Chicago soldier killed in World War II to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery

U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker was identified nearly 80 years after plane crash in Romania

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Chicago soldier killed in World War II to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery
The remains of a Chicago soldier killed in World War II will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The remains of a Chicago soldier killed in World War II will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker was piloting a B-24 Liberator bomber over Romania on August 1, 1943, when he was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire.

He was able to drop his bombs and avoid crashing into other planes before his plane went down.

The 36-year-old's remains were not immediately identified following the crash and were buried among "unknowns" in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania.

Baker's remains were identified this spring nearly 79 years after his death.

He was among 80 unidentified remains of fallen Americans that were recovered by the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) from the Bolovan Cemetery.

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.

Baker was also posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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