After successfully completing a scouting mission behind enemy lines, he drowned while swimming back across the Meuse River near Pouilly-sur-Meuse.

Deployed to Puerto Rico shortly after David's birth, the family remained in Texas.

David grew up with his Mexican-American mother and younger sister while his father remained in the Army.

Only days before the Armistice, he volunteered for a mission with Sergeant M. Waldo Hatler to swim across the Meuse River near Pouilly-sur-Meuse to get behind German lines and gather information about troop strength and deployments.

They were able to gather the needed information; however, returning across the river, Barkley was "seized with cramps and drowned".

[3] Additionally, France awarded him the Croix de Guerre, and Italy the Croce al Merito di Guerra.

[5] His mother attended the dedication ceremony and met with surviving members of his unit, and her photo appeared in several Texas newspapers.