By SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Long before Jim Barkley became a command sergeant major, before nearly 40 years in the Kansas Army National Guard, before years in law enforcement and decades of civilian work built around responsibility and service, he was a young man walking into the National Guard armory with a couple of friends.
The friends kept going, but Barkley stayed.
That decision, made on Jan. 10, 1964, became the start of a lifetime shaped by the U.S. Army, the Kansas Army National Guard, public service and a deep commitment to Hutchinson.
On Saturday, July 4, Barkley will be honored as Grand Marshal of the annual Patriots Parade in downtown Hutchinson. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and comes during a historic Independence Day celebration, as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding.
For Barkley, the honor is not simply about riding at the front of a parade. It is about representing the veterans and service members whose sacrifices continue long after the music, flags and applause have faded.
“I was excited,” Barkley said of being asked to serve as Grand Marshal. “I’m very proud, excited, but I hope I represent the veterans well.”
That is where Barkley’s thoughts went almost immediately, not to himself, but to those who have served.
“There’s so many, especially in today, that are getting injured all over the United States,” Barkley said. “I don’t know that they get the appreciation and recognition they need, and care.”
Those words fit the way Barkley tells his own story. He does not present his military career as something extraordinary, even though it spanned nearly four decades and took him to the highest enlisted rank in his field. He speaks instead about jobs that needed doing, standards that had to be met and opportunities that came because he was prepared.
When Barkley enlisted, he first signed up as a light vehicle mechanic. Then he was told the Army needed cooks.
“I said, well, I can cook,” Barkley said.
That change sent him to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he went through basic training and later cook and bakery school. From there, Barkley’s military life became tied closely to Hutchinson and to the Kansas Army National Guard units that served the community for generations.
Among those units was the 161st Field Artillery, a regiment with deep Kansas roots. Its history traces back to the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Kansas Volunteer Militia, organized from existing units in 1880. The regiment later served on the Mexican border, was drafted into federal service during World War I, served in France and participated in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. It was redesignated as the 161st Field Artillery Regiment in 1921 and later served during World War II.
For Barkley, that history was not just something printed on a page. It was part of a larger tradition he became connected to as a Kansas Guardsman.
As a young soldier, Barkley said he looked up to the leaders around him.
“When I first joined, I wanted to be those guys, the first sergeants, the bosses,” Barkley said.
His wife, Linda Barkley, said that is exactly what happened.
“He achieved all those things,” she said.
Over the years, Barkley rose from the lower enlisted ranks to E-9 and became a command sergeant major. Linda said she did not come from a military background, but she learned the weight of that achievement as his career progressed.
“It is the highest non-commissioned position,” Linda said.
Barkley said those promotions were not automatic. Soldiers had to qualify, train and meet the same standards expected across the Army.
“You are tested, and you have to meet the same standards as a regular Army,” Barkley said.
His service included time with units connected to Hutchinson, including the 130th and 161st. He trained at places such as Fort Riley, Fort Sill and Camp Guernsey, and also served as a tactical instructor at the NCO and OCS Academy in Salina.
Barkley officially retired after 39 years, 11 months and 20 days of service, close enough that the number is often rounded to 40.
“The timing is ’64 to 2004,” Barkley said.
His Guard service also placed him in moments when the military was called to help at home. Barkley recalled patrolling dikes during Arkansas River flooding in the 1960s. During a snowstorm in the 1970s, he helped transport doctors and nurses to hospitals and assisted police officers making calls.
“I just like being that part,” Barkley said. “It gives you something, a feeling of involvement.”
That sense of involvement continued beyond the military.
Barkley worked for Cessna from 1965 to 1970 before joining Dillons, where he was placed at Jackson Ice Cream. He spent 30 years there, working multiple jobs, primarily in transportation, before later moving into corporate regulatory compliance for manufacturing operations in Hutchinson, Denver and Phoenix.
