WWII pilot from Coventry Township finds final resting spot at Arlington National Cemetery

Alan Ashworth, Akron Beacon Journal
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A funeral for a Coventry Township World War II pilot shot down during a mission in Romania nearly 80 years ago will be held Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The family of Lt. Col. Addison Baker met with U.S. Army representatives in April, after the remains of their relative were matched with DNA from surviving family members. Local resident John L. Baker, a nephew of Addison Baker, was one of those who provided swab samples that helped identify his long-lost uncle.

Mary Ostrow, a New Franklin resident and a grandniece of the WWII pilot, said in a phone interview last week that family members from all over the country will gather for the ceremony at Arlington National.

Lt. Col. Addison Baker who was shot down in 1943 during World War II. Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Ploiesti Raid, Rumania, August 1, 1943. In April, 2022, the U.S. government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Baker's remains had been identified using modern forensics techniques.
Lt. Col. Addison Baker who was shot down in 1943 during World War II. Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Ploiesti Raid, Rumania, August 1, 1943. In April, 2022, the U.S. government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Baker's remains had been identified using modern forensics techniques.

More:Army identifies remains of World War II, Medal of Honor pilot from Coventry Township

“There are going to be about 30 of us from all over the country,” Ostrow said.

On Tuesday, family members attended calling hours for the relative most of them never got to meet, but all of them know from family lore. The visitation was held at an Alexandria, Virginia, funeral home, and the funeral at Fort Myer Old Post Chapel, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery.

John Baker, 85, who donated DNA that helped indentify his uncle Lt. Col. Addison Baker, talks about his uncle's last mission when he was shot down in 1943 during World War II. Baker was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Ploiesti Raid, Rumania, August 1, 1943. In April, 2022, the U.S. government's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Baker's remains had been identified using modern forensics techniques.

A hero's story

On Aug. 1, 1943, Addison Baker took off from an airfield in Libya, headed for the oil production region near Ploiesti, Romania. His plane was joined by 177 of the planned 178 bombers tasked with strafing an area that provided more than half of the German oil needs.

During his 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.

Survivors of the bombing raid said Lt. Col. Baker had a chance to crash-land his plane, but continued flying with the cockpit on fire, leading other aircraft along their planned route.

For his heroism, Baker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was 36 years old.

He was originally buried at a cemetery for unknown heroes in Romania, then relocated to a cemetery in Belgium.

In 2017, his remains were sent to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska for examination and identification.

More:Barberton sailor Buford Dyer: A life cut short at Pearl Harbor 80 years ago

Full honors, a horse-drawn cart

Ostrow said Baker’s family considered Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Medina County, but chose Arlington National Cemetery after family members across the U.S. deliberated on the decision.

“We chose Arlington because of our family being so widespread across the country and because of his role in that particular battle,” Ostrow said. “We felt that that was more honoring to [him] to have it there for him [with] all the people involved.”

On Wednesday, a funeral ceremony was prepared for Baker, with a horse-drawn cart carrying his remains.

“They have planned this elaborate, beautiful funeral for my uncle,” she said, with full honors and a caisson.

The funeral was scheduled for 9 a.m., with inurnment at 10 a.m.

Ostrow said her brother and her cousin’s son, named Addison, will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony after the funeral. Addison was scheduled to place the wreath.

10 seconds of video from the past

Since Baker’s remains were identified, his family has continued to learn new information about him, Ostrow said. The 93rd Bombardment Group was actually able to provide photos and a short video of the family hero. A fuller history of Baker and the bombing mission is available at https://bit.ly/3ezqCI2.

“It was just a little 10-second clip but it was priceless for us,” she said. “Two of the elders going with us are the only ones who knew him.”

The video shows Baker outside his tent in Africa, she said.

Ostrow said that although her father and uncle are the only two surviving family members who knew Baker — the two men were young children at the time — his memory lives on.

“We are so proud of our family hero and our uncle for his loyalty and devotion to his country and his men,” she said. “(It’s) something we’ve talked about our whole lives.”

During services for Addison Baker, Ostrow said, a family portrait of him was placed on display. The portrait was made by Joelle Zellman of Cuyahoga Falls, Ostrow’s niece.

Ostrow said family members received an invitation to the annual Pentagon POW/MIA Ceremony on Friday. The ceremony has been held on the third Friday of September since 1979 and is attended by top military personnel from the Department of Defense.

Ostrow said that although Baker was born in Chicago, he bled Buckeye.

“He signed up for the services in Akron, and he was married in (Akron),” she said. “His life was here.”

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: WWII pilot from Coventry Township honored at Arlington National