Master Sergeant Charles M Burt
Charles Madison Burt was born on January 21st, 1916 in Columbia Mar, Mississippi to Charles Burt Sr and Elizabeth Fortenberry, and became their only child. Sadly, his father passed away only four years after he was born, leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. When Charles turned 18 in 1934, a military career became more and more appealing as a way to escape and support his mother at the same time, so on October 8th, Charles enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After completing boot camp, Private Burt was sent to the preliminary signal school in Quantico, Virginia in early 1935 to attend radio operator courses. After graduating on March 8th, he was reassigned to the 1st Signal Company while simultaneously attending radio school to further familiarize himself with them. With his training complete, Private Burt joined Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 1st Marine Brigade’s Signal Platoon on October 21st and carried out his duties there until his next assignment took him outside the US for the first time. On January 1st, 1936, Private Burt was temporarily transferred to Headquarters, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Brigade, and on the 18th, they boarded the USS Wyoming bound for Culebra, Puerto Rico. Here, they would conduct amphibious landing exercises for a few weeks until returning to the United States, with Private Burt rejoining his previous unit on the 15th. He would not remain here for long, and left for Quantico, Virginia’s 1st Signal Company to begin his new job there as a messenger on the 3rd of March. This would be Private Burt’s home for the next twenty two months, and also where he received his first promotion to Private First Class. On May 27th, 1938, Pfc Burt was off to his next assignment at Parris Island Marine Base with Headquarters Company, Post Troops, as a telephone operator. As the end of his four year enlistment was rapidly approaching, Pfc Burt was faced with a decision: return home or continue his service with the Marine Corps. He chose the latter, as he enjoyed the life of a marine and going home would not be as pleasant. However, this decision would unknowingly involve him in the deadliest war in modern history. But for the time being, Pfc Burt worked hard at Parris Island and was rated as a specialist 3rd class telephone linesman among other achievements in his field.
With the outbreak of World War Two in September of 1939 and with tensions growing, the Marine Corps created defense battalions to protect overseas bases from possible aerial and land attacks by Japan. So with the need of qualified personnel to join them, Pfc Burt was reassigned to the 3rd Defense Battalion on February 27th, 1940 and promoted to Corporal. His Battery “I” was a .30 caliber machine gun unit, but his other job was managing communications for the battery. After a few months of training, the battalion was ordered to Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii and arrived on May 7th. Immediately, Cpl Burt and the marines took up defensive positions there, and in June, Burt was promoted to Sergeant. He remained here for the rest of the year until being sent to temporary duty with Battery D, a 3” Anti Aircraft Artillery unit, at the Naval Base at Midway. Arriving on January 13th, 1941, Sgt Burt’s specialty with radios caused him to be placed with his unit’s communication defense installation where he would monitor and send messages over the next five months. Finally, those detached to Midway boarded the USS Portland on July 8th and returned to Pearl Harbor to join Machine Gun Group, 3rd Defense Battalion stationed at the Marine Barracks at the Navy Yard. On the 7th of November, Burt was promoted to Staff Sergeant, exactly one month prior to the attack that dragged the United States into WW2.
Pearl Harbor
On 7:48 AM on December 7th, 1941, SSgt Burt and the 3rd Defense Battalion were violently awoken by machine guns and bombs from the first wave of Japanese planes strafing battleship row. Without hesitation, the marines sprinted to their stations and began firing at the hundreds of planes that strafed the unprepared defenders at Pearl Harbor, with SSgt Burt jumping on a .30 caliber machine gun to join the effort. With casualties rapidly mounting, marines began transporting wounded from the waterfront to the Naval Hospital and ninety minutes later, the surprise attack was over, leaving nearly 2,400 Americans dead and many more shocked and itching for revenge. With war declared on the Axis powers the very next day, the desire to fight back would come sooner than TSgt Burt thought. While he was not part of his unit’s detachment sent to defend Midway on July 4th, he would instead be headed elsewhere with his unit’s Special Weapons Group.
