| On Saturday, 31 July, 2010 at 1100 hours, Quad Cities Chapter 299, Vietnam Veterans of America will take great pride in sponsoring the dedication ceremony of the I-280 bridge which will be officially named after the Quad Cities Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. John F. Baker, Jr.This occasion will further be honored by the dedication of the John Baker/Vietnam Veterans Monument, which will be located in front of the Jumer’s Hotel in close proximity to the flags.
The program will be held at the front entrance of Jumer’s Hotel, Rock Island, IL. John Baker and his wife, Donnell, will be our most honored guests. NFL great & VN wounded and decorated combat vet, Rocky Bleier, will deliver the keynote address. We urge all members, as well as the general public, to come and be a part of this momentous and historic occasion. The photos of the bronze sculpture of the American Eagle clutching the Medal of Honor rests atop the monument capstone. It is the symbol of America and of her strength. It rests now…but is ever vigilant and remains ready to defend our liberty. As is said, we remain the land of the free because of the brave. |
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I thought I heard that there will be an autograph session after the dedication ceremony. Is that correct. If you could send me the information I would appreciate it.
Thank you
Deanna
I am sorry I missed this story. Mr. Baker is an amazing man. I have met him several times, and have never walked away unimpressed.
He is truly humble. One day when he was signing autographs in Chicago, he pulled me aside to ask me to get the Army Parachute Teams autographs. Here is a true hero of the human race, asking to get the autograph of the team that jumped to honor them that day. Of course, I promptly got the autographs for him!
There are other living Medal of Honor recipients in Illinois. I wish we could name all the bridges after them. We need to do more for them. They are truly amazing people.