David Bennes Barkley (also known as David B. Barkeley Cantu; March 31, 1899 – November 9, 1918) was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his heroic actions during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. After successfully completing a scouting mission behind enemy lines he drowned while swimming back across the

Meuse River The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a ...

near Pouilly-sur-Meuse.

Biography

Barkley was born in Laredo,

Webb County, Texas Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secret ...

to Joseph S. Barkley and the former Antonia Cantu. Joseph was a career soldier, and the couple married in Starr County, TX while Joseph was stationed at Ft Ringgold, TX. Deployed to Puerto Rico shortly after David's birth, the family remained in Texas. David grew up with his Mexican-American mother and younger sister while his father remained in the Army. David first enlisted in the Texas National Guard, entering the U.S. Army in April 1917, shortly after the U.S. entered World War I. He enlisted under his legal name, though some claim he used his

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

father's name only to avoid being segregated into a non-combat unit. Arriving in France with the 155th Infantry in August 1918, he was later assigned to Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. Only days before the Armistice, he volunteered for a mission with Sergeant M. Waldo Hatler to swim across the Meuse River near Pouilly-sur-Meuse to get behind German lines and gather information about troop strength and deployments. They were able to gather the needed information; however, returning across the river, Barkley was "seized with cramps and drowned". (This is the exact wording from his citation, duplicated below.) Sergeant Hatler survived to bring the information back to their unit. Barkley was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, one of three Texans to be awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I. Additionally, France awarded him the '' Croix de Guerre'', and Italy the ''

Croce al Merito di Guerra The War Merit Cross ( it, Croce al Merito di Guerra) is an Italian military decoration. It was instituted by King Victor Emmanuel III during World War I on 19 January 1918. The award received major changes during World War II and is issued by the I ...

''. Private Barkley lay in state at the Alamo, the second person to receive this honor. He was then buried at the

San Antonio National Cemetery San Antonio National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 3,163 interme ...

Rank and organization

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company A, 356th Infantry, 89th Division. Place and date: Near Pouilly, France, November 9, 1918. Entered service at: San Antonio, Tex. Birth: Laredo, Tex. G.O. No.: 20, W.D., 1919. Citation :When information was desired as to the enemy's position on the opposite side of the Meuse River, Pvt. Barkeley, with another

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, volunteered without hesitation and swam the river to reconnoiter the exact location. He succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, despite the evident determination of the enemy to prevent a crossing. Having obtained his information, he again entered the water for his return, but before his goal was reached, he was seized with cramps and drowned.

In memory

Barkley has received notable posthumous recognition. In 1921, an elementary school in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, Texas, was named in his honor. On January 10, 1941, a U.S. Army installation,

Camp Barkeley Camp Barkeley was a large United States Army training installation during World War II. The base was located southwest of Abilene, Texas near what is now Dyess Air Force Base. The base was named after David B. Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient ...

, was also named in his honor. A clerical error resulted in the discrepancy in spelling. His mother attended the dedication ceremony and met with surviving members of his unit, and her photo appeared in several Texas newspapers.

David B. Barkley Plaza

Veterans Memorial Chapel at Laredo Community College IMG_7541

A memorial honoring the forty-one Hispanic soldiers who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor was built in Laredo in 2002 and named for Barkley. The David B. Barkley Plaza has a bronze statue of David B. Barkley and an American flag measuring 100 ft by 50 ft and is 308 ft tall making it the tallest flagpole in the United States. The memorial is located at . The restored chapel at

Laredo Community College Laredo College (LC) is a public community college in Laredo, Texas. Founded as Laredo Junior College in 1947, it is part of the Laredo Independent School District. As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of LC includes the ...

is also named in Barkley's honor.

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

and

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...

services are held there each year.

Awards and decorations

David Bennes Barkley's awards and decorations include the following: * Medal of Honor ribbon

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster. * World War I Victory Medal ribbon