Bernard Baker was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri, in February 1924. He grew up with nine siblings. An older brother served in the Marine Corps and another brother served during the occupation of Germany. Another brother was a Marine during the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War 1950 to 1953]. During the Great Depression, Baker's mother stayed at home and his father worked as a cab driver, then in the United States Forestry Department in Missouri. He always had work. During those times, living was hard. His father did not make much money. The family rented a house and received welfare money [Annotator's Note: a New Deal social program set up during the Great Depression]. Baker worked in a drug store while in high school when he heard about the attack at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Baker was drafted two weeks after his 18th birthday. He was inducted into the Army at Jefferson Barracks, Saint Louis. Afterwards, he did his basic training at Saint Petersburg, Florida. Basic training was hard for Baker because he was not used to that kind of work. He was athletic. Baker marched on the beach and eventually got used to the difficult nature of the training. He became good at shooting the carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] and rifle, but not the machine gun. He was trained to do everything. After dinner one Friday, he was instructed to start marching. Because of the heat, Baker threw up and had to go to the doctor. After his basic training, Baker was told he would be in the Air Corps as a tail gunner. He failed his test and was put in a signal outfit. Baker was not given any advanced training. He was sent to Everett, Washington, where he was assigned to the 64th Fighter Wing and served in the 328th Fighter Control Squadron. The unit had P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] and P-47s [Annotator's Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft]. Baker remained in Washington for nine months training to be a cook and radioman. Using VH vans, he controlled fighters that went on bombing and strafing missions. There would be 16 men on an outpost with three vans. Sometimes, Baker would be close to the front lines. He was given two weeks' leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] before going overseas. He took a train home. When he went to basic training, it was the farthest from home he had been. When he joined the Army, he was made to strip down and stand in line while he received a new uniform and did a physical.

Bernard Baker went to Fort Lewis, Washington [Annotator’s Note: near Lakewood, Washington], for overseas training. He received equipment for Asia, but was sent to Europe. Baker took a train to the east coast and shipped on Christmas Eve, 1943. It was his first Christmas away from home. Baker went overseas on a big ship in a convoy. The first night on the ship, the seas were so rough, he did not think he would make it across the ocean. The restroom on the ship was an open latrine. He shipped out from Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia [Annotator’s Note: near Newport News, Virginia]. While aboard ship, Baker shared KP [Annotator's Note: kitchen patrol or kitchen police]. There were many soldiers on the ship. The bunk was nice and were stacked three high. Baker did not get seasick, but he did not think the ship would make the trip. U-Boats [Annotator's Note: German submarine] were prevalent at the time, so the ship zigzagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] to Italy. The last ship in the convoy was torpedoed. Baker landed in Italy, on 19 January 1944. The trip over took three weeks. The Germans were roughly 30 miles from where he landed. Baker moved up the coast towards Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. One evening, two German fighter planes came over the area. They tried to bomb the harbor Baker was in. The protection was so good the pilots could not make an accurate bombing run. The bombs landed near Baker, but did not explode. They still dig up bombs that have not detonated. Baker had some contact with Italian civilians. He thought they were friendly. The soldiers were given dictionaries for Italian, French, and German. The town he lived in was small. Baker was able to walk freely around town. He met a family with three kids. One of them was in the Italian Navy. The civilians asked for cigarettes and chocolate. The family traded a pistol for the food. Baker did not smoke. He gave them cigarettes, candy, and soap. Baker kept that pistol, but he eventually gave it to the city of St. Louis [Annotator’s Note: St. Louis, Missouri] for money.

Bernard Baker went to Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy] and remained there for about three weeks. It was a difficult place to be. The Germans were very stubborn. The Americans dug foxholes everywhere they went. Some German planes flew over and killed some security men from Baker's unit [Annotator's Note: 328th Fighter Control Squadron]. He knew them well. While in Washington, the headquarters split up and went to different outposts. They remained in those places for months training. The men did the same work during the war in Italy. Some of the pilots came back fine, but others came back with shot airplanes. It was difficult. Baker was glad not to be a tail gunner. It was not possible to make headway for a long time. The Americans could not fly the fighter planes. There were mountains. Baker believes the British were good fighters and did a good job. He was happy to leave Anzio. Baker had some interactions with the British troops. When they would leave the frontlines, they would come by Baker's area for food. He does not understand why the British were called "Limeys" [Annotator's Note: derogatory word for British people]. They were very friendly, but sometimes it was hard to understand them because of their accents. Baker remained in Italy for five or six weeks. He was given a pass to see Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy]. He went to a lake near Rome and saw the Vatican. At the Vatican, he saw a large man taking pictures with Americans. The man took a picture of Baker. The people did not know if they should talk to the Americans or not. Baker thought the Italian people were friendly and happy. Men and women would hug the soldiers. It made the Americans feel good. Baker also visited a casino.

