Awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for action on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll 20 November 1943.
"Attached to a rifle company during the action at Tarawa on November 20, 1943, Barker was seriously wounded while he was disembarking from an amphibious tractor on the strongly fortified Japanese beachhead. He refused medical attention and cared for his own wound. Undaunted by a constant hail of enemy machinegun and mortar fire, he administered first aid to wounded comrades on the beah in spite of his own intense pain. Barker was urged to seek protection in a nearby dugout with other casualties, but he remained at his post until he was mortally wounded by an enemy sniper. His gallant conduct and devotion to duty directly contributed to the saving of many lives."
Capt. French R. Moore, "The Doctor at Guadalcanal and Tarawa", p. 235.
Email - Jonathan.E.Stevens@wheaton.edu
copyright 2002 Wheaton, Illinois
Created 22 February 2002
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