On Saturday, April 11, in front of about 1,800 guests, the Navy officially commissioned the U.S.S. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., a brand-new guided-missile destroyer, at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
The ship is named in honor of Marine Corps Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., a Medal of Honor recipient from Cheshire, Conn. Barnum Jr. was stationed in Vietnam in 1965 and retired from the Marines in 1989.
“[Barnum Jr.] exemplifies the very best of our nation,” U.S. Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia’s third congressional district said in a speech at the event. “He led with courage, integrity and unwavering commitment. His leadership extended beyond the battlefield … It is fitting that this Arleigh Burke-class destroyer bears his name.”
Even in retirement, Barnum Jr. gave countless contributions to the armed forces, serving in multiple administrative roles from 2001 to 2009.
While the ship bears Barnum Jr.’s name, in his speech he instead focused on others who have served.
“We thank you, all of you, because we are all family now,” Barnum Jr. said. “The crew of the Barnum has great role models, men and women who have worn the cloth of this great country, serving both in war and in peace.”
To the crew of U.S.S. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., the namesake serves as an inspiration.
“Throughout this ship’s construction and throughout her many milestones leading up to today, Colonel Barnum has been a steadfast presence and a welcomed steward of this ship and crew,” Commander Joseph Mills — the ship’s executive officer — said during the ceremony. “We have grown to respect and admire him. We stand by, resolute in our promise to carry on his proud legacy and core values of courage and commitment.”
In his youth in Connecticut, Barnum Jr. was heavily involved in his community. He was a two-sport athlete, a Boy Scout and was involved in school government. He enrolled in St. Anselm College, sticking in New England, before joining the Marine Corps Reserve after graduation.
He earned his Medal of Freedom following a battle in December 1965, where Barnum Jr. sprinted into an open field of enemy fire to grab a wounded soldier and bring him to safety. That colleague, Captain Paul Gromley, died in Barnum Jr.’s arms. Barnum Jr. became the fourth Marine in Vietnam to win a Medal of Freedom. In 2016, he was further honored with the announcement that a ship was to be named in his honor.
A decade later, Barnum Jr. has now seen it come to reality.
George Caratzas is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.