Guadalcanal
On July 21st, 1942, the 3rd Defense Battalion boarded the USS Zelin and left to participate in the Guadalcanal campaign, the first offensive operation in the Pacific theater. As luck would have it, bad weather allowed the allied task force to reach Guadalcanal unseen by the Japanese on August 6th, and the next day, TSgt Burt landed alongside the 1st Marine Division at the neighboring island of Tulagi. While the marines that landed at Guadalcanal quickly advanced to the airfield under light resistance, the 900 strong detachment of Japanese soldiers on Tulagi fought to the death against the Americans but were eventually wiped out the next day. TSgt Burt’s experience with radios once again placed him in his group’s communication section, but this time he would be working from the battalion’s command post to monitor and send messages. While the first two days had been extremely successful, the night of August 8th and 9th would take a turn for the worse. In what would be dubbed the Battle of Savo Island, two groups of Allied cruisers and destroyers were ambushed by the Japanese Navy, causing the rest of them to withdraw from the area and therefore stranding the marines on the island without much of their heavy equipment. Nevertheless, they held their own and repelled multiple enemy counter attacks until the navy returned a short while later. While the marines fought the Japanese across the island, TSgt Burt’s detachment of the 3rd Defense Battalion was tasked with providing aerial and coastal defense at Tulagi before rejoining the rest of the battalion at Guadalcanal and resuming their duties at the beachhead surrounding Henderson Airfield. During the height of the Japanese counter attacks in October, the 3rd Defense Battalion was moved to the Lunga River perimeter and helped repel a 7,000 strong enemy attack on Henderson Airfield between the 24th and 26th. Burt’s unit would carry out their role for the rest of the campaign until the island was evacuated by the Japanese on February 7th, 1943. With the island secure, Burt, now a Master Technical Sergeant, and the 3rd Defense Battalion boarded the USS George Clymer, left the island on the 9th, and arrived in New Zealand a week later. After a short trek, they reached Camp Solway and settled in for a much needed rest. For the next few months, the battalion resumed training for an upcoming operation, but MTSgt Burt was instead yanked out of his unit and transported back to the United States to join a Casual Company at Camp Elliott, San Diego and immediately went on a well deserved month long furlough.
In mid October, Burt left San Diego and joined the Field Signal Battalion at Camp Pendleton’s training center, and then to Headquarters Company, Headquarters Group, Troop Training Unit, Amphibious Training Command, back at Camp Elliott in November to instruct army troops on how to conduct amphibious landings. He would remain in this role for five months, but it would not be without incident. On April 2nd, MTSgt Burt and MTSgt Talmadge Liles were both convicted of drunkenness on duty and ordered to pay a total of $105. Luckily, neither of them lost their rank or were court martialed, and they returned to duty immediately after.
Mariana Islands
Burt’s time at Camp Elliott was cut short on June 9th, when he was transferred to the 60th Replacement Battalion and sent back to the pacific to participate in the Mariana Island campaign. By the time MTSgt Burt arrived and joined Headquarters & Service Company, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, in mid July, the battle of Saipan had been raging for weeks and a massive Japanese banzai attack had caused an immense amount of casualties. While the island was declared secure on the 9th, the 8th Marines were tasked with mopping up any remaining enemy resistance on the island before settling in as an occupying force.
