In 1943, Robert (Ken) Barmore enlisted in the Air Force with his two best friends. After training at Bennettsville Primary Flight School, Barmore realized his dream of becoming a B-24 Liberator pilot.
Barmore’s most unforgettable experience came on May 5, 1944, during a bombing raid over Ploesti, Romania. His B-24 was hit, severely injuring two gunners. Barmore helped the injured crew members bail out before escaping the burning aircraft himself. Tragically, both injured gunners later died from their wounds. Barmore and the surviving crew, however, were captured and held as prisoners of war (POW) in Bucharest.
He was recommended a Silver Star for his service, but was ultimately not awarded.
After the war, Barmore joined United Airlines as a pilot. When his flying career was cut short, he continued working as a crew supervisor, retiring after 30 years.
Barmore remained connected with his fellow servicemen, attending POW gatherings and staying active in the Air Force Association. He also formed a lasting friendship with Princess Catherine Caradja of Romania, who was grateful for American efforts to liberate her country.
Barmore died in 2020, the last surviving member of his crew from the war.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
TogetherWeServed
This ‘Honoring Veterans’ story was prepared with the assistance of Togetherweserved.com, an online community where Veterans can reconnect with those they served with and preserve the memories and photographs of their military service so that this may live on for their family and future generations. Find out more at https://togetherweserved.com.
A portion of this story was generated by AI. None of the data we reported included personal or sensitive information, and it was fact-checked and edited by a human copy editor prior to publishing.
Prompt Engineer: Hima Thummala
Editor: Tayler Rairigh
Researcher: Paola Negron
Graphic Designer: William Vega
