John Baber

John Lyle Baber

Introduction from Bruce Banning, Veterans Bucket List Dreams Founder

I want to preface John Baber's story with a few words.

I, like John, am a Charter Member of VVA Chapter 142. I was fortunate to have known this fine man for many years prior to his passing.

There is living life, then there is living life the right way. When it seems like everything in modern America is upside down, there are still men and women who quietly go about living life the right way. One of the things I have learned is that there is only one way to live—it is dictated by nature. There are people who follow nature's dictates and live good and honorable lives, and there are those who do not.

John and Ladona lived life right.

I was proud to serve under John in Chapter 142. Our Chapter decided to build the Monroe County Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Heck Park in Monroe, Michigan. The memorial site is truly something to see.

I accepted the assignment to lead the project. It was quite an adventure to say the least—from the rejection of the project by the anti-war people at the local newspaper, to the politics within the Veterans community, to those who wanted to grandstand, and to those who simply felt the need to attack anyone who is working for good. It was a nightmare.

As Chairman of the project, I paid a tremendous price because my career in county government was destroyed. I would have been doomed to a position of nothingness because I dared to offend certain people.

Throughout the entire project, regardless of what was thrown at me, I knew one thing—I knew John had my back. He was Chapter President at the time. John trusted me to make the right decisions, and he supported what I did.

I hold tremendous respect for John—a true leader of men.

One of the high points of my life was standing shoulder to shoulder with him on the stage at the dedication of the Memorial. We had done it. I was thrilled to be standing with such a fine man.

Be sure to make a trip to the memorial site. It is by far one of the finest Vietnam Memorial sites in the country.

As Veterans Bucket List Dreams Founder, I am pleased to share with you and preserve for future generations the story of a man who did life right.

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JOHN LYLE BABER

John was born in Toledo on December 8, 1949. He grew up in Toledo until the age of 12 when his family moved to Petersburg. John had three brothers, Jim, Jeff, and Brian, along with one stepbrother, Jerry, and one stepsister, Diane. He attended Summerfield Schools, where he graduated in 1969.

John met me, Ladona Johnson, in January of 1968. We were married in August of 1969. We had two children, Randy, born in June 1970, and Jennifer, born in July 1972.

John was drafted into the Army on November 7, 1969, and completed Basic Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He then attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he trained in heavy artillery.

John deployed to Vietnam on April 14, 1970. He served with the 7/8th Artillery, 2nd Field Force. While there, he was sent to Cambodia. He was there for two weeks before the President informed the nation that troops would be entering Cambodia.

John served in Vietnam for 14 months and returned home on June 14, 1971.

Shortly after John left for Vietnam, our son Randy was born. John saw Randy for the first time just ten days before his first birthday.

John was a Charter Member of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 142. Over the years, he served in many different positions including President, Vice President, Secretary, Board Member, and Newsletter Editor.

He was very proud to be part of the Chapter and truly enjoyed spending time with his fellow veterans.

One story he did not talk about much involved his time in Cambodia. After a village had been bombed, there was a little girl, approximately five or six years old, who came up to the soldiers and helped them. I cannot remember exactly what she did, but the next time they saw her, she was among the victims. John had to help bury her. That experience stayed with him and troubled him for a long time.

John worked for General Motors at the Willow Run plant in Michigan for 22 years until the facility closed. He completed the remainder of his GM career at GM Powertrain in Toledo and retired on June 1, 2001.

John enjoyed driving semi-trucks. Whenever he was laid off from GM, and again after retirement, he drove for local farmers and friends from Petersburg who operated small trucking companies.

He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. Whenever he knew they were coming over, he made sure we had each grandchild's favorite candy waiting for them.

John and I were married for more than 48 years when he passed away on January 25, 2018.

We loved traveling and camping together. Some of the places we visited included Florida many times, the Grand Canyon, New Mexico, Hawaii, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Niagara Falls in Canada, Washington, D.C., Virginia, South Dakota, and Pennsylvania.

We shared many wonderful adventures and a lifetime of happy memories.

*Submitted by Donna Baber*