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.
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.
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7857859/charles_heyward-barker: accessed
), memorial page for PFC Charles Heyward Barker (12 Apr 1935–4 Jun 1953), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7857859, citing Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu,
Honolulu County,
Hawaii,
USA;
Maintained by Find a Grave.
Add Photos for PFC Charles Heyward Barker
Fulfill Photo Request for PFC Charles Heyward Barker
Photo Request Fulfilled
Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request
There is an open photo request for this memorial
Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request?
Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s).
Oops, something didn't work. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again.
Make sure that the file is a photo. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced.
All photos uploaded successfully, click on the <b>Done button</b> to see the photos in the gallery.
General photo guidelines:
Photos larger than 8.0 MB will be optimized and reduced.
Each contributor can upload a maximum of 5 photos for a memorial.
A memorial can have a maximum of 20 photos from all contributors.
The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional 10 photos (for a total of 30 on the memorial).
Include gps location with grave photos where possible.
No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments.)
You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial.
Memorial Photos
This is a carousel with slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel.
Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried.
Show Map
If the memorial includes GPS coordinates, simply click 'Show Map' to view the gravesite location within the cemetery. If no GPS coordinates are available, you can contribute by adding them if you know the precise location.
Photos
For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab.
Photos Tab
All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer.
Flowers
Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button.
Family Members
Family members linked to this person will appear here.
Related searches
Use the links under See more… to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc.
Sponsor This Memorial
Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option.
Share
Share this memorial using social media sites or email.
Save to
Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print.
Edit or Suggest Edit
Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager.
Have Feedback
Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you.
You may not upload any more photos to this memorial
"Unsupported file type"
Uploading...
Waiting...
Success
Failed
This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has photos
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded photos to this memorial
This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has photos
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded photos to this memorial
Invalid File Type
Uploading 1 Photo
Uploading 2 Photos
1 Photo Uploaded
2 Photos Uploaded
Added by
GREAT NEWS! There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery.
Sorry! There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request.
Enter numeric value
Enter memorial Id
Year should not be greater than current year
Invalid memorial
Duplicate entry for memorial
You have chosen this person to be their own family member.
Reported!
This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates.
0% Complete
Saved
Sign in or Register
Sign in to Find a Grave
Sign-in to link to existing account
There is a problem with your email/password.
There is a problem with your email/password.
There is a problem with your email/password.
We encountered an unknown problem. Please wait a few minutes and try again. If the problem persists contact Find a Grave.
We’ve updated the security on the site. Please reset your password.
Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Please contact Find a Grave at [email protected] if you need help resetting your password.
This account has been disabled. If you have questions, please contact [email protected]
This account has been disabled. If you have questions, please contact [email protected]
Email not found
Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person.
Sign in to your existing Find a Grave account. You’ll only have to do this once—after your accounts are connected, you can sign in using your Ancestry sign in or your Find a Grave sign in.
We found an existing Find a Grave account associated with your email address. Sign in below with your Find a Grave credentials to link your Ancestry account. After your accounts are connected you can sign in using either account.
Please enter your email to sign in.
Please enter your password to sign in.
Please enter your email and password to sign in.
There is a problem with your email/password.
A system error has occurred. Please try again later.
A password reset email has been sent to EmailID. If you don't see an email, please check your spam folder.
We encountered an unknown problem. Please wait a few minutes and try again. If the problem persists contact Find a Grave.
Password Reset
Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code.
Registration Options
Welcome to Find a Grave
Create your free account by choosing an option below.
or
Ancestry account link
To create your account, Ancestry will share your name and email address with Find a Grave. To continue choose an option below.
or
If you already have a Find a Grave account, please sign in to link to Ancestry®.
New Member Registration
Email is mandatory
Email and Password are mandatory
This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Resend Activation Email
Your password is not strong enough
Invalid Email
You must agree to Terms and Conditions
Account already exists
Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox
Internal Server error occurred
If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map
You must select an email preference
We have sent you an activation email
Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters.
We just emailed an activation code to
Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
Within 5 miles of your location.
Within 5 kilometers of your location.
0 cemeteries found in .
0 cemeteries found.
Add a cemetery to fulfill photo requests
You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below.
Search above to list available cemeteries.
Getting location…
Loading...
Loading...
No cemeteries found
Find a Grave Video Tutorials
Default Language
Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [email protected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Thanks for your help!
Preferred Language
We have set your language to based on information from your browser.