A Heroic Life Cut Short
by Kathlene Ward
Petty Officer Mariah Barton spending time with fellow Officers, photo courtesy of Lighthouse Military Ministry.
Mariah Ann Barton
October 18, 1980-May 26, 2002
Mariah Ann Barton was the first and only female to have worked as a rescue swimmer on the USS Abraham Lincoln, where she served as a Combat Search and Rescue petty officer, third class.[1] Barton was born on October 18, 1980 in Northglenn Colorado, where she attended the local Thornton High School from 1995-1999.[2] After leaving high school, she grew interested in search and rescue missions and became an aviation rescue swimmer. Unfortunately, right before the program began, she had a swing dancing accident that broke three bones in her foot, making her ineligible for the job.[3] Barton did not let this stop her, however. She received training in San Diego to become a Navy search and rescue swimmer, becoming the only woman to do so in three years.[4] She received her training to join Combat Search and Rescue in the Navy and specialized in anti-submarine warfare, graduating with honors. She also went on to continue her education in the Navy at NAS Oceana in Dam Neck, Virginia.[5] Upon obtaining the required skills, Barton went and worked on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Battle Group’s focus is to maintain the United States’ presence around the world and provide rapid response in areas of crisis.[6] A sailor went overboard only once during her time on the USS Lincoln, right off the coast of San Diego. Barton jumped into action, saving the man who had drifted a mile out. He sustained no injuries thanks to her work.[7]
Combat Search and Rescue is an extremely difficult program to get into. It is common of classes of twenty-four to have only five students make it to graduation. The training and physical requirements necessary to complete the job as a rescue swimmer has led to the service being significantly male dominated. As of 2016, there were three hundred and twenty active duty Combat Search and Rescue swimmers and of that, only three were female.[8] This sheds light on the amount of effort that Barton exerted to become a rescue swimmer. Not only was she a woman in a male dominated field, but she also worked through previously sustained injuries that blocked her from other parts of the military.
Alongside her service to the Navy, Mariah Barton worked in a fellowship with the Lighthouse Military Ministry during her time in Virginia. The Lighthouse Military Ministry is an organization that seeks to alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness that military men and women feel in the Virginia area.[9] As a fellow, she would have assisted in planning special events for service members, such as watching Civil War Reenactments or dinner and game nights. Mariah Barton’s dreams were to dedicate her life to working for the United States in the Navy. In 2002, Mariah had one year left in her first Navy term and said that she was “90 percent certain” that she would reenlist, demonstrating her dedication to her service.[10] Unfortunately, Mariah Barton died before she could reenlist on May 26th of 2002 in a car accident outside of her home in Silverdale.[11]
Mariah Barton set an example throughout her life of the ability women have to serve arm-in-arm with their male counterparts. Because of the physical requirements of Combat Search and Rescue, women rarely make it into the training school required, but Barton did not let that deter her. In an interview with a local newspaper she said that, “I was incredibly motivated to make it through that school. A lot of people were like; ‘You’re just a girl. You’re never going to make it through.’ That right there was enough to put all of it into it.”[12]
Footnotes ↓
[1] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
[2] “Obituaries.” Kitsap Sun, June 6, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/06-06/0075_obituaries.html
[3] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
[4] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
[5] Wagner, John. “AW3 Mariah Ann Barton.” Lighthouse Military Ministry, http://lighthousemilitaryministry.org/01remembermariah.php#.W1ivqC3MxE4
[6] Eckstein, Megan. “Carrier Lincoln Redelivers to the Navy after Refueling and Complex Overhaul.” May 15, 2017, https://news.usni.org/2017/05/15/carrier-lincoln-redelivers-navy-4-year-refueling-complex-overhaul
[7] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
[8] “Elite Rescue Swimmers: Women Welcome if They’re Tough Enough.” CBN News, February 11, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfbNNggsjw
[9] Wagner, John. “AW3 Mariah Ann Barton.” Lighthouse Military Ministry, http://lighthousemilitaryministry.org/01remembermariah.php#.W1ivqC3MxE4
[10] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
[11] Barron, Chris. “Navy: Female rescue swimmer was sailor killed in accident.” Kitsap Sun, May 29, 2002. https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/05-29/0031_navy__female_rescue_swimmer_was_s.html
[12] Barron, Chris. “USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment: Barton to the Rescue.” Kitsap Sun, April 21, 2002, https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2002/04-21/0046_uss_abraham_lincoln_deployment__b.html
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