The Baker Boys, WWII, and Life After the Feud
This is part of the So Far Appalachia book project. If you enjoy what you read, please vist my Kickstarter page (and pass this along to any friends who you think might find this interesting).
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The Bakers have a long, complicated history with this country, one in which I’ll explore through the chapters of the book.
Some of that history is colorful, a mix of mythology and fact. Other parts of it are grounded in history.
The one truism is this: No matter the discord, the Bakers never failed to serve when called reaching back to the Civil War (when they took up for the Union), the Spanish-American War, and eventually World War II, where 7 members of my family served.
In the same manner the Bakers would fight back against those who would oppose the family, so to would they fight back when the country was threatened.
In this picture, my great-great grandmother Flora (Ball) Baker received a special “Seven Star Pin” to represent each of her sons and grandsons in the war.
The sons of Robert Baker, the last man killed in the Clay County War, all served with distinction in World War II.
- Pvt. William Bryan Baker, 27
- Pfc. William E. Baker, 25
- Pfc. Herbert Baker, 24, who fought in the only US-based battle in the Aleutian Islands. He was listed as serving “somewhere in Alaska.”
- Corp. Hubert Baker
- Pvt. Clifton Baker, 19
- Robert Lee Baker, 17
- Grandson James M. Burke, 19, also served
