Born and raised in Los Angeles, Frederick Barnhill graduated from Occidental College there, and then attended San Francisco Theological Seminary. After graduating from Andover-Newton Theological Seminary near Boston, Massachusetts, he was ordained a Congregationalist minister. He served churches in New Hampshire, and then at Hemet and Brea, California. During World War II he entered military service as was commissioned a U.S. Army chaplain. After returning to civilian ministry after the war, he answered a call to the First Congregational Church of Phoenix, Arizona, where he remained for ten years. In 1953 he was awarded the Freedom Foundation Award at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for his part in creating the God and Freedom Medal. In 1955 the Pacific School of Religion awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. In 1958 he became an Episcopal priest, serving parishes in Oregon, California, and Hawaii.
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Awards Received
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
Captain (Chaplain’s Corps), [then First LieutenantRegiment:
37th Infantry RegimentDivision:
7th Infantry DivisionAction Date:
World War II
(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Chaplain’s Corps), [then First Lieutenant Frederick Atkinson Barnhill, United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as a Chaplain with the 37th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, in action in the Territory of Alaska, in 1943. Chaplain Barnhill administered to his soldiers, accompanying them in the thickest of raids, attending their needs as a friend as well as a pastor. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Chaplain Barnhill, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army .