Medal Of Honor Recipient's Family Shut Out Of Scheduled White House Visit, A Day After His Burial, Because Grandson Wore Shorts

SPOKANE, Wash. — The White House apologized Thursday for turning the family of a Medal of Honor recipient away from an exclusive tour last week because the late veteran's 10-year-old grandson was wearing shorts.

Vernon Baker, the last surviving black Medal of Honor winner from World War II, was buried Friday at Arlington National Cemetery after dying in July from complications of brain cancer at age 90. He belatedly received the military's top award from President Bill Clinton in 1997, after historians concluded he'd been wrongly denied because of his race.

On Saturday, his widow and grandson went to the White House for a special tour of the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and rooms that are in use.

The staffer who was to lead the family wasn't sure whether 10-year-old Vernon Pawlik's attire – shorts and a T-shirt bearing a picture of the boy's grandfather – was considered appropriate, officials said. Another winner of the military's top award, Thomas Norris, also was turned away because he was not previously cleared for the tour.

Norris and the Baker family had turned down a previously arranged East Wing tour for the more exclusive visit to the West Wing.

"This is an unfortunate misunderstanding," White House spokesman Adam Abrams said Thursday. "We would have loved to have hosted 10-year-old Vernon and his family at the White House and we have reached out to the Baker family and Lt. Norris to communicate our deep regret and invite them back to the White House."

A message left at the home of Baker's widow, Heidy, who was also on the tour, was not immediately returned.

In 1945, Baker rallied black troops after their white commander deserted and they captured a German stronghold in Italy, taking out three machine gun nests, two bunkers and an observation post. But he did not receive his award for more than half a century, and no black soldiers received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for battlefield valor, during that era. An Army study initiated in the early 1990s concluded Baker and several other men had been denied the award because of racism.

Six other black World War II veterans received medals posthumously at a 1997 White House ceremony where Baker got his medal.

Baker had lived since the 1980s in a valley near St. Maries, Idaho, about 50 miles east of Spokane, Wash.

The office of Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is working with the Baker family to help them return to the White House, said press secretary Susan Wheeler.

"The senator was upset by the news," Wheeler said. "We want to make sure they are comfortable."

(This version CORRECTS Rewords 9th paragraph to reflect that Baker was alive when medals were awarded. Heidy is correct spelling of widow's first name.)

Comments

[the maid]

01:45 PM on 10/03/2010

I feel the whitehouse staffer were being cautious, remember what happen during a state dinner? Also, people need to read the information, they were not invited guest that day. We need to teach our kids the appropriate way to dress and behave for different occasions in public.

[geoffstaples]

02:53 PM on 10/03/2010

"The White House apologized Thursday for turning the family of a Medal of Honor recipient away from an EXCLUSIVE tour last week because the late veteran's 10-year-old grandson was wearing shorts...

On Saturday, his widow and grandson went to the White House for a special tour of the West Wing, which includes the Oval Office and rooms that are in use...

Another winner of the military's top award, Thomas Norris, also was turned away because he was not previously cleared for the tour."

How would they know to show up for an exclusive tour that required advanced clearance unless they were invited?

Perhaps, you should read the information before spouting off.

[harriettubman]

01:33 PM on 10/03/2010

There seems to be a lot of "misunderstanding" in DC. Don't these people know how to do their jobs? He's 10 yrs old and it was hot in DC. Mistakes happen.

[Berkeleylefty]

01:50 PM on 10/03/2010

He can still wear shorts and a short-sleeve shirt and be "presentable"

[Forester]

12:23 PM on 10/03/2010

Was there an upside down Filipino flag on his T shirt?

[Novae]

12:23 PM on 10/03/2010

I don't understand how wearing certain clothes shows respect more than wearing other types of clothes. I know it's a part of our culture, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. A suit is expensive (for me anyway) to buy and maintain, plus they're hot and uncomfortable. Forcing that on me certainly doesn't make me feel more respectful of anything, and if I'm grieving, I especially don't want to wear something like that.

Everyone in my family knows that I want to be buried in jeans, and if they put a suit on my corpse, I will come back to life long enough to punish them for it. Also, I'm prohibiting suits at my funeral.

I'm really surprised at the number of people here who think it was inappropriate for a 10-year-old who just lost his grandfather to be dressed however he wanted to be. Not to mention the number of people who insist on dress codes. It just seems weird here.

[geoffstaples]

01:03 PM on 10/03/2010

It's almost never correct to invite someone to your house and then turn them away because you don't like the way they're dressed. Turning away an invited guest for wearing shorts is extremely rude and disrespectful.

[MrUnlimited]

01:12 PM on 10/03/2010

Novae, I think that our cultural perceptions regarding clothing are a form of efficiency that was created because we can't read everyone's mind. We created a unspoken universal fashion language so that people would know the message that certain attire conveys. Without this language, we'd always be stuck trying to figure out whether or not the person in saggy jeans/halter top was supposed to be at the job interview etc. (not likely) OR whether the person in the sweater and corduroy pants was really at the nightclub when the robbery took place (not likely).

With that said, I found nothing inappropriate about the way the 10 year old dressed.

[Berkeleylefty]

01:53 PM on 10/03/2010

Thanks...

