Next month, the U.S. Navy will commission the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., the first vessel to ever bear the name of the Medal of Honor recipient
On April 11, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer 124 will officially become a U.S. warship and enter the fleet, honoring Marine Corps Col. Harvey Curtiss “Barney” Barnum Jr. for his “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War,” according to a Wednesday release.
While out on patrol on Dec. 18, 1965, near the village of Ky Phu, Barnum, a forward observer for Company H, 2nd Battalion of the 9th Marines Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, was suddenly pinned down by enemy fire from a large North Vietnamese force. The ambush, according to the DOD, separated his company from the rest of the battalion.
“It was the first time I’d been shot at,” Barnum recalled in an oral history for the Library of Congress. “So, I hit the deck.”
Then-1st Lt. Barnum took command of his company after its commander was mortally wounded.
“When I … looked around, I could see all these young Marines’ eyes looking at me, and they’re saying, ‘OK, lieutenant, what the hell are we going to do?’” Barnum remembered. “At that point, I started doing what lieutenants do, and that’s giving direction.”
After reorganizing and rallying his men, Barnum “moved fearlessly through enemy fire to lead air attacks against the enemy’s well-entrenched positions while directing one platoon in a successful counterattack on the key enemy positions,” according to the release.
Due to poor weather, fixed-wing aircraft was unable to provide fire support nor evacuation but eventually two gunships arrived on the scene to help the besieged Americans.
According to the DOD, “Barnum moved through intense enemy fire to get to a knoll where he could call in the air attacks, repeatedly exposing himself so he could physically point out the targets.”
Eventually making contact with the battalion commander, Barnum was told that his company would have to fight its way out or be stuck by themselves overnight, according to the DOD account.
“I knew that was a nonstarter,” Barnum told the Library of Congress. “Casualties were mounting rapidly. Ammunition was getting low, and the ceiling was closing in on us. I didn’t think our chances were going to be very good if we stayed.”
The young lieutenant subsequently cleared a small landing zone for helicopters to evacuate the wounded and the dead and then ordered his fellow Marines to leave behind their packs and all broken equipment “to make ourselves light,” Barnum recalled.
Roughly 1,600 feet of open rice patties stood in the way of Barnum’s Marines and the relative safety of the village.
“Squad by squad, when I said ‘go,’ I said, ‘Run as fast as you can. Don’t even stop. The only time you stop is if someone gets shot and you pick them up,’” Barnum remembered.
One by one Barnum’s squads sprinted — without cover — to the village. It took about 45 minutes but every Marine made it.
Barnum was recommended for the Medal of Honor just days after the battle, and received it on Feb. 27, 1967, from Navy Secretary Paul H. Nitze during a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington.
Barnum is one of the few living namesakes to view his ship’s commissioning, according to the release.
DDG 124’s sponsor, Martha Hill, is Barnum’s wife, and since the 2021 keel laying ceremony, Hill and Barnum have kept a close relationship with the ship’s crew.
During the commission, Hill will maintain tradition by giving the order as the vessel’s sponsor to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
The crew will then hoist the commissioning pennant, and USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. will officially become a warship and enter the fleet.
Following the commission, the ship will be located at Naval Station Norfolk.
Cristina Stassis is a reporter covering stories surrounding the defense industry, national security, military/veteran affairs and more. She previously worked as an editorial fellow for Defense News in 2024 where she assisted the newsroom in breaking news across Sightline Media Group.
