""Heidy usually answers the phone. But I picked it up and said, 'Good morning.' The voice on the other end said, 'Mr. Baker, Vernon Baker?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'What do you know a bout the Medal of Honor?' And I thought, 'Who in the hell is this nut?' and I started to hang up the phone. He said, 'Don't hang up! I'm Professor Gibran and I'm a professor at the Shaw University in North Carolina, and the Army has given us a $350,000 grant to investigate why no black Americans received the Medal of Honor during World War II.' And I said, 'Um, yeah, this is another one of those committees they dream up to investigate, and then all of a sudden they're gone.' Well, he said he'd like to come and talk to me, him and a Colonel Cash. He's deceased now. So I said, 'Okay.' We met them over at a hotel in Spokane for a couple of days, spent the time talking. All of a sudden, reporters started calling, and then people started showing up at the door, wanting interviews."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Silver Star Medal recipientsMedal of Honor recipientsAfrican AmericansUnited States Army peoplePeople from Wyoming
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
p. 89
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vernon_Baker
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Vernon Baker
10 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Vernon Baker →
Related Quotes
"Dedicated to my grandfather, Samuel Joseph Baker, and the brave soldiers of the 92nd Infantry "Buffalo" Division who …"
"I, too, want to close wounds and answer the questions of World War II. Some wounds will not heal, some questions will…"
"Thousands of people embraced me- the towns of Montignoso, Massa, and Cararra, the cities of Pietrasanta and Florence,…"
"On April 4, 1997, the day before my pilgrimage, I visited Castle Aghinolfi from the German side of the lines. The inv…"
"Despite my passion for my men, I cannot better explain why I cannot honor them- the heroes who didn't retreat- by rem…"
"[Regarding a 1937 summarization on black soldiers published by the U.S. Army War College] Reading this, I could begin…"
"I received the Medal the thirteenth of January, nineteen-ninety-seven, from President Clinton. Seven were awarded, bu…"
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: First Lieutenant…"
"Having grown up in a small northern town, Baker didn't understand why they asked him and another black passenger to m…"
"Our Nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal."