05/25/2026
Today, we pause to remember those who gave everything for our country. For us, Memorial Day is personal, and this year, we want to honor one hero in particular.
Donald Joseph Barnes was a U.S. Navy Seabee and the grandfather of one of our owners. On June 6, 1967, the first day of his second tour in Vietnam, he lost his life during a mortar attack at Khe Sanh Combat Base. When rockets hit the Seabee compound, Senior Chief Barnes was safe in a trench with others. But after taking a roll call and realizing someone was missing, he did something few would dare. He left cover to search the bunkers for the missing man. He was killed moments later by an incoming rocket. He was 35 years old.
Barnes had been serving with a 70-man team rebuilding the airfield at Khe Sanh. In honor of his courage and sacrifice, the Navy renamed their camp in D**g Ha to Camp Barnes, a lasting tribute to the first Seabee lost there.
Those who knew him remember him not just as a leader, but as a hero. “Chief Don Barnes was my uncle,” one family member wrote. “His death was very upsetting to me, and I still carry his picture in my wallet.” A fellow Seabee added simply, “I served with Chief Barnes in Vietnam. He was my hero.”
This Memorial Day, we honor Senior Chief Donald J. Barnes and all who laid down their lives in service. May we live in a way that’s worthy of their sacrifice.
