He was only 19 when he died in 1918, a kid who would become America’s first Latino Medal of Honor Recipient.
His posthumous Medal of Honor for heroism came in 1919, but his acknowledgement as a Latino had to wait until 1989.
David Bennes Barkley was born March 31, 1899 in Laredo in Webb County in south Texas, to Josef and the former Antonia Cantú.
He grew up with his Mexican-American mother. He enlisted in the Army when the United States entered what was then known as the Great War.
He used his Anglo father’s name to avoid being segregated into a non-combat unit.
Mas…Memorial Day: In 1918, this Latino war hero swam until he died