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Robert Barber, Carlisle Military School, Bamberg, SC [1948]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
  • Unit of Service: 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division
  • Location of Service: Parris Island, South Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; San Francisco, California; Japan; Korea
  • Highest Rank: Private First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/32004

View full service history

"If only I could be home with a big glass of milk and just sitting listening to the radio and reading the paper, I'd give a million dollars." (Letter to Mother, 4/28/1951)

Not wanting to alarm their friends and family, many servicemembers included only vague descriptions of their combat experiences in their letters home. Private First Class Robert L. Barber chose not to insulate his mother from the realities of war, instead providing her with harsh details of the stark conditions he faced while in combat in Korea, particularly during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. Despite offering graphic descriptions of frozen feet, hand-to-hand combat, and the casualties his unit endured, he asks his mother not to worry, but only to pray. His correspondence paints a grim portrait of a Marine pushed nearly to his breaking point by cold, exhaustion, and battle fatigue.

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[ Photo Album ]

More Resources

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[ Postcard from Robert Barber to his mother [8/30/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his parents [9/11/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his father [9/11/1950] ]
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[ Postcard from Robert Barber to his mother [10/16/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [11/01/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [11/03/1950] ]

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[ Postcard from Robert Barber to his mother [11/15/1950] ]
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[ Postcard from Robert Barber to his mother [11/15/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [11/20/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [11/21/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [12/08/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [12/08/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [12/16/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [12/25/1950] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [01/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his father [01/08/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [01/26/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to Helena [01/30/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [02/14/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [02/21/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [03/5/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [03/06/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [03/19/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [04/17/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [04/16/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [04/22/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [04/28/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [04/29/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [05/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [05/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [05/15/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [05/22/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [06/22/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Robert Barber to his mother [09/05/1951] ]
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[ Letter from Barber's brother [8/28/1948] ]
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[ Letter from Don to Robert Barber [8/11/1950] ]
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[ Letter to mother and father from Mary [10/31/1965] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [10/8/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [10/16/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [10/26/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [10/30/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [11/10/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [11/14/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [12/15/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [12/10/1968] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [2/4/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [2/17/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [2/22/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [3/3/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [3/14/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [3/24/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [3/28/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [4/03/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [4/18/1969] ]
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[ Letter to Robert Barber from his mother [4/25/1969] ]
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[ Get Well card from Robert Barber's mother, Helen [10/14/1972] ]
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[ Photocopy of a telegram informing Robert Barber of his mother's final illness [3/1987] ]
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[ Fragment of a letter from Robert Barber's mother, Helen [n.d.] ]
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[ U.S. Marine Corps athletic award certificate [6/1950] ]
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[ Summer Bible School certificate for "Bobby Barber" [7/8/1942] ]
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[ Military Training Certificate, Carlisle Military School [5/31/1948] ]
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[ Diploma, Carlisle Military School [5/31/1948] ]
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[ Commencement program, Carlisle Military School , 1948 ]
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[ Flyer for a Boy Scouts camping trip [8/1949] ]

About this Item

Title

  • Robert L. Barber Collection

Names

  • Barber, Robert L.

Home State

  • Georgia

Headings

  • -  Barber, Robert L.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Marine Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Marine Corps
    • Unit of Service: 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division
    • Location of Service: Parris Island, South Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; San Francisco, California; Japan; Korea
    • Highest Rank: Private First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1952
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Photograph: Negatives [4 items] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Civilian papers (certificates, forms, wills, etc) [4 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1948-1960)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1950-06)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1948-1988)
  • Photograph: Photographic print [1 item] -- Portrait (collected 1948)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [57 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1948-1987)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/32004

Cite as

  • Robert L. Barber Collection (AFC/2001/001/32004), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Barber, Robert L. Robert L. Barber Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.32004/.

APA citation style:

Barber, R. L. (1950) Robert L. Barber Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.32004/.

MLA citation style:

Barber, Robert L. Robert L. Barber Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.32004/>.