Sergeant Barker was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 13 September 1950 and returned to duty on 5 October 1950. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 2 December 1950 and died while a prisoner at Camp 5 near Pyok-Dang, North Korea on 15 March 1951.

Barker was awarded the Purple Heart, the Prisoner of War Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Army of Occupation Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Korean War Service Medal.