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first met Wayne Barham 44 years ago, in Springfield,S.D. Classes were just beginning at what was thenknown as Southern State College (SSC). I was a new in-structor, there, in the Social & Behavioral Sciences de-partment. Mr. Barham was a veteran — in more waysthan one!

Wayne had begun his teaching stint at Springfieldtwo years earlier, in 1967. I was at once impressed with hisrather bombastic personality and great laugh. I soon learnedthat he was one of the most popular and effective teachers atSSC. He loved to talk, to give speeches and generally hold forthwherever there was an audience and, unlike so many others,he always had something to say!

As evidence of this, in 1972, Wayne was selected to be theonly “on-campus” commencement speaker. His book, “A Spar-row Among the Bluebirds,” appeared on the shelf in 2004 andthat’s when I found a copy — in Hy-Vee! Today, you can find acopy at the Yankton Community Library, While it’s essentiallya biography, a “slightly embellished” one according to Wayne,Part Two of the book takes the reader back to his experiencein WWII as a rifleman in K Company, Ninth Marines. It’s an eye-opener, folks!

Randy Dockendorf, of the PRESS & DAKOTAN, interviewedWayne for Veteran’s Day article a few years back. It’s a great inter-view and we proudly reprint it, here, for this tribute to veterans.

DOUG SALL———

BY RANDY DOCKENDORF

Wayne Barham received three Purple Hearts during WorldWar II, but he doesn’t see himself as heroic.

“I wasn’t a hero, I was just a survivor,” he said. “Therewere things that others did for me (in battle) that I would dofor them in a minute.”

The Springfield man saw some of the heaviest combat inthe South Pacific as a member of K Company, 3rd Battalion ofthe 9th Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps.

On today’s Veteran’s Day, Barham doesn’t dwell on him-self or his injuries. Instead, he asks: Why did I get to livewhen so many around me were killed?

“I wonder so often and think back to all those who werekilled,” he said. “They were so young. For so many of them,their lives ended when they were 18. I feel so guilty that I’malive.”

Barham was injured on three different occasions. He suf-fered shrapnel wounds, felt a bullet graze his head, wasblinded, lost part of his hearing — and survived it all.

“I have been blind out of my right eye since 1944,” he said.“A Japanese hand grenade landed in my face. I was blind forthree months. They got my sight back in my left eye, and myvision was saved in Philadelphia. In my right eye, I had a sev-ered optic nerve. That’s the only thing they can’t repair inyour eye.”

Barham survived shrapnel wounds in both legs, sufferedin a mortar shell barrage on his first night ashore in combat.

“They took me to a hospital ship to remove the shrapnel,”he said. “They were out of painkillers, so they gave me awooden tongue depressor that I could bite.”

After recovering from the wounds, Barham was sent backinto combat.

“If that happened today, they would just send you home,”he said. “But they sent me back to my outfit.”

Barham endured other close calls during his two years inthe South Pacific. One time, a mortar shell landed 10 feetfrom him but didn’t go off in the mud. Another time, nearly adozen bullets zinged right next to him.

On another occasion, Barham was walking on a mountain-side in Guam when he heard a click to his left — and turnedto stare into the eyes of a Japanese soldier.

“I could reach out and touch him. He had a pistol in myface,” he said. “But Bob Mentzer shot him and saved my life.I’ll never forget Bob. He was from Grand Island, Neb. He sur-vived Guam but was killed at Iwo Jima.”

The company commander, Capt. Crawford from NorthDakota, was also killed at Iwo Jima, Barham said. Every oneof the K Company officers were killed or injured in that cam-paign, he said.

“Capt. Crawford was propped up against a rock, trying toread a map,” Barham said. “Then he slumped and was quiet.He had been shot through the head.”

On a personal level, Barham was perhaps affected themost by the loss of his good friend, Jack Rich of Springfield.

Rich enjoyed playing pranks, setting up an unsuspectingBarham. One time at the Palladium in Hollywood, Rich an-nounced he was cutting in on a large sailor to dance with hisgirl.

“Jack walked up and pushed the sailor away, and the girlgave Jack a big hug and a kiss,” Barham said. “She was fromback home in Springfield.”

At Guadalcanal, Barham and Rich were serving with16,000 to 18,000 men in their division. The camp consisted ofone big coconut grove with six-man tents.

Rich announced he was going to kick a major in his rear

end, then walked into the tent and addressed the officer —who was a friend from Tyndall.

The unit hit Guam in July 1944, and Rich’s life was cutshort when he was killed in battle. However, he continued toinfluence Barham, who decided to complete college in Rich’shometown of Springfield.

Barham had attended the University of Illinois for threeyears, then finished his degree in 1950 at Southern State Col-lege in Springfield. After college, Barham taught and coachedat Springfield High School and at Rhinelander, Wis. He wasalso a football coach at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake,Iowa.

Barham earned his masters degree in guidance and coun-seling from South Dakota State University in Brookings. He wasworking as a counselor at Mitchell High School when he re-ceived a call asking if he wanted to fill an opening at SSC’s edu-cation department.

He accepted, teaching at the Springfield college from 1967until it closed in 1984. During the last five years, he served ashead of the education department. Barham’s wife, Dorothy,

PRESS & DAKOTAN n MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2013 HERITAGE 2013: PAGE 15B

‘A Sparrow Among The Bluebirds’I

“I wonder so often and think back to all those who were killed.They were so young. For so many of them, their lives ended when

they were 18. I feel so guilty that I’m alive.”

WAYNE BARHAM

BARHAM | PAGE 16B

RANDY DOCKENDORF/P&D ARCHIVE PHOTO

Wayne Barham of Springfield won three Purple Hearts during WorldWar II, and chronicled his experiences in the book, “A SparrowAmong the Bluebirds.”