The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is grateful to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency whose relentless commitment to identifying America’s fallen and missing heroes resulted in last week’s identification of Medal of Honor Recipient Addison Earl Baker’s remains and last August’s identification of Medal of Honor Recipient James Richard Ward’s remains, in addition to those of many other U.S. service members.   

As the organization chartered by Congress to care for the legacies of those who are awarded our nation’s highest award for military combat, we believe in the importance of bringing greater finality to these men’s stories. And as the organization comprised of the 66 living Medal of Honor Recipients, we appreciate the closure that is brought to the families and ancestors of these men.

Both Baker and Ward lost their lives while serving in World War II.  Baker was a pilot who persevered in his mission as part of the Ploiești Raid despite sustaining devastating damage and fire to his aircraft.  Ward was assigned to the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor and made the decision to light the way for his fellow turret crew members as the ship neared capsizing in order to help them to escape, sacrificing his own life as a result.

Baker’s Medal of Honor was accepted by his parents and widow on March 2, 1944, at First Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio.  Ward’s Medal was mailed to his parents in Springfield, Ohio, in March 1942, accompanied by a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretery of the Navy Frank Knox.

About the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Medal of Honor and its Recipients, inspiring Americans, and supporting the Recipients as they connect with communities across the country. Chartered by Congress in 1958, its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. There are 66 living Recipients.

The Society carries out its mission through outreach, education and preservation programs, including the Medal of Honor Museum, Congressional Medal of Honor Outreach Programs, the Congressional Medal of Honor Character Development Program, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Citizen Honors Awards for Valor and Service. The Society’s programs and operations are funded by donations.

As part of Public Law 106-83, the Medal of the Honor Memorial Act, the Medal of Honor Museum, which is co-located with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s headquarters on board the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was designated as one of three national Medal of Honor sites.

Learn more about the Medal of Honor and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s initiatives at https://www.cmohs.org.