Namesake
Born July 21, 1940, in Cheshire, Connecticut, Harvey C. Barnum Jr. earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from St. Anselm College before becoming a Marine Artillery Officer. In 1958 Barnum joined the Marine Corps and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1962. Barnum served two tours in Vietnam: In 1965 as an artillery forward observer with company H,2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, and in 1968 as the Commanding Officer of Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. At 25, Captain Barnum became the fourth Marine to earn the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam. After more than 27 years of commissioned service, Colonel Barnum retired in August of 1989. Barnum was sworn in as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Reserve Affairs on Jule 23, 2001. On January 20, 2009 Barnum was designated Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Man Power and Reserve Affairs. In 2016, the destroyer USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124) was named in his honor.