For Burt however, the 2nd Division had other plans. Due to his expertise with radios, he was temporarily attached to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division on the 20th for the Invasion of Tinian. Three days later, he boarded LST 222 in preparation for the assault landing. The next morning, the 2nd Marine Division conducted their diversionary landing attempt at the north beaches of Tinian. Heavy Japanese fire appeared to repulse the LVTs, but this was all according to plan. As the enemy’s attention was diverted to the north, the 24th and 25th Marines steamed towards the tiny White Beaches 1 and 2 and landed without much resistance. The diversion was a success. Due to mechanical and communication problems however, MTSgt Burt and the 23rd Marines did not land until shortly after 3:00 PM, but by that time, the marines had gained a strong beachhead and began advancing inland with 3rd Battalion, 23th Marines in reserve. During the night of the 24th, the Japanese launched a vicious counterattack against the marine lines near the beachhead. The attack on the left and center were beaten back by the 24th and 25th Marines, and the push on the extreme right of the line caught the 23rd Marines in their first battle of the campaign. Five enemy tanks supported by a few hundred enemy infantry made contact with the marines at 3:30 AM. The fighting was short but brutal, and MTSgt Burt monitored the messages and reported that the 3rd Battalion was not needed; the attack had been repulsed. The next morning, the marines pushed onwards and the 23rd Marines advanced towards Faibus San Hilo Point, and by 4:37 PM they reached Objective O-1 without much resistance. During the next two days, MTSgt Burt’s 3rd Battalion and the 23rd Marines pushed up along the west coast and encountered no enemy troops, a testament to the work done by the marines during the first two days of the battle. On July 28th, the 4th Marine Division launched another attack towards Objective O-5 and then Objective 6A, reaching it by 5:30 PM. MSgt Burt and marine communicators worked furiously to keep track of each unit as the command posts frequently moved to keep up with the assault forces. By the evening, the 23rd Marines had advanced the farthest, 7,300 yards, were placed back in reserve, and then followed the 2nd Division as they swept across the island and captured Tinian Town. On July 31st, the regiment was brought back to the front once again to finish off the last enemy defenders. The first attack began at 8:30 AM, but this time, MTSgt Burt’s 23rd Marines encountered strong enemy resistance which could not be dealt with by nightfall, so 3rd Battalion moved to a cliff with 1st Battalion to establish a perimeter and prepare for the next day. At 8:00 AM on August 1st, MTSgt Burt’s regiment tried to advance but encountered difficult enemy resistance which delayed the attack for two hours. Finally, they reached a cliff line honeycombed with occupied caves and ravines and radioed back the unfavorable news; clearing this section could take weeks or months. However, the marines had cleared nearly the entire island and Tinian was declared secure. MTSgt Burt returned to his previous unit shortly after and remained on the island while they mopped up the remaining Japanese stragglers hiding in caves until returning to Saipan on October 25th as an occupying force and to prepare for Operation Iceberg; the invasion of Okinawa. That day would come five months later.
Okinawa
On March 25th, 1945, MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines left Saipan and made their way to Okinawa. The 2nd Marine Division’s job for the first day of the operation was to once again conduct two feint landings on the southern coast of the island near Monotoga to divert attention from the main amphibious assaults. At 5:30 AM on April 1st, the preliminary bombardment began, signaling the beginning of the battle of Okinawa. Over 100,000 shells rained down on the enemy held island until the assault waves plowed on to the beaches. MTSgt Burt’s 2nd Marine Division replicated a legitimate assault in every aspect and by the fourth “wave,” all LVTs returned to their ship, even though they had experienced only four shots fired by the Japanese. The real assault waves experienced the same phenomenon and by nightfall, had pushed 15,000 yards inland and landed 60,000 troops without the extremely heavy casualties expected to befall the army and marine forces on the first day. On April 2nd, the 2nd Marine Division conducted their second fake landing on the same beaches with similar results, and then became their floating reserve while the assault had already reached the L +15 objectives thirteen days ahead of schedule. The big question hung over everyone’s heads, “where is the enemy?”
