NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. Navy welcomed its newest guided-missile destroyer to the fleet on April 11 at Naval Station Norfolk, marking a moment 61 years in the making.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., honors retired Marine Col. Harvey C. Barnum Jr., an 85-year-old Reedville, Virginia, native and Medal of Honor recipient.
On Dec. 18, 1965, then-1st Lt. Barnum assumed command of a group of vastly outnumbered Marines in Vietnam.
He led a charge through enemy lines while evacuating wounded and dead fighters, earning the nation's highest military award for his life-saving actions.
"We were mortared and shot at all night," Barnum said. "We did what Marines do. We broke out. We showed them, you know, don't mess with us."
Recently, I spent the day with Barnum at his home on the Northern Neck, where he reflected on that fateful day.
Back at Naval Station Norfolk, decorated dignitaries and veterans gathered to congratulate him.
"I'm doing fine because I'm with all my friends and neighbors and people I've served with and just to be able to bring this newest warship online is quite an honor," Barnum said.
Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith shared the stage with Barnum during the commissioning ceremony.
"If you ask a young Marine who Barney Barnum is, they know. They all know," Smith said. "Humbling, humbling just to be in his presence. To have a living legend here is amazing. He is a true living legend, one of the few living Medal of Honor recipients that we have left in this nation, and everybody should read his Medal of Honor citation because you can't, you can't hardly make that stuff up."
Following the ceremony, invited guests, including myself, took an exclusive tour of the Navy's newest warship.
Former Secretary of the United States Navy John Phelan said the destroyer will project American strength on the ocean for decades.
"It represents Virginia and the cornerstone of the Navy," Phelan said. "Barney's personal motto is 'Charge On,' and he is the epitome of charge on. He's a lot of energy. He's definitely breathed life into this ship, and his wife, who is the ship's sponsor, has also done that. So I think it's a great reflection of the Marine Corps Navy unity."
Barnum's wife, Martha Hill, serves as the ship's sponsor. During years of construction in Maine and sea trials, Hill and Barnum formed a bond with the young sailors on board.
"It is the greatest honor he believes that he's ever had in his life and for me to be the ship's sponsor, it is the greatest honor I have ever had to be involved in this for both of us. It's just a tremendous honor," Hill said. "He was so emotional when he was called and said they were naming a ship after him."
The commissioning honors a Marine saluted by the nation and U.S. sailors across the seven seas.
"You know the crew is above. That ship is a floating bunch of steel with a lot of wires and computers and guns. They don’t seek out and destroy the enemy. It’s these sailors who man the guns, man the computers, man everything else. It’s all about crew," Barnum said.
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