Francis N. Barney

While researching the history of World War II, our class found a couple United States veterans that served in the military, air force, marines, etc. Francis Barney was a man from Waukesha, WI. Francis N. Barney was born on April 24th, 1916, in Waukesha. He attended Waukesha High School but never got a higher education than his high school diploma. Before Barney went to the Pacific with the United States Air Force, he was a truck driver for Emerson Oil Company. It is argued that Barney's field of work was invaluable to the war effort, however his work kept the U.S. war machine operating behind the scenes.

 Barney's rank on entry was private, but by the year 1943 he was a Tec/4. Technician Fourth Grade was a rank of the United States Army from 1942 to 1948. The rank was created to recognize enlisted soldiers with special technical skills, but who were not trained as combat leaders. With this being said, Barney was an Air Force Technician during WWII, even though he was not on the front lines he fought and served for the United States of America.  

Barney was also stationed in the Aleutians, Ryukyus, and the Philippines. He was stationed all over the Pacific part of the world during his time in the United States Air Force. He was stationed in Kiska-Hawaii until October 30th, 1945, this when he was finally discharged and sent back to the United States. He came back to the United States and was stationed at Fort Sheridan in Sherman, Texas. Along with the list of bases that Francis Barney served at, comes with the list of places where Barney completed his training. The main places that Barney completed his training are McChord Field in Tacoma, WA, Hammer Field in Fresno, CA, and Fort Ord In California as well. The base of Fort Ord Is now a national landmark and state park in the state of California. Barney spent his time at Fort Ord training and learning the skills of a mechanic. Francis Barney's father passed away from a lingering battle with a serious illness. The death of Barney’s father came at a harsh time for him and his situation. Barney had come home from the war and got to be with his father for a brief time, less than a year, before he passed away in May 1946.  

The Aleutians was a very rough place to serve for the United States Army, Air Force, etc. In 1943, while Barney was stationed in Hawaii, the United States army fought in a war for the island of Attu, and it is known that the Island did more damage to the American troops than the Japanese dished out. This was a gruesome war in 1943. “The battle cost the United States 549 dead, 1,148 wounded and 1,814 sidelined by cold or disease” (Military History). The Air National Guard was in chaos during WWII. The branch was caught amid political wranglings about whether the air force should be its own command or under the Army. This battle needed a lot of help from whoever they could get so the United States could beat the Japanese. At the end of the battle, the U.S. troops came out victorious. The Japanese Army started with 2,900 troops, but by the end of the battle there were 2,351 dead and twenty-eight captured. Francis Barnes could have been around for this battle and involved as a technician of the fourth grade.  

Barnes was stationed in the Pacific for a significant amount of time, so there is a high possibility that he could have contracted Malaria. Malaria is a profoundly serious disease that killed far more marines out of action than Japanese fire did. This disease became a problem for the entire world when scientists realized that mosquitoes carried and transferred Malaria. “Although malaria was eradicated in the United States in 1949, it still thrives in the South Pacific” (McNeil, 1).  

Francis Barnes served his time in the military working on vehicles and artillery as a technician fourth grade. Barnes would have been doing work to keep these vehicles in top performance for the battles ahead. One historical piece of equipment that he could have worked on was the PT-305. The PT-305 is a patrol torpedo boat for the United States Army and Marines. The boat was wrecked during the war, but it served a lot of good for the United States before its demolition. The PT-305 has been fully restored and has been brought back to the U.S. to be placed in the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. Barnes worked on plenty of diverse types of vehicles throughout his time in the war. Vehicles such as Dodge WC-54 Ambulance, M4 Sherman Tank, M3A1 Stuart Tank, White M3 Half-Track, etc. These were all quite common vehicles that the United States Army used in the time of WWII (Military History). Barnes served as a technician of the fourth grade, so he could have been working on many different battle vehicles. Even though he was in the U.S. Air Force, the branches worked together more at this time as a whole army rather than separate operations.

McNeil, Donald. Fighting Disease in the South Pacific In the Name of the Skeeter Beaters, September 16th, 2008. Accessed March 2nd, 2023.

The Aleutian Battleground, vol. 35, Military History. January 11th, 2019. Accessed March 2nd, 2023.

National Museum of WWII. “PT-305 Returns Home to the National WWII Museum Campus, 2023. Accessed March 6th, 2023.