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DDG 124 Harvey C. Barnum Jr.

In April 2021, Barnum attended the keel-laying for the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. In a ceremony at Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., July 28, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, DDG 124, will be named Harvey C. Barnum Jr. in honor of the retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel who received the Medal of Honor for valor during the Vietnam War. Barnum also served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs and spoke at the ceremony. "It is a great honor to name this ship in recognition of Col. Barnum," said Mabus. "I have no doubt that all who serve aboard her will carry on the legacy of service and commitment exemplified by this Marine Corps hero."

This is the sixth ship Mabus has named honoring a Medal of Honor recipient. Others have included John Finn (DDG 113), Ralph Johnson (DDG 114), Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), and Woody Williams (T-ESB 4).

The U.S. Navy christened the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) during a ceremony at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, 29 July 2023. Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro delivered the christening ceremony’s principal address. “I have always looked to Harvey Barnum as a personal mentor, someone whose judgement I value in all of my decisions and considerations, including in my current role as Secretary of the Navy,” said SECNAV Del Toro. “This man is among the most distinguished and accomplished public servants alive today. May we all be a bit more like him—and may the future USS Harvey C. Barnum carry forth his spirit and his story forever.”

The ship’s sponsor is Barnum’s wife, Martha Hill, who, in the time-honored Navy tradition, christened the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. Before christening the ship, Hill welcomed and thanked the current members of the ship’s crew, known as the plank owners.

Colonel Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., the fourth Marine to earn the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam, was born 21 July 1940, in Cheshire, Connecticut. He was president of his Senior Class at Cheshire High School, where he also played football and baseball. In high school, he was a member of the Boy Scouts of America, the “C” Club and the Gym Leaders Club. After graduation from high school, he entered St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he graduated with a B.A. Degree in Economics in June 1962.

While Barnum's father was a Marine during World War II, he said he chose the service because of a Marine Corps recruiter who visited his school on a career day. Barnum said the recruiter had listened to the students' reactions to the other military recruiters and was appalled by their conduct. The recruiter told the crowd that none of them was worthy of the Marine Corps. Like many other students that day, Barnum immediately wanted to prove the man wrong.

He joined the Marine Corps’ Platoon Leaders Class program in November 1958, and attended two summer training sessions, one in 1959 and the other in 1961. Upon graduation from St. Anselm’s, he was commissioned a Marine Reserve second lieutenant. Second Lieutenant Barnum was ordered to Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, where he attended The Basic School until December 1962, when he began the Artillery Officers Orientation Course, graduating in February 1963. He was then ordered overseas and joined Battery A, 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division on Okinawa. He served first as a forward observer and then as the Battalion’s liaison officer. In July 1964, he accepted appointment in the regular Marine Corps. Prior to completing his Okinawa tour, he also served as the battalion liaison officer. He was promoted to first lieutenant in December 1964.

Transferred to the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing in April 1964, 1stLt Barnum was assigned as the Wing’s Career Advisory and Personal Affairs Officer. During Exercise Steel Pike, a landing exercise in Spain, he served as the Wing’s Security Officer. Upon returning to the United States from Spain, he was assigned as Officer in Charge, 2d Marine Aircraft Wing Classified Files. Detached in March 1965, he then served as Guard Officer, Marine Barracks, U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii.

From December 1965 until February 1966, 1stLt Barnum served on temporary duty in Vietnam. Barnum Jr. barely had time to adjust to Vietnam as a young lieutenant before he found himself commanding a company in the middle of an enemy ambush. "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." Barnum's calm demeanor and swift decisions helped stabilize his badly damaged unit, and they earned him the Medal of Honor. As an artillery forward observer with Company H, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, Lieutenant Barnum’s actions on 18 December 1965, earned him the Nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. When the company was suddenly pinned down by a hail of extremely accurate enemy fire and was quickly separated from the remainder of the battalion by over 500 meters of open and fire-swept ground, and casualties mounted rapidly. Lt. Barnum quickly made a hazardous reconnaissance of the area, seeking targets for his artillery. Finding the rifle company commander mortally wounded and the radio operator killed, he, with complete disregard for his safety, gave aid to the dying commander, then removed the radio from the dead operator and strapped it to himself. He immediately assumed command of the rifle company, and moving at once into the midst of the heavy fire, rallying and giving encouragement to all units, reorganized them to replace the loss of key personnel and led their attack on enemy positions from which deadly fire continued to come. His sound and swift decisions and his obvious calm served to stabilize the badly decimated units and his gallant example as he stood exposed repeatedly to point out targets served as an inspiration to all. Provided with 2 armed helicopters, he moved fearlessly through enemy fire to control the air attack against the firmly entrenched enemy while skillfully directing 1 platoon in a successful counterattack on the key enemy positions. Having thus cleared a small area, he requested and directed the landing of 2 transport helicopters for the evacuation of the dead and wounded. He then assisted in the mopping up and final seizure of the battalion's objective. His gallant initiative and heroic conduct reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service."

During his Veterans History Project interview in the early 2000s, Barnum said that the medal can sometimes be a burden, but he's never forgotten what it stands for. "I've worn this medal in honor of those great Marines and corpsmen who fought with me on the battlefield that day who didn't walk off, or walked off seriously wounded," he said. "There were no superstars, but I happened to be the quarterback calling the plays."

He was promoted to captain in June 1966, after he returned to Hawaii. From March until August 1967, Capt Barnum attended the Associate Field Artillery Officers Career Course, Fort Still, Oklahoma. Transferred to HQMC, he served as Aide-de-Camp for LtGen Lew W. Walt then the Assistant Chief of Staff for Manpower and subsequently the Assistant Commandant from September 1967 until October 1968.

In October 1968, Capt Barnum returned to Vietnam where he served as Commanding Officer of Battery E, 2d Battalion, 12th Marines, 3d Marine Division. With the 3d Marine Division redeployment from Vietnam to Okinawa in September 1969, he remained with that unit until the following October. For his service in this capacity, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V” and Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V”, the Purple Heart Medal for wounds received, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Silver Star.

Upon his return from Okinawa, Capt Barnum was assigned as a weapons instructor at The Basic School, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, where he served until August 1970 at which time he entered the Amphibious Warfare School, graduating in February 1972. He served as Operations Officer, 2d Battalion, 10th Marines, Camp Lejeune beginning in March 1972, and was promoted to major, May 1972, to lieutenant colonel in December 1978, and to colonel in February 1984. Colonel Barnum retired from the Marine Corps in August 1989 after more than 27 years of service.

Throughout his life, Barnum continued to work with the military in an official capacity, as well as with veterans and service members through various organizations. He served as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs from 2001-2009. He was also designated the acting assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs in January 2009.

Arleigh-Burke class destroyers conduct a variety of operations from peacetime presence and crisis response to sea control and power projection. DDG 124 will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a combination of offensive and defensive weapon systems designed to support maritime warfare, including integrated air and missile defense and vertical launch capabilities.

The ship will be constructed at Bath Iron Works, a division of General Dynamics in Maine and is expected to enter the Navy fleet in 2024. The ship will be 509 feet long, have a beam length of 59 feet and be capable of operating at speeds in excess of 30 knots.