Master Sergeant James Henry Barber

center left, mother of James Henry Barber, center right: James Henry Barber, far left and right: members of the local VFW.

Master Sergeant James Henry Barber was a member of G Company, 2nd Battalion of 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was captured in North Korea on 3 December 1950, along the road running westward from Hungnam on the east coast. This was the port through which allied forces advanced to the Chosin Reservoir, farther north, and through which they fell back when almost surrounded and cut off by large Chinese forces entering the war. Your father’s unit had an especially important task, of keeping this lateral road open, to prevent other Chinese forces from encircling Hungnam from inland and cutting off the friendly units then withdrawing through the port.

As a POW, MSG Barber marched northward, past the Chosin Reservoir, to spend Christmas of 1950 at Kanggye, deep within the interior of North Korea. Later that spring, he continued on to Camp 5 at Pyoktong and finally Camp 3 at Changsong, both on the south bank of the Yalu River. He returned to friendly hands during Operation Big Switch on 5 August 1953. He was not a Master Sergeant at the time, so he went from Camp 5 to Camp 3, instead of Camp 4 at Wiwon, which was reserved for NCOs.