He said he was able to balance civilian work and military service because of employers who supported him.
“I had good employers,” Barkley said. “They worked with me, and I worked with them.”
Barkley’s public service also included approximately 15 years with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office. He started as a reserve and part-time officer and worked his way up to patrol lieutenant. He also served in law enforcement roles in Nickerson and Colwich.
“I always wanted to be in law enforcement,” Barkley said.
For Barkley, the different chapters of his life — Army, Guard, civilian work, law enforcement and community response, were all connected by a common purpose.
He was there when a job needed to be done.
He was there when a community needed help.
He was there when service required sacrifice.
“No, just a guy done the job,” Barkley said.
Linda said that humility is part of who Jim is, which is why Jen Shroyer with The Wesley reached out to her first about the Grand Marshal honor, wanting to know whether Jim might be interested before calling him directly.
“I literally cried on the phone,” Linda said. “There is no one more patriotic than he is. There is no one who commits themselves any more than he did, and when he does everything, he does it to the limit.”
Linda said Barkley has always been the person willing to step forward, whether that was in uniform, at work or in the community.
“When they had schools, or they’d say, ‘So we need somebody to do this,’” Linda said. “‘I can do it.’ That’s who he is. He will find the way to do it. He’s always prepared.”
Barkley also credits family support as a major part of his career. His first wife, Mary Jane, supported him through his military service and became involved in helping other military families. Barkley said she helped younger wives and even took calls from soldiers struggling during training.
“She helped the younger wives,” Barkley said. “She had a big role in the support of the men.”
Linda said that kind of support is part of every military family’s story.
“When there’s anyone in the service, it’s not just that person serving,” Linda said. “It’s the family. Everybody sacrifices.”
Barkley’s commitment to veterans continued even after his own military career ended. He served as a guardian on Kansas Honor Flight No. 81, the first Kansas Honor Flight following the COVID-19 shutdown. The role came after he was contacted by the wife of a veteran who had once served as one of Barkley’s radio sergeants in the 1970s.
The veteran could walk, Barkley said, but not long distances. Barkley accompanied him to Washington, D.C., helping him visit the memorials honoring the service and sacrifice of American veterans.
“So I flew with him and was his guardian,” Barkley said. “I wheeled him all over the mall to the different memorials.”
That moment, like so many others in Barkley’s life, was about being present for someone else.
The Honor Flight also reflected the larger meaning of Barkley’s selection as Grand Marshal. His story is not just about one soldier’s years in uniform. It is about a lifetime of staying connected to fellow service members, local families and a community that has long had ties to the Army and National Guard.
That sacrifice is one of the reasons Barkley’s selection as Grand Marshal carries added meaning during the nation’s 250th anniversary. The Patriots Parade is built around celebration, but Barkley’s story is a reminder that the country’s milestones are preserved by ordinary people who accept extraordinary responsibilities, the soldiers, families, first responders, public servants and neighbors who keep showing up.
For Barkley, Hutchinson has always been central to that life of service.
“The thing about Hutch is this is where my family is,” Barkley said.
His family, his work and much of his military service remained tied to the community. He said he is proud of his Army career, but when asked what he is most proud of in life, he pointed first to family.
“My family,” Barkley said. “I’m proud of everything I ever did, because I love every job I had.”
As Hutchinson celebrates Independence Day and the 250th anniversary of the United States, Barkley will lead the Patriots Parade not as someone seeking attention, but as someone carrying the stories of many others with him.
Veterans who served.
Families who sacrificed.
Public servants who answered calls.
Communities that depended on them.
Linda said the honor fits him because patriotism has never been a slogan for Barkley. It has been a way of living.
“There is no one more patriotic than he is,” she said.
Barkley’s own words remain simpler.
He is proud. He is grateful. And he hopes that when he rides through downtown Hutchinson on Saturday morning, he represents others well.
“I hope I represent the veterans well,” Barkley said.
x