The Pace Award, 1973

Secretary of the Army: Howard H. Callaway: The Pace Award: 1973 for Exceptional Service awarded to Lieutenant Colonel William Baker which states:

“Lieutenant Colonel William Baker, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, distinguished himself by exceptional performance of duty during a reinvestigation of the Brownsville Incident of 1906. This event resulted in every soldier assigned to the all-black unit of the 1st Battalion, 25th Infantry, being discharged without honor and barred forever from re-enlisting in the Army or Navy and from civilian employment with the Government. After extensive research, Lieutenant Colonel Baker prepared a case upon which the Secretary of the Army made the decision to correct the injustice by changing the discharges of the soldiers to honorable. In addition, he developed the process for identification of survivors, assisted in the location of a bonafide survivor, and formulated the Army position favoring legislative approval of a bill that was signed by the President and provided compensation to survivors and un-remarried widows of soldiers involved in the Brownsville Incident. Lieutenant Colonel Baker’s accomplishments reflect great credit upon himself and have brought national acclaim to the United States Army.”

Signed by Howard H. “Bo” Calloway, Secretary of the Army, 1973-76.

Secretary of the Army: Robert F. Froehlke Quote:

“Your achievement has brought favorable national acclaim to the Army in the field of Civil Rights . . . You have done an outstanding job for the U.S. Army and the Country.”

The Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States for exceptionally outstanding conduct in the performance of meritorious service to the United States.

Signed by Robert F. Froehlke, Secretary of the Army, 1971-1973.