Barry Lee Runyon was born on May 4, 1948, and lived in Stanton, NJ. He graduated from Hunterdon Central High School in 1966. Barry had a passion for the outdoors and motor vehicles. He loved hunting, fishing and archery. He and his family raised beagles for hunting dogs. He belonged to the Boy Scouts, and was a member of the Future Farmers of America Club. He loved working on his uncle’s dairy farm during the summer and wanted to be a farmer in the Midwest after he returned from Vietnam.

Runyon enlisted in the US Army and completed his basic training at Fort Dix in August 1966. He then received paratrooper training at Fort Benning, GA, where he attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4).

Runyon was sent to Vietnam on February 19, 1967, and served with the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles and later with the Tiger Division. In May, he was wounded in the thigh and resumed his service upon his recovery.

Runyon was killed in action on December 17, 1967, at Binh Tuy Province, South Vietnam.

Runyon received the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, Military Merit Medal, Gallantry Cross with one palm, and a Valorous Award akin to the Distinguished Service Medal. He is honored with eight other students who gave their lives in the Hunterdon Central High School Hall of Fame. He is buried at Newell Cemetery in Stanton, NJ.

Information provided by Reading-Fleming Middle School and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024