A reconnaissance man and sniper, John Lewis Barkley served in Company K of the Fourth Infantry Regiment, a unit that participated in almost every major American battle. The York-like episode that earned Barkley his Congressional Medal of Honor occurred on October 7, 1918, when he climbed into an abandoned French tank and singlehandedly held off an advancing German force, killing hundreds of enemy soldiers. But Barkley’s memoir abounds with other memorable moments and vignettes, all in the words of a soldier who witnessed war’s dangers and degradations but was not at all fazed by them.
Unlike other writers identified with the “Lost Generation,” he relished combat and made no apology for having dispatched scores of enemy soldiers; yet he was as much an innocent abroad as a killing machine, as witnessed by second thoughts over his sniper’s role, or by his determination to protect a youthful German prisoner from American soldiers eager for retribution. This Missouri backwoodsman and sharpshooter was also a bit of a troublemaker who smuggled liquor into camp, avoided promotions like the plague, and had a soft heart for mademoiselles and fräuleins alike.
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“Barkley was one of the war’s outstanding heroes, and his memoir is one of the most readable and detailed accounts of an American soldier’s experiences to emerge from it.”
— Edward M. Coffman, author of The War to End All Wars
Barkley was one of the war's outstanding heroes and his memoir is one of the most readable and detailed accounts of an American soldier's experiences to emerge from it.
— Edward M. Coffman, author of The War to End All WarsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
John Lewis Barkley was given the title of the most decorated soldier in the Midwest. He was a Private, First Class, US Army, Company K, fourth infantry, third division. He was in World War I and received the nation’s highest military award for bravery. He was also a member of the Kansas City police department as a detective.
Bob Souer is a full-time professional storyteller, voice actor, and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has narrated broadcast and nonbroadcast projects for corporations and ministries across North America. His voice has been heard on PBS, the History Channel, the Military Channel, and many other networks. He has also narrated radio and television programs for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, D. James Kennedy Ministries, SIM, and Compassion International.