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Remembering Randy Barnes

By Dave "Radar" Curry

In VVAW' s early years, J. Randy "Doc" Barnes was extremely active in VVAW. At Dewey Canyon III, Doc came to be known as a dependable member respected by the national leadership. He served his own important leadership role in the Kansas-Missouri area. When numerous VVAW leaders were leaving the organization due to its expansion of its anti-war mission to include issues such as civil rights and veterans benefits, Randy Barnes saw the importance of these wider issues.

Randy played a pivotal role in Operation Heart of America. Military-style VVAW convoys carried food and other supplies to the black residents of Cairo, Illinois, who were embattled by a racist police force, the White Citizens Council, and the Ku Klux Klan. After the first convoy, Randy Barnes persisted in leading new convoys to Cairo.

When inmates of Leavenworth Penitentiary, including several Vietnam veterans, rioted over deplorable living conditions, Randy Barnes and Kansas City VVAW formed the Leavenworth Brothers Offense/Defense Committee. The committee raised over $100,000 for the inmates' legal defense.

Doc Barnes continued to fight for veterans for the rest of his life. In the years following his participation in VVAW, he served as state president of Vietnam Veterans of America and was a mainstay of the organization. Doc had a wealth of information about every VA facility in the Missouri-Kansas region. He could tell a vet just what he or she should say or not say to get decent treatment.

During this past fall's election, Doc was a firestorm of activity. He campaigned fervently for progressive veteran candidates for office in Kansas and Missouri and several neighboring states. His earlier ability to organize had not waned as Doc put convoy after convoy together. The convoys would travel to a candidate's district in order to demonstrate that veteran candidates and candidates supporting veterans issues were part of bigger national movement of veterans.

I only met Randy face-to-face in spring of 2004 when he was serving as Missouri state coordinator of Vets for Kerry and I as secretary for the St. Louis area. Doc joined other Missouri veterans with whom we worked and called me "Radar." It is a nickname I'm proud of. Doc had an ability to see what abilities were in each veteran whom he met. And Doc could pull those abilities to the surface and put you to work.

Doc used to end his emails with "Take Back America." Doc was one of those who took back Missouri and made it a blue state again. In his words and his memory, I hope that we can begin to take back this country from what Randy feared would be "the fall of democracy."

Randy "Doc" Barnes died December 2, 2006 in Kansas City Missouri at the age of 67. His death came days after a massive heart attack.He was interred in Arlington National Cemetary.

Operation Heart of America