[lqw]

11:46 AM on 10/03/2010

How about remembering the grandfather.?
"n 1945, Baker rallied black troops after their white commander deserted and they captured a German stronghold in Italy, taking out three machine gun nests, two bunkers and an observation post. But he did not receive his award for more than half a century, and no black soldiers received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for battlefield valor, during that era. An Army study initiated in the early 1990s concluded Baker and several other men had been denied the award because of racism.
Six other black World War II veterans received medals posthumously at a 1997 White House ceremony where Baker got his medal."
He passed away this year at age 90 and is interred in Arlington. His widow and grandson were invited for a WH TOUR. Nothing more. The 10 year old wore a T shirt with a picture of his grandfather and shorts. So what ! It was a tour.

[jannyWA]

10:33 AM on 10/03/2010

oops, I meant to write 2009, not 2008. Sorry

[jannyWA]

10:31 AM on 10/03/2010

Unfortunate story, but some of the posters here who are outraged at this slight because it was a 10 year old boy in shorts are the same ones outraged in January of 2008 when the president was shown in shirtsleeves in the oval office, or thought it was OK Cantor was on his blackberry and Joe Wilson yelled "You lie." during a presidential speech to Congress.

I wish the family could have been let it, but I also think if that had been done, there would be complaining about that, too. Sad.

[geoffstaples]

01:10 PM on 10/03/2010

No. I'm outraged because this was unnecessarily rude to invited guests, just like this White House has been unnecessarily rude to loyal Democrats - like me - because we dared to criticize some political actions and decisions of his Almighty Highness Obama.

If Obama wants to demand unquestioned fealty from us, he needs to have the manners expected of a monarch.

[harriettubman]

01:44 PM on 10/03/2010

So what happened? Your post says nothing.

[harriettubman]

01:43 PM on 10/03/2010

People are going by society norms. To me the president should've had on shorts when he was on vacation. Who wants to be photgraphed in hot weather with a shirt, pants and shoes one? Get out the sandals, shorts and t-shirts.

Also, he shouldn't have to wear a shirt/tie around the White House at all times.

[IKnowItAll]

10:29 AM on 10/03/2010

Fact of the matter is that people have forgotten that decorum and correctness have a place in society. Obviously, the situation could have been handled better. Perhaps a chance to go and change a run to a nearby store for a pair of pants. It is the White House and not a shopping mall. The people that should have known better are the parents/grandparents. I mean really, shorts....?

[lqw]

11:42 AM on 10/03/2010

It is the people's house. Remember.

[Demidan]

09:26 AM on 10/03/2010

It's the White House. If you have to think about what you are wearing and choose shorts over suit you fail.

[hallowellboy]

08:35 AM on 10/03/2010

It was the military that blocked the kid from the grounds. They thought he looked Gay.

[buckbanter44]

08:11 AM on 10/03/2010

The White House should make the taxpayers pay for this family's airfare, hotel, and meals to return to DC for a private WH tour. Not letting them in because a 10 year old had on shorts screams elitism.

[Demidan]

09:24 AM on 10/03/2010

It's called decorum. You post screams uneducated.

[Sherrylala]

07:57 AM on 10/03/2010

Its unfortunate that this happened, but I don't have a problem with requiring people to dress appropriately in certain venues. Shorts, baggy pants, untucked shirts, sneakers, flip flops, etc. all have a place in society, but visiting places where a certain level of decorum is expected, a person should rethink their attire before trying to enter.

[Whinger]

03:30 AM on 10/03/2010

I've seen service personnel wearing shorts engaging the enemy in a firefight.....

Looks like dress code protocol has choked the life out of common sense!

[pghperson]

01:53 AM on 10/03/2010

How sad. A bad mix-up by white house staff; poorly done. What's wrong with the white house staff? They allow a gatecrashing couple who are shilling for a spot in reality television into a state dinner; and deny an outstanding person's grandchild entry because he wasn't "attired" properly? Anything the kid wore should have been fine. I think President Obama will apologize personally, because that's who he is. However, his staff ought to start to think a little bit. Don't want a visitor to cross your dresscode? Send them the rules ahead of time. I'm sure they'd be happy to comply.

[Katzencats]

11:17 PM on 10/02/2010

The first thing I thought of was the yahoo couple that crashed the White House (twice?) because they looked the part & weren't checked against a guest list (or anything else). They were waved right through, but this (invited) family was turned away because the 10 year old wasn't dressed appropriately? What about Lt. Norris? He wasn't cleared & was also turned away. Something wrong there.

The next thing was Don't these people know any better? If this was your regular tour group, it's understandable, but this was a private tour - after they turned down a scheduled tour of the East Wing. They had to have known it was more "important".

However, it was the 90 year old man's widow who was there with the grandson, no idea of the widow's age? Maybe they couldn't afford something better, or she didn't notice? Looking at the picture at the service, you can see a boy in an extra large t-shirt hugging her. I assume it is the grandson. If they thought that was appropriate attire for such a solemn ocassion, maybe they just didn't know any better.

They should have been allowed in, protocol be damned.

[sadwitness]

12:05 AM on 10/03/2010

Except the article says that : "the Baker family had turned down a previously arranged East Wing tour for the more exclusive visit to the West Wing. Seems like the More Exclusive tour might have been a tip off.

[pghperson]

02:07 AM on 10/03/2010

No. Never turn away a Medal of Honor's family for any reason - why shouldn't they see the west wing? Their family fought to keep that wing intact. Did they inform the family that there was a dress code? If they did; and maybe they grandchild just wore what he wore - no big deal. He's a child. A grandchild of a medal of honor american who had been previously been denied his medal of honor. And now this. I feel bad for this family. The White House staff who had anything to do with this one made a major, insensitive mistake.