Around noon, strict.
and forgot about it, but it could have the officers asked George and the
When it was time to go home on been a Japanese observation plane. other soldiers to go over to where George didn’t like Headquarters
leave for Christmas, George caught the buildings and planes were and Group and wanted to get back to the
the flu; if you had a temperature George decided to go to the see if they could help. They were to 72nd Squadron, but Colonel Steele
over 100 degrees, you couldn’t leave. barracks and eat breakfast and take see if they could find anyone injured wouldn’t transfer him. They hadn’t
George knew his was high, so he kept a shower. He was getting dressed and take them to the hospital. The received many planes. One time,
ice in his mouth until his temperature when there were several explosions. hospital was already filled and some Colonel Steele came down to fly his
was taken; he passed and was allowed He thought it was the Navy dive- were waiting outside. George helped plane and it wouldn’t start, so George
to go home. Christmas of 1940 bombing off Pearl Harbor. He raised several to the hospital and he found a asked him to get out. George tried and
was the last time he was home until a window blind and saw a plane drop leg and part of an arm and saw some it started right up. It was right after
January 1943. He stayed at Fort a bomb into the Hawaiian Air Force things he couldn’t identify. a rain and Wheeler Field was a grass
Slocum until the end of January 1941, Depot Hanger and knew it wasn’t the strip at that time. When the Colonel
when he was loaded on a ship; the Navy doing the bombing. George said his hatred for Japanese landed, George could tell he was mad.
U.S.A.T. Republic headed for Hawaii. started at that time and kept up to the He told George he rolled the plane
George finished dressing and was very day he wrote about it. He said over several times and a piece of dirt
George arrived in Honolulu in going to try to get back to the tent he would never forgive them and had hit him in the face, and if that was
early March and was put in a truck area. When going down the steps a they declared war first he may have combat, he could have been killed.
and taken to a small train that took sergeant yelled, “everybody out on the looked at it differently. George said, “Colonel look at your
him to Wheeler Field in central Oahu. parade ground.” George looked at the boots, they have mud on them from
Some of his friends, “Pipe” Fuss, parade ground which had quite a lot George said that that evening they the rain.” The colonel said, “Baker
Jim Adelsberger, and Jack Stoner, of soldiers on it. As a Japanese plane returned to the beach where they had how long have you been in the Army?
were already in Hawaii and wanted came across strafing, he decided that set up. During the night, they were You never have an excuse.”
to see him, but because they were was not the place to be, so he stayed awakened several times and asked
sick, they were quarantined and did close to the buildings and worked his their name, rank and serial number. George decided then he wanted
not get to see him until later. When way to the Post Exchange. By that They got very little sleep that night. to return to the 72nd Squadron. The
they finally saw each other, they had time, the Jap planes were bombing next morning George was in his office
quite a chat about Emmitsburg and Pearl Harbor and then flying across They spent a couple of days on the asking for a transfer. He was told no,
Hawaii. George was allowed to have Hickam Field strafing. Soon after, they beach “digging in” and reinforcing so George did that for about a week
a pass to go anywhere on the island; bombed Hickam Field, and from what their positions. On the 10th of and the answer was always no.
while at Waikiki Beach, he got a bad George understood, several different December, they were told to go to
sunburn. He didn’t want to report to places in Hawaii. a place to be paid. When George’s Finally, he told George that the
the hospital, because it was a court- turn came, he was told they couldn’t only way he would transfer him
martial offense to get sunburned. He At the Post Exchange they stood pay him, as he was listed as dead. A was to be busted. George was Staff
was digging a ditch from Wheeler to behind concrete pillars and watched couple of soldiers he knew told them Sergeant and hated to lose it but, he
Schofield Barracks, and it would have the planes fly over. George could
been bad for his sunburn. Luckily his see the big red ball painted on their
planes, but no one knew what nation
