Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor those who have fallen in defense of this country. There are many from Madison County who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Many know the story of Colin Kelly, the West Point graduate from Madison County who died in the early days of World War II when the bomber he was flying was shot down by Japanese fighter planes. Kelley was able to keep the plane flying long enough for his crew to bail out to safety, although he was killed when the plane eventually crashed.
Another hero from Madison County may be less well-known than Kelly. Sgt. Howard Barker was a Madison High School graduate serving in Vietnam as an Infantry Direct Fire Crewman, assigned to Company C of the Second Battalion of the 27th Infantry, the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. Sgt. Barker, who had the nickname “Gator,” had been serving in the Army for two years when, Nov. 4, 1966, he was killed during an assault on a Viet Kong bunker in the Tay Ninh Province of South Vietnam. He was just 21 years of age when he died. He was not married. Sgt. Barker was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action.
The American Legion Post 422, in Lee is named in honor of Sgt. Barker.
Greene Publishing, Inc. honors the memory of all those who have fallen in defense of the freedoms we enjoy and cherish on a daily basis.