World War II Honoree

Hubert Lee Barbour

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Irondale, Alabama

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Seaman First Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy January 5, 1940 at Birmingham, Alabama, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing boot camp, he was transferred to the USS Juneau Cruiser, CL-52 for duty and was on board when it was commissioned; also considered a ‘Plank Owner’ as he was a member of the Commissioning Crew. On August 7, 1942 the Cruiser and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers and other Cruisers, arrived off-shore of Guadalcanal, South Pacific Theater of Operations in support of the impending invasion. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Friday, November 13, 1942 when his warship was torpedoed, and sunk by an Imperial Japanese Submarine during the Naval Battle. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the American Cemetery at Fort William-McKinley in Manila, Philippine Islands. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.