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NAME Caruth Alexander Barker, Jr. |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-7069 |
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| UNIT VMF-121 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD Little River Station Miami, FL |
NEXT OF KIN Parents, Hugh Jr & Nanette Gordon |
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| DATE OF BIRTH December 29, 1921 at Atkins, AR |
ENTERED SERVICE March 18, 1942 (enlisted) November 25, 1942 (commissioned) |
DATE OF LOSS July 2, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Blanche Channel |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead July 3, 1944 |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS First Lieutenant Caruth A. Barker, Jr., was a pilot assigned to VMF-121, a Marine fighter squadron based at Banika in the Russell Islands. On 2 July 1943, VMF-121 flew combat patrols around Rendova Island, scene of a recent successful amphibious landing in the New Georgia campaign. The afternoon patrol was attacked by a force of thirty to forty Zeros who put their altitude advantage to deadly use. One Zero got on Barker’s tail and chased him down into a cloud, guns firing. It was the last anyone saw of Barker or F4U-1 #02383. When Barker failed to return from the mission, he was reported as missing in action. When a year passed without any indication of his survival, the young pilot was declared dead. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Captain. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Air Medal, Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK First Lieutenant (posthumous Captain) |
STATUS OF REMAINS Missing In Action |
MEMORIALS Atkins City Cemetery Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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