Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient. He was born one of nine children (he also three brothers, Doyle, Kenneth, James, and five sisters Geraldean, Dorothy, Margaret, Joyce, and Betty Ruth) in Six Mile, South Carolina, to Norvin Newton Barker and Bertha Lee Gilstrap Barker. He later moved with his family to rural Pickens County, South Carolina, in 1935, and to Pickens Mill, South Carolina, in 1940. He was educated locally and attended local public schools and high schools while growing up. Following his education, the Korean War had already broken out and he decided to join the military and fight for his country. He joined the United States Army with the rank of Private when he was 17 years old in 1952 from his native South Carolina and was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, and immediately was sent overseas and began serving in the Korean War. He fought and saw heavy fighting during the Second Battle of Pork Chop Hill near Sokkogae, Yeoncheon, Korea, on June 4, 1953, when he and his platoon were on patrol duty just outside of there outpost at Pork Chop Hill when they surprised a group of Chinese soldiers digging trenches. A fierce battle then ensued between the Chinese soldiers and Private Barker and his platoon. The American side began defending the area with grenades and rapid rifle fire. The platoon then was able to move to a better position and higher ground. As the battle intensified the platoon was ordered to retreat and return to the outpost. Private Barker decided to stay behind and cover the retreat. He was last reported to be seen fighting the enemy Chinese soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. His body was never found or recovered and he was first listed as Missing In Action (or MIA) but a year later on June 4, 1954, he was declared legally dead. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and actions during the Second Battle of Pork Chop Hill on June 4, 1953, near Sokkogae, Yeoncheon, Korea. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Private First Class (he was only a Private during the battle) and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on June 7, 1955. His citation reads-Pfc. Barker, a member of Company K, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While participating in a combat patrol engaged in screening an approach to "Pork-Chop Outpost," Pfc. Barker and his companions surprised and engaged an enemy group digging emplacements on the slope. Totally unprepared, the hostile troops sought cover. After ordering Pfc. Barker and a comrade to lay down a base of fire, the patrol leader maneuvered the remainder of the platoon to a vantage point on higher ground. Pfc. Barker moved to an open area firing his rifle and hurling grenades on the hostile positions. As enemy action increased in volume and intensity, mortar bursts fell on friendly positions, ammunition was in critical supply, and the platoon was ordered to withdraw into a perimeter defense preparatory to moving back to the outpost. Voluntarily electing to cover the retrograde movement, he gallantly maintained a defense and was last seen in close hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. Pfc. Barker's unflinching courage, consummate devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice enabled the patrol to complete the mission and effect an orderly withdrawal to friendly lines, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the military service. Besides, the Medal of Honor he was also awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing on the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The story of the battle was made into the Hollywood classic action war film, "Pork Chop Hill" (1959), which was directed by Lewis Milestone, and starred the likes of Gregory Peck, Harry Guardino, Rip Torn, and Norman Fell, among many others.