Lasting Valor: The Story of the Only Living Black World War II Veteran to Earn America's Highest Distinction for Valor, the Medal of

by Ken Olsen and Vernon J. Baker

Book Overview

Lasting Valor tells of some of the most dramatic acts of courage attempted in the entire Mediterranean theater during WWII-acts that resulted in Baker's being awarded the Purple Heart, a Bronze Star... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553580620
• ISBN13: 9780553580624
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

It's Not What Happens to You: It's What You Do With It

I purchased this book to tap into the life lessons of another black leader.And I really gained more than I expected. Vernon Baker talks about race, and how being Black during WWII, while in the army also meant having to work harder to prove yourself than his white commanders had to.While these racial problems still exist everywhere, and everyday, on many levels, the difference is that Baker's behind, and everyone one of his troop's behind was on the line, just because they had to make a difference in times when their white leaders used them to cover up the fact that they were cowards. To be in, and part of the team, if you will, they had to be braver than their cowardly commanders who really didn't want them there.Another interesting point in this story is, "The American Army mostly ignored its black combat troops along the Western Front while the French hailed their valor and awarded the Cross of War, to every member of three all-black regiments. Most American history books fail to record any of this, and the Army certainly didn't bring it up.""Lasting Valor," he gives details that weaving WWII battles, his Wyoming upbringing, and the women who came into his life (his traditionally thinking male identity), into one story that will touch everyone's heart.Also, this book ends in a message similar to Herman Wouk's message, from "War and Remembrance," when it states, "War, however, is the most regrettable proving ground. For the sake of my nineteen comrades, I hope no man, black, white, or any color, ever again has the opportunity to earn the Medal of Honor. War is not honor. Those who rush to launch conflict, and those who seek to create heroes from it, should remember war's legacy. You have to be there to appreciate its horrors. And die to forget them."I'd love to see this book become required reading for high school students, throughout America.

Lasting Valor had a profound influence on me

I love this book and had a hard time putting it down. At first it was just a little slow, but quickly picked up its pace. It is so vividly written that, though I am white, I felt Baker's experiences along with him. I felt the sting of anger when a bus driver told him to get to the back of the bus and when the colonel told him to take off the DSC ribbon. I felt his anguish at leaving the Italian woman in Italy, and the joy he derived from his children. This book deserves to be a best seller.

Should be required reading for high school history students!

Vernon Baker and Ken Olsen have done a tremendous job of telling the story of Baker's heroic deeds in Italy during WWII. Compelling reading for anyone interested in history, race, and the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe. Baker's humble acceptance of the Medal of Honor in January 1997 (after 55 years) touched me deeply. The book amplified what I felt to be true--Vernon Baker was a leader of men and served his country well in the face of blatant discrimination. Buy this book!!

Stereotype Busting in the PNW

I read Lasting Valor over a Christmas holiday with the in-laws. Tells the story of how persecution drove a soldier to greatness-- because there was no place left to turn. Vernon, a black man from Wyoming (a rare man indeed!) doesn't mince words about the Army, and in a sense shows how the transition regarding race still continues today in this country. Why did we have to wait 50 years to know this Medal of Honor recipient? What as a society are we missing? Vernon's status as a "Black" hero shows that we are not nearly as colorblind as we would want ourselves to believe.

Takes courage to put this book down - a must read.

Okay, so I originally bought "Lasting Valor" to put on my coffee table in the hopes I would seem more interesting to visitors and perhaps just a wee bit erudite too. But then I read it (as you must) and realized, damn, this book is GREAT. Written in the first person by World War II military veteran Vernon Baker (with journalist Ken Olsen and a superb foreward by General Colin Powell)), this is a tale of how it was to be black in an army that, while it hated you, needed you as cannon fodder. Part of this saga came to light last year when Baker was belatedly given the U.S Medal of Honor for his previously ignored acts of heroism. But the full irony of this "recognition" - more an empty apology that comes far too late for the nineteen men that Baker saw die on a ridge in Northern Italy - can only be understood when you read this book, not the short, simplified newspaper articles. I am neither a military buff nor particularly a fan of memoirs, but I could not put down this book - which is clearly meant for everyone - black, white, young, old, democrat, republican. Most gripping is the tale of betrayal by white commanders who left (yes, literally walked away from) Baker and his men when the battle got too intense ("I still hear a German commander scream Feuer, howitzer shells whistling in, followed by the whish, whish, whish of mortars, the trees around us shredding....") and then the maddeningly smooth cover-up of that cowardice by the army. There is a wry edge to Baker's voice that hovers somewhere between wise and bitter and this only makes the book more interesting - for all those who think that a nice shiny medal can absolve the injustice and the horror, Baker asks you to think again.