Fort Jackson hosts Medal of Honor memorial

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (AP) — A memorial service has been held at Fort Jackson for a retired Army master sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam war.

Friends, family and fellow service members gathered Friday at Fort Jackson to remember Master Sgt. John F. Baker Jr.

The 66-year-old Baker died Jan. 20 in Columbia after collapsing at his home.

The Davenport, Iowa, native earned the nation’s highest award for valor in combat while serving as a private first class with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. After his unit was ambushed in 1966, Baker saved his comrades but also knocked out six Viet Cong machine gun bunkers and killed 10 enemy soldiers.

Baker will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.