Wesley Jay Baker was born August 4, 1923 in Constable, NY to Wesley Eri Baker (1891-1986) and Harriet Hattie Adeline Hamilton (1889-1959). His dad was a Minister in the Methodist Church. His dad was from Ausable, NY and his mom was from Raquette River, NY . His parents were married on August 15, 1915 in St. Lawrence, NY. He was the fourth of their six children which included William (1916-2008), Eri (1920-1983) and Ruth (1921-2020) who were older and Paul (1925-1948) and Robert (1930-1932) who were younger. The family moved around a bit when Wesley was young. By 1930 they were living in Bellmont, NY and by 1935 Vienna, in Oneida County, NY.

He entered Camden High School in January 1937. That same month, newspapers listed him as having passed Regents Exams in History, English, and Silent Reading. He wrestled while in high school (at 175 pounds) and used to vacation with parents in Massena and Port Henry. A February 13, 1941 new clip reported that had "left school." An April 3, 1941 news clip notes his brother Eri and he "took a farm" in Massena Center.

He registered for the draft on June 30, 1942 in Massena, NY. He was 5'-11" tall and weighed 185 pounds with blue eyes and brown hair. He was living in Durhamsville, NY at the time and working for the Aluminum Company of America (Aloca) that had (and still has) a presence in Massena. Wesley was drafted into the service on January 26, 1943 through Utica, NY with service number 32745083 . In November 1943 local newspapers reported him in the service and the local Methodist Church in North Bay held a service for him and other local boys who were serving.

In late September 1943, the 168th Infantry landed at Salerno some three weeks after the initial invasion and almost immediately went into action pushing north in Operation Avalanche. Pfc. Baker was wounded in January 1944 by artillery but the wound was minor and he was patched up and reported back to duty shortly thereafter. In April 1944 he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and on the 25th of that month he was promoted from Private to Private First Class. In September 1944 he is listed in the 34th Infantry Division's General Orders as receiving the Purple Heart.

In April 1945 the 160th Infantry moved north after winter positions south of Bologna, Italy. In early to mid April they participated in the Spring Offensive, attacking German defenses around Bologna, Italy. By late April they had pushed northward into the Po Valley. During the fighting around Bologna (known as the Po Valley Breakthrough) he was gravely wounded and attempts to save his life (he was given a blood transfusion) were to no avail. Pfc. Baker died of his wounds on April 24, 1945. He was initially buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery near Granaglione, Italy, Plot E, Row 4, Grave 621. A letter to his father from the military on October 4, 1945 reported he was buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery, Castelfiorentino, Italy, Plot 2E, Row 76, Grave 4221. In May 1948, during the government's body recovery program and at the request of his family, his remains are escorted home and buried in the Nortonville Cemetery in Pittstown, NY.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

"Camden Grapplers Open Schedule at Watertown Today", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, February 17, 1940, pg. 7.

ChatGPT Photo of Wesley was enhanced using the phrase “sharpen this photo of a young man that was taken in 1942”. The original photo is also included here in the Supporting Documents section below.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97342645/wesley_j-baker: accessed October 26, 2025), memorial page for Wesley J Baker (1923–1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 97342645, citing Norton Cemetery, Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, USA; Maintained by Janice Tefft (contributor 46945214).

"High School Facts and Fizz", under the Personal section, Advance-Journal, Camden, N.Y., February 13, 1941, pg. 7

Individual Deceased Personnel File for Baker, Wesley, service number 32745083, National Archives, St. Louis, MI, provided electronically from a FOIA request on November 17, 2025.

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 05582; Reel: 222

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Army General Orders; Record Group 64; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, NAID: 483339845, Fiche_1295.

New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 01; Assembly District: 01; City: Constable; County: Franklin; Page: 11

"North Bay", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, January 29, 1937, pg. 9

"N. Lawrence News", The Massena Observer, Massena, NY, May 25, 1945, pg. 2

"Second Draft Contingent For This Month Announced", The Massena Observer, Massena, NY, January 29, 1943, pg. 1

Year: 1930; Census Place: Bellmont, Franklin, New York; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0008; FHL microfilm: 2341173

Year: 1940; Census Place: Vienna, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02702; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 33-99

Supporting Documents