World War II pilot from Chicago identified nearly 80 years after plane crash in Romania
US Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor earlier this month.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The remains of a U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel from Chicago, who was killed during World War II, have been identified.
On August 1, 1943, Addison Baker was piloting a bomber over Romania when his plane was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Before crashing, he dropped his bombs on the target and he avoided crashing into other planes in his formation, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).
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.
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Baker 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.
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Baker was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor earlier this month.
The date and location of Baker's funeral have yet to be decided.