Discouraged from failed attempts to drive the marines back to the sea in previous campaigns, the Japanese chose to construct a fortified defense deep within the island and force the allies to come fight them on their own terms. By April 5th, the ease in which the allies had advanced through the island was coming to an end, but so was MTSgt Burt’s time on Okinawa. On the 12th, he and the 2nd Marine Division left the island and returned to Saipan, but in May, his regiment was ordered back by General Buckner to take part in the Iheya Shima assault landing, as they couldn’t spare any men already fighting. So, MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines left aboard LST 445, arrived at Okinawa on May 29th, and began preparing for the operation. That day came on June 3rd, and the marines boarded their LVTs, rushed towards Iheya Shima, and to their relief, encountered no enemy resistance. The 8th Marines remained on the island until the 13th, when they were ordered to Okinawa with the 1st Marine Division and relieved the battered 7th Marines and entered the line on June 17th. The next day, they attacked two sections of enemy opposition around Meedera and Mabuni, secured their objective, dug in for the night, then pushed completely to the sea through Ibaru Ridge two days later. With the capture of the coast, enemy resistance collapsed, and on June 22nd, the allied command announced the formal end of the Okinawa campaign after 82 long days.
Victory in the Pacific
MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines’ job was over, and he returned to Saipan aboard LST 550 on July 11th and was stationed there when Japan announced their surrender on September 2nd, 1945, which officially ended the war in the Pacific. MTSgt Burt would not return to the United States until March of 1946, when he was assigned to the 2nd Service Company, Service Battalion at Camp Lejeune to work as a shop and signal repairman. In October, he transferred to the camp’s supply depot and was promoted to Master Sergeant the next month and for the next five years, he moved around stations throughout the east and west coasts.
Korea
With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, The Marine Corps needed MSgt Burt’s experience once again, and on February 25th, 1952, he left the US with UD 29-52, Aviation Detachment, 18th Replacement Draft, arrived in Korea on March 13th, and joined MTAS2, Marine Air Control Group 2, 1st MAW, stationed near Panmunjum at the western front, to support the 1st Marine Division. Since he was more than qualified with operating radios and other methods of communication, MSgt Burt was part of the ground echelon that sent and received messages from the pilots. During the winter of 1952, MSgt Burt switched over to Headquarters, Marine Air Control Group 2 to better fulfill his role, and with his tour of duty complete, he returned to the United States in January of 1953 and joined the USMC Depot of Supplies, San Francisco.
After twenty years of service with the Marine Corps, MSgt Burt was honorably discharged on September 30th, 1958 and awarded his fifth Good Conduct medal for continuous, excellent service with the USMC. Unfortunately, nothing is known about his civilian life, other than that he passed away on July 26th, 1998 in Biloxi, Mississippi.
With the outbreak of World War Two in September of 1939 and with tensions growing, the Marine Corps created defense battalions to protect overseas bases from possible aerial and land attacks by Japan. So with the need of qualified personnel to join them, Pfc Burt was reassigned to the 3rd Defense Battalion on February 27th, 1940 and promoted to Corporal. His Battery “I” was a .30 caliber machine gun unit, but his other job was managing communications for the battery. After a few months of training, the battalion was ordered to Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii and arrived on May 7th. Immediately, Cpl Burt and the marines took up defensive positions there, and in June, Burt was promoted to Sergeant. He remained here for the rest of the year until being sent to temporary duty with Battery D, a 3” Anti Aircraft Artillery unit, at the Naval Base at Midway. Arriving on January 13th, 1941, Sgt Burt’s specialty with radios caused him to be placed with his unit’s communication defense installation where he would monitor and send messages over the next five months. Finally, those detached to Midway boarded the USS Portland on July 8th and returned to Pearl Harbor to join Machine Gun Group, 3rd Defense Battalion stationed at the Marine Barracks at the Navy Yard. On the 7th of November, Burt was promoted to Staff Sergeant, exactly one month prior to the attack that dragged the United States into WW2.
