Robert Allois “Butch” Barker was born on February 17, 1916, in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. He was the son of Morton Darrell Barker and Emily Eschenbach Barker. He was married to Janet Louise Tidmarsh Barker Haven. He attended Springfield public schools and completed high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his leadership and love for service earned him an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Graduating with the Class of 1938, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. His first postings were at Plattsburgh Barracks, New York, and Fort Benning, Georgia, where he helped build up new facilities. Seeking family stability, Barker accepted an assignment in the Philippines.

Promoted to Captain, Barker took command of the Anti-Tank Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, preparing for the possibility of war. When Japan attacked the Philippines on December 8, 1941, his unit joined the determined but desperate defense of Bataan, holding out for months against superior forces. After the surrender on April 9, 1942, he was captured and endured the Bataan Death March, later interned at Camp O’Donnell and Cabanatuan. Despite the brutal conditions, Barker secretly kept a diary documenting the prisoners’ suffering—hunger, disease, and cruelty, as well as their courage and compassion.

As Allied forces advanced in late 1944, the Japanese began transferring prisoners to Japan. Barker, then at Bilibid Prison, was loaded aboard the unmarked transport Oryoku Maru, one of several infamous “hell ships.” After surviving attacks that sank the Oryoku and later the Enoura Maru, he was placed on the Brazil Maru, where disease and exhaustion claimed his life on January 17, 1945. His body was buried at sea.

Cpt Barker's name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Manila, Capital District, National Capital Region, Philippines.

Silver Star Citation:
(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Infantry) Robert Allois Barker (ASN: 0-21298), United States Army, for in action while serving as Commanding Officer of the Anti-Tank Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, in action against the enemy during the defense of Bataan, Luzon, Philippine Islands, in 1942. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Captain Barker, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org, valor.militarytimes.com