Rank Insignia Previous Honoree ID Next Honoree ID


   
honoree image
First Name: Thomas

Last Name: Barbieri

Birthplace: Gaithersburg, MD, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Home of Record: Gaithersburg, MD
Middle Name: Joseph



Date of Birth: 12 April 1982

Date of Death: 23 August 2006

Rank: Specialist

Years Served: 2004 - 2006
Thomas Joseph Barbieri II
'T.J.'

   
Engagements:
•  Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom) (2003 - 2011)

Biography:

Thomas Joseph Barbieri II
Specialist, U.S. Army

On 23 August 2006, Specialist Thomas Joseph Barbieri II was serving as a Gunner with the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, as part of the Joint Task Force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On that day, SPC Barbieri’s unit was engaged in combat action while assaulting heavily armed enemy combatants who were occupying a strong ambush position with dominating fields of fire. Utilizing his squad automatic weapon (SAW), SPC Barbieri conducted a daring assault on the flank of the enemy force, exposing himself in full view of the enemy in order to bring his SAW to bear and prevent enemy fire on his Platoon Sergeant and the rest of his platoon located in the ambush kill zone. SPC Barbieri killed one enemy combatant and made possible the destruction of the second before he was killed in action. SPC Barbieri’s courageous actions that day earned him, at the cost of his life, the U.S. Army's third highest award for valor, the Silver Star Medal.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Army Achievement Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Combat Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge

Silver Star Medal Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Specialist Thomas Joseph Barbieri, II, United States Army, for gallantry in action during combat operations against an armed enemy, while serving as a Gunner with the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division, as part of the Joint Task Force in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 23 August 2006. Specialist Barbieri assaulted heavily armed enemy combatants who were occupying a strong ambush position with dominating fields of fire. Utilizing his squad automatic weapon, he conducted a daring assault on the flank of the enemy force, exposing himself in full view of the enemy in order to bring his weapon to bear and prevent enemy fire on his Platoon Sergeant and the rest of his platoon located in the ambush kill zone. He killed one enemy combatant and made possible the destruction of the second, but only at the cost of his own life. Specialist Barbieri's distinctive accomplishments are in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, this Command, and the United States Army.

Burial

Specialist Thomas Joseph Barbieri II is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Arlington County, VA, in Section 60, Site 8416.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15487139/thomas-joseph-barbieri



Honoree ID: 6258   Created by: MHOH

Ribbons


Medals


Badges


Honoree Photos

honoree imagehonoree imagehonoree image

honoree imagehonoree image

honoree image

Remembrances


Tributes