WARWICK, RI – With a salute to the greatest generation, U.S. Senator Jack Reed visited the Brookdale West Bay assisted living facility in Warwick today to honor 98-year-old World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Clinton Baer.  Before a crowd of well-wishers that included Mr. Baer’s family, friends, and fellow residents, Senator Reed presented Mr. Baer with the military honors he earned in combat but never received. 

Born in Swansea, Massachusetts, in 1918, Mr. Baer enlisted in the United States Army Air Force (AAF) in June 1940 at the age of 21.  Prior to officially entering active service in Providence, he worked as a farmhand.  

Mr. Baer earned the rank of Sergeant and served with distinction as an Airplane Crew Chief in the Pacific Campaign, the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Northern Solomons Campaign, and the Mandated Islands Campaign of World War II. 

“Mr. Baer exemplifies the courage and extraordinary selflessness that is emblematic of our World War II veterans.  It is my honor to present him with these medals for his selfless and dedicated service to our nation,” said Senator Reed, a former Army Ranger and the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  “It is important that we continue to recognize the heroes who fought in World War II, as well as those at home who worked tirelessly to turn our nation into an arsenal of democracy.  On behalf of a grateful nation and the state of Rhode Island, I want to express my sincere gratitude for Mr. Baer’s courageous service and sacrifice.”

Mr. Baer is also one of the few remaining survivors of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  When the first wave of Japanese planes came over Hawaii’s principle airfield and bomber base at Hickam Field, adjacent to Pearl Harbor, he survived by jumping into a pit.  Just before the second wave hit, he charged for a shed that held a machine gun.  While he was in the shed it was hit with a bomb, and he received shrapnel injuries.

For his service during the war, he earned the Purple Heart, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four Bronze Stars, a WWII Victory Medal, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button.  His unit also earned the Distinguished Unit Badge in 1943.  

2,403 Americans lost their lives during the Pearl Harbor attacks of December 7, 1941.  According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, only 620,000 were alive in 2016, including 2,625 Rhode Islanders.

Mr. Baer is a resident of the Brookdale West Bay assisted living facility in Warwick.  To view a portion of the medal ceremony online, visit: https://www.facebook.com/SenJackReed/