Grace and Disgrace: 2005 Winter Olympics

Just before the closing ceremonies for this year's Winter Olympics tonight, we can watch a documentary with Tom Brokaw, featuring St. Maries, Idaho, resident Vernon Baker. According to today's Spokesman-Review, Baker, a member of an all-Black infantry platoon led an attack on a Nazi fortification near Torino, Italy, during WWII.

A few years ago, long after World War II, Vernon Baker received a medal around his neck; it's called the Medal of Honor, and he's the only living Black recipient of this distinction from WWII. Baker was in his early 20s and considered the old man or father of his platoon, which lost 19 men while the young lieutenant was advancing his troops, along with three rifle platoons toward their objective, a German castle called Aghinolfi.

He received no thanks or recognition until January 1997 when President Bill Clinton awarded him the Medal of Honor for "gallantry and intrepdity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty in action on 5 and 6 April 1945." Baker, now 87, has since written a book with a former Spokesman-Review reporter Ken Olson. It's called Lasting Valor, as is tonight's documentary.

After we watch the documentary about this American hero, who overcame daunting odds, not only in battle but also in life, we'll get to watch our young American athletes marching past cameras in uniform---officially-sanctioned Olympic uniforms for the athletes who've represented our country over the past couple of weeks at the world winter sporting event. These uniforms have most likely been subsidized by donations from large American corporations who spend millions to provide the very best for our athletes.

I wonder whom we'll see cheesing before the cameras as all the pomp and circumstance of the ceremony takes place. I know whom we won't see. What's that young man's name---yeah, the acrobatic skier named Peterson who got sent home for starting a fight in an Italian bar. I can't recall his full name right now, but I'll always remember the footage last night as he was receiving hugs from all his friends, apparently just before departing from the Italian venue not far from where Vernon Baker lost his men back in 1945.

I wonder if Big Bode Miller will be performing for the camera. He's had plenty of experience, bombing out in five Olympic events and then giving an upbeat spin to his follies on the various ski runs. I think he's really happy because he's skiing exactly the way he wanted to ski and because he's living the high life exactly the way he's accustomed to living it. According to Bode, he's had a wonderful Olympics, representing our country and taking the place of some other skier who might have tried a little harder in those five events.

And, I can't leave out our own local participant who bragged to everyone just how he was going for nothing but gold, only to wipe out, throw his snowboard on the ground and then blame his teammate for making him lose. That was neat to read about in last week's Los Angeles Times commentary the day after he performed. I wonder if he'll still be over there, proudly marching past the cameras in his American team uniform.

I also wonder if those two speed skaters, who obviously didn't like each other through most of the Olympics and then finally shook hands, will be marching proudly, side by side showing their unity and pride in representing the United States of America. If they do that, maybe people will forget all their temper tantrums and juvenile acrimony. We do know they'll both be wearing their shiny medals, unlike Vernon Baker got to do when he left Italy back in 1945 after fighting for the American ideal of freedom and justice for all.

Most of our American competitors in this Italian Olympics did their jobs with magnificence and grace. Our women ice skating participants each wrote individual stories of dedication to their sport and demonstrated impressive eloquence and integrity while reviewing their individual performances for the worldwide television audience. That eloquence involved no excuses for jobs not done as well as expected and suggested sincere gratitude for the opportunity to perform in the Olympics and represent their country.

There was also the soft-spoken winner of the American snowboardcross competition, who remained out of the limelight in advance of his competition, performed magnificently and accepted his rewards with humility and grace. There was Apollo Ohno, who conducted himself so honorably and hung in there in spite of early disappointment. Apollo will certainly be wearing his medals with justified pride.

Is it because of the media, always hungry for a good controversy? Or, am I alone in my disappointment toward some Americans who've worn the title of Olympian---an honor demanding dedication to a discipline, sportsmanship, respect for those who provide support, and integrity toward the commonly-accepted Olympic ideal of conducting oneself as a role model for others who may follow? Have these athletes squandered this much-envied opportunity by adding a bit of tarnish to our cherished American ideals that Vernon Baker fought for in World War II?

In this morning's paper, a couple wrote a letter to the sports section, suggesting that the "Ugly American" has become the "Arrogant American," thanks to the behavior of many of our Olympic athletes. These privileged athletes have performed in the same region of Italy where a young black man, with no corporate sponsors other than his own government and with no self-esteem coaches stroking his ego, displayed leadership and courage beyond what anyone could ever expect, only to be reprimanded later by a commander for a minor uniform infraction.

He came home from Italy with no television cameras recording his every move or reporters inteviewing him on what went wrong or right with his performance. He lived a quiet life for several decades in a small Idaho town. Finally, in the twilight of his life, he received his much-deserved honor and that much-coveted medal awarded to so few. I'm glad NBC is featuring Vernon Baker tonight to remind us of how true heroes have conducted themselves in the Italian mountains.