World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award from U.S. Army Lieutenant General Alexander M. Patch III at Épinal, France on September 28, 1944, for his actions as a Technical Sergeant with the 3rd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy. He joined the U.S. Army in 1940, and, during the World War II Italian Campaign, he participated in a series of amphibious landings, beginning with the Allied Invasion of Sicily in July 1943, followed by the invasion of Italy at Salerno in September 1943, and finally the landing at Anzio, Italy, in late January 1944. On May 23, 1944, his unit was ordered to attack enemy lines near Carano, Italy. He advanced alone through the minefield, following ditches and depressions, until he came within a few yards of a machine-gun nest, which he disabled with a hand grenade. He entered the German trench and advanced on a second machine gun, killing two soldiers and capturing three others. When he reached a third machine gun, the entire crew surrendered to him. Others also surrendered, and Barfoot captured a total of seventeen German soldiers and killed eight Later, when the Germans launched an armored counterattack directly against his positions, he disabled the lead tank with a bazooka, killed part of its crew with his submachine gun, and turned the German attack. He then advanced into enemy-held territory and destroyed an abandoned German artillery piece. He returned to his own lines and helped two wounded soldiers from his squad to the rear. His gallantry in action won him a battlefield promotion to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant along with the Medal of Honor. Following the war, he remained in the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and attained the rank of Colonel before retiring from the U.S. Army in 1974, with 34 years of continuous military service, During his career, he was also awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart (with two oak leaf clusters). He died from injuries received from a fall in his home at the age of 92. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well-entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot (then TSgt.) moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of one machine-gun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing two and wounding three Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machine-gun emplacement, and, with his tommy gun, killed two and captured three soldiers. Members of another enemy machine-gun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners, bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of three advancing Mark VI tanks. From a distance of 75 yards, his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other two changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed three of them with his tommy gun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently-abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his herculean efforts, assisted two of his seriously-wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoot's extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of point-blank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers."
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24 Mar 2023 The United States has renamed a military base to honor a decorated Native American soldier instead of a general who fought for the pro-slavery breakaway Confederacy. Previously called Fort Pickett, the 41,000-acre Virginia National Guard installation is the first of nine military bases to drop the name of a figure who served the Confederate States of America, which was made up of southern states that seceded and were defeated in the 1861-1865 US Civil War. The base was renamed after Colonel Van T Barfoot, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, its commander, Colonel James Shaver, said in a ceremony there. "This will be the first Army post in the continental United States to bear the name of a Native American soldier," Shaver said, referring to Barfoot's Choctaw heritage. Source: AFP