The Wall › Panel 29E › Massachusetts › John Andrew Barnes III
JOHN ANDREW BARNES III
Private First Class · U.S. Army
April 16, 1945 – November 12, 1967
Medal of Honor StoryPortrait: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
John Andrew Barnes III, of Dedham, Massachusetts, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on November 12, 1967, in Kontum Province, South Vietnam, at age 22. His name is inscribed on Panel 29E, Line 84 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
John Andrew Barnes III received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on November 12, 1967. The official citation reads:
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company C, First Battalion, 503d Infantry 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Dak To, Republic of Vietnam, November 12, 1967. Entered service at: Boston, Mass. Born: April 16, 1945, Boston, Mass.
Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Barnes distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while engaged in combat against hostile forces. Pfc. Barnes was serving as a grenadier when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese force, estimated to be a battalion. Upon seeing the crew of a machine gun team killed, Pfc. Barnes, without hesitation, dashed through the bullet swept area, manned the machine gun, and killed 9 enemy soldiers as they assaulted his position. While pausing just long enough to retrieve more ammunition, Pfc. Barnes observed an enemy grenade thrown into the midst of some severely wounded personnel close to his position. Realizing that the grenade could further injure or kill the majority of the wounded personnel, he sacrificed his life by throwing himself directly onto the hand grenade as it exploded. Through his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his own safety, and profound concern for his fellow soldiers, he averted a probable loss of life and injury to the wounded members of his unit. Pfc. Barnes' extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on John Andrew Barnes III; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 29E · Line 84
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Combat Engineer (12B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 173 AIRBORNE BDE
- Born
- April 16, 1945
- Home of record
- Dedham, Massachusetts (Norfolk County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- November 12, 1967
- Age
- 22
- Province
- Kontum
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Unknown
Context · from the records
What was happening
37 names on the Wall carry the date November 12, 1967; 15 of them were lost in Kon Tum Province. In November 1967, 1,133 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 173rd Airborne Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 212 of its members that month.
He died in Kon Tum Province while the Battle of Đắk Tô was under way. Around Đắk Tô in the Central Highlands (3–23 November 1967), the 4th Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade fought North Vietnamese regiments for the hills along the border, ending with the assault on Hill 875 on Thanksgiving Day. The casualty record gives the province and date, not the exact place, so it does not say whether he fell in the battle itself.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 29E, Line 84
- FORREST ADRIAN MCKINNEYSpecialist Four · November 12, 1967
- CHARLES H MORRIS JRPrivate First Class · November 12, 1967
- CHARLES RAY MOULTINEPetty Officer Third Class · November 12, 1967
- WILLIAM LEE NULPH JRSpecialist Four · November 12, 1967
Same unit, same day
- DAN S ALLEN IIISergeant · Panel 29E, Line 79
- JOHN HENRY BARNESPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 80
- HAROLD EUGENE COUCHSergeant · Panel 29E, Line 80
- HUBERT CROOMPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 81
- ALDON JAMES DEDEAUXPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 81
- ARMANDO LEO ESCARENOPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 81
- CHARLES FAVROTHSergeant · Panel 29E, Line 81
- DANIEL WILLIAM FOSTERSpecialist Four · Panel 29E, Line 82
- WILEY GUERREROPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 82
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN HARDYCaptain · Panel 29E, Line 82
- JAMES EARL JENKINSPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 83
- JERRY CONRAD KELLEYSpecialist Four · Panel 29E, Line 83
- CHARLES H MORRIS JRPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 84
- LEONARD ALAN THOMASPrivate First Class · Panel 29E, Line 86
From Dedham
- NEAL ROBERT THALINPrivate First Class · June 2, 1967
- DOUGLAS D CROWECaptain · March 4, 1968
- BERNARD F DUTTON JRLance Corporal · July 4, 1968
- FRANK EDWARD LITCHFIELDFirst Lieutenant · August 5, 1969
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.