In Ocala, a World War II veteran gives centenarian a new meaning. He recently turned 101 and has a memory that can challenge younger folks.
Michael Baker is not just part of a very small 0.2% of World War II veterans still alive, but he can discuss with precision what he was hired to do, and his service in the Navy.
Baker also served in the Korean War. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Storekeeper Third Class, SK-3.
Three weeks after enlisting Baker said he was given his orders to go to Boston, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and then Philadelphia. One month later he was assigned to a ship and headed to Panama through the Canal and out to sea for combat.
“I don’t regret it,” Baker said. “I would do it again if I had to.”
And he remembers every detail as if it were just yesterday.
“I can pull it up any time [in my head],” Baker said about his time in the service. “Before I go to bed, I can pull up when I went in the Navy, where I’ve been, what I’ve done and when I went aboard ship. It never goes away.”
Baker was surrounded by family, friends and fellow residents of Brookdale Paddock Hills to celebrate his birthday milestone.
Pratima Strong, Constituent Services Representative for Congressman Randy Fine, and Todd Belknap, Executive Director of Veterans Helping Veterans USA, stopped by to wish Baker a happy birthday presenting him with a Certificate of Honor & Valor.
“You’re very very important, and we appreciate your service,” Strong said.
Over 16 million Americans served in World War II from 1939 to 1945. In 2023, there were around 94,000 surviving veterans from the war. This number has decreased by more than two thirds. As of 2026, there are just over 30,000 living World War II veterans. Baker is one of 2,506 living World War II veterans in Florida, which is the second most for a U.S. state behind California with over 3,000.
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Baker’s eldest daughter Judi Baker, 80, shared how much it means to celebrate her father.
“[Veterans] set the pace for the rest of us, for their children and for the next generation,” Judi Baker said.
In the service her father received a shellback certificate, an unofficial U.S. Navy document that proves a sailor crossed the equator. The certificate is dated August 11, 1943, nearly 85 years ago. He was aboard the U.S.S. Oceanus headed to Bora Bora, Tahitian Islands, when he accomplished this.
And as with many soldiers, Michael Baker too has a favorite place. He was stationed in Sydney, Australia for a little over a year.
Baker and his shipmates received 10 days of R&R—rest and rehabilitation—while in Sydney. He said the people were out of this world and treated them like royalty. Baker later returned to the states to get married. He said if he wasn’t getting married, he would’ve taken his discharge from the Navy in Sydney and stayed there to live.
Aside from combat, Judi Baker shared that her father loves eating at his favorite restaurants and reading. A trip to the library means he will get anywhere from six to 12 books at one time.
After being discharged from the Navy, Michael Baker also worked in trade jobs such as a plumber, a bus driver and even worked for the United States Post Office.
Brookdale Senior Living Activities Manager Shelly Weinhart said it’s an honor and so special to celebrate Michael Baker at his age.
Birthdays like Baker’s birthday allow the honoree to share stories, remember experiences lived and help others preserve American history lived through the eyes of the veteran.