Bernard Baker boarded a LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] and landed in Saint-Tropez, France, on 15 August 1944. He was brought into the harbor with the invasion force. He carried a rifle, backpack, helmet, and leggings. Baker took a field kitchen with him. He used small burners and an oven to cook. There were different shifts for the cooks. It was difficult moving the field kitchen. They used a fork lift and truck to move them around. Baker was responsible for feeding 16 men. He cooked for the officers for two months. The commanding officer [Annotator's Note: of Baker's 328th Fighter Control Squadron] enjoyed poached eggs. Occasionally infantry units would go to his kitchen. After the landing, Baker was sent to Deaux and Dijon, France. He did not stay in those places very long. He also stayed in a small town near Nancy, France. He was stationed near Nancy for a long time. At Christmas time, the men cut down a tree and the commanding officer invited the townspeople to enjoy the day. Baker cooked a special lunch for everyone. The Americans took over a local school. Each soldier had the opportunity to speak with French families. Baker was asked many questions. He asked about their family members. He talked to several families. The first family liked him and invited him to a Sunday dinner. Baker was given permission to attend the dinner. The dinner was large. It was difficult to communicate because there was no interpreter. He returned the following week for another dinner. The family was very nice. After the third dinner, one of the daughters invited him to ride bicycles together. He went to six dinners with the family. By that time, Baker and the daughter liked each other. He accidently got engaged to the girl. He had to explain to the family that he could not get married because the unit was moving out. He wrote to the daughter a few times while in Europe and then after he returned home. He found people to read the letters for him. Baker eventually met an American girl and broke up with the French girl. Baker thought the French were friendly and more independent. The Italians were friendly, but very poor. After de Gaulle [Annotator's Note: French Army General Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle; later President of France] took over, he asked the Americans to leave because he thought they were too wild.

After France, Bernard Baker entered Germany. He went through Heidelberg and Darmstadt, Germany. In Darmstadt, Baker found uniforms, a reconnaissance plane, and a motorcycle. The Americans took turns riding the motorcycle through the town. It was dangerous on the motorcycle. After the end of the war, Baker was able to visit other towns. He thought the German people were kind of friendly. He visited Mannheim [Annotator's Note: Mannheim, Germany] and saw the remains of the town after the bombings. Baker remembers the pontoon bridges the engineers built were the reason the Americans got across the rivers. Baker saw Frankfurt [Annotator's Note: Frankfurt, Germany] and some other towns. During the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], the Germans were beating the Allies back and the airplanes could not be flown because of a bad winter storm. The Americans were in foxholes with frozen feet. After his wife's death, Baker joined a Battle of the Bulge Veterans Association. Baker was not in the battle. Every unit in Europe sent people to fight in the battle. Soldiers in basic training were rushed to the battle. Baker was allowed to join because he was in the area during the battle. He marched in the parades. Baker talks to students in schools and brings a photo album with his wartime pictures in it. One of the students recognized her grandfather in the photo album. Baker was in Schwabish Hall, Germany, when the war ended. He continued cooking until he returned home. He remained in Europe until September 1945. Baker was supposed to be sent to Japan, but Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] dropped the atomic bomb, so his ship went to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. He landed in Camp Kilmer, New Jersey [Annotator's Note: Piscataway Township, New Jersey]. Baker did not want to go to the Pacific. He knew it would be very different than Europe. Everyone celebrated when word came the war was over.

After returning to Jefferson Barracks [Annotator's Note: Saint Louis, Missouri], the military wanted to keep Bernard Baker. However, he decided to leave the military and return home. He was discharged on 16 October 1945. Baker did not use the G.I. Bill to go to college. He only completed six months of high school. He regretted not using the G.I. Bill. He did not have much trouble returning to civilian life. Baker lived with his parents after leaving the military. He never considered joining the Marine Corps. He did not think they would take him because of his height. His most memorable moments in the war were at Anzio [Annotator's Note: Anzio, Italy], meeting a French girl, and the latrines on the boat over to Europe. The first men he lost were at Anzio. Baker considered it could be him next time, but he felt lucky. Baker had friends at home that did not serve during the war including his younger brother and some school friends. One of his friends were killed in Europe. Baker spoke to many men who served in different units. Baker served in the war because he was drafted. He might have enlisted later. All of his friends were joining the service. Baker believes everyone did their part during the war, including the home front people. He remembered going to the ration station with his father. He believes the people back home suffered because of the rations. Baker asks people about their service. He thinks it is interesting to talk to present day veterans. He believes veterans of other wars had a harder time than he did. Baker believes Americans come together when times get tough. The war showed him that life can be dangerous, so make as much of it as you can. Baker was proud to be involved in saving his country. He thinks America realizes if it was not for the British and French, the Germans would have eventually attacked the American mainland. He thinks it is almost impossible the country accomplishes all it did. Baker thinks it is nice the people at The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] do a great service to the country and people that serve in the military. Because so many World War 2 veterans have passed away, he hopes the Museum will do a similar act for Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953] and Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, 1964 to 1975] veterans. Baker believes every generation is the greatest generation. He thinks Vietnam veterans deserve more credit. Baker still has his uniform jacket. Baker gave some of his uniform to a child, but wishes he would have kept it.