The Wall › Panel 1W › New York › Michael Dean Baker
MICHAEL DEAN BAKER
Seaman · U.S. Navy
April 3, 1951 – April 23, 1972
Service recordMichael Dean Baker, of Port Henry, New York, served as a Seaman in the U.S. Navy. He died on April 23, 1972, in Phu Yen Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 1W, Line 5 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 1W · Line 5
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Navy
- Rank
- Seaman (SN)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Seaman (SN)
- Born
- April 3, 1951
- Home of record
- Port Henry, New York (Essex County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- April 23, 1972
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Phu Yen
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Vehicle Crash (MC)
Context · from the records
What was happening
One name on the Wall carry the date April 23, 1972; he was the only one lost in Phu Yen Province that day. In April 1972, 106 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
He died in Phu Yen Province while the Easter Offensive was under way. On 30 March 1972, North Vietnam launched its largest offensive since 1968, attacking across the DMZ, toward An Lộc and into the Central Highlands. By then few U.S. ground troops remained; American advisers and air power fought alongside the South Vietnamese.
Also on Panel 1W, Line 5
- STEVE POROVICHSenior Master Sergeant · April 21, 1972
- GEORGE WILLIAM CARTERMajor · April 24, 1972
- MICHAEL DAVID CLEAVESSpecialist Four · April 24, 1972
- WADE LYNN ELLENWarrant Officer 1 · April 24, 1972
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.