by NAVSEA Public Affairs
BATH, ME—In a rare moment of living history, ship namesake and Medal of Honor recipient Col. Harvey “Barney” Barnum Jr. of Reedville joined members of future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr.’s (DDG 124) crew, the Navy programmatic team, and industry partners onboard the ship’s first set of sea trials, departing from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works July 15.
Col. Barnum twice served in Vietnam and received his Medal for heroic actions taken against enemy forces at Ky Phu in Quang Tin Province in December 1965 after his company came under enemy fire and was separated from the rest of their battalion. He also served as the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs.
DDG 124 was named for Col. Barnum in 2016 and is one of 32 DDG 51 class destroyers that are currently named after Medal of….