Pearl Harbor
On 7:48 AM on December 7th, 1941, SSgt Burt and the 3rd Defense Battalion were violently awoken by machine guns and bombs from the first wave of Japanese planes strafing battleship row. Without hesitation, the marines sprinted to their stations and began firing at the hundreds of planes that strafed the unprepared defenders at Pearl Harbor, with SSgt Burt jumping on a .30 caliber machine gun to join the effort. With casualties rapidly mounting, marines began transporting wounded from the waterfront to the Naval Hospital and ninety minutes later, the surprise attack was over, leaving nearly 2,400 Americans dead and many more shocked and itching for revenge. With war declared on the Axis powers the very next day, the desire to fight back would come sooner than TSgt Burt thought. While he was not part of his unit’s detachment sent to defend Midway on July 4th, he would instead be headed elsewhere with his unit’s Special Weapons Group.
Guadalcanal
On July 21st, 1942, the 3rd Defense Battalion boarded the USS Zelin and left to participate in the Guadalcanal campaign, the first offensive operation in the Pacific theater. As luck would have it, bad weather allowed the allied task force to reach Guadalcanal unseen by the Japanese on August 6th, and the next day, TSgt Burt landed alongside the 1st Marine Division at the neighboring island of Tulagi. While the marines that landed at Guadalcanal quickly advanced to the airfield under light resistance, the 900 strong detachment of Japanese soldiers on Tulagi fought to the death against the Americans but were eventually wiped out the next day. TSgt Burt’s experience with radios once again placed him in his group’s communication section, but this time he would be working from the battalion’s command post to monitor and send messages. While the first two days had been extremely successful, the night of August 8th and 9th would take a turn for the worse. In what would be dubbed the Battle of Savo Island, two groups of Allied cruisers and destroyers were ambushed by the Japanese Navy, causing the rest of them to withdraw from the area and therefore stranding the marines on the island without much of their heavy equipment. Nevertheless, they held their own and repelled multiple enemy counter attacks until the navy returned a short while later. While the marines fought the Japanese across the island, TSgt Burt’s detachment of the 3rd Defense Battalion was tasked with providing aerial and coastal defense at Tulagi before rejoining the rest of the battalion at Guadalcanal and resuming their duties at the beachhead surrounding Henderson Airfield. During the height of the Japanese counter attacks in October, the 3rd Defense Battalion was moved to the Lunga River perimeter and helped repel a 7,000 strong enemy attack on Henderson Airfield between the 24th and 26th. Burt’s unit would carry out their role for the rest of the campaign until the island was evacuated by the Japanese on February 7th, 1943. With the island secure, Burt, now a Master Technical Sergeant, and the 3rd Defense Battalion boarded the USS George Clymer, left the island on the 9th, and arrived in New Zealand a week later. After a short trek, they reached Camp Solway and settled in for a much needed rest. For the next few months, the battalion resumed training for an upcoming operation, but MTSgt Burt was instead yanked out of his unit and transported back to the United States to join a Casual Company at Camp Elliott, San Diego and immediately went on a well deserved month long furlough.
In mid October, Burt left San Diego and joined the Field Signal Battalion at Camp Pendleton’s training center, and then to Headquarters Company, Headquarters Group, Troop Training Unit, Amphibious Training Command, back at Camp Elliott in November to instruct army troops on how to conduct amphibious landings. He would remain in this role for five months, but it would not be without incident. On April 2nd, MTSgt Burt and MTSgt Talmadge Liles were both convicted of drunkenness on duty and ordered to pay a total of $105. Luckily, neither of them lost their rank or were court martialed, and they returned to duty immediately after.
Mariana Islands
Burt’s time at Camp Elliott was cut short on June 9th, when he was transferred to the 60th Replacement Battalion and sent back to the pacific to participate in the Mariana Island campaign. By the time MTSgt Burt arrived and joined Headquarters & Service Company, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, in mid July, the battle of Saipan had been raging for weeks and a massive Japanese banzai attack had caused an immense amount of casualties. While the island was declared secure on the 9th, the 8th Marines were tasked with mopping up any remaining enemy resistance on the island before settling in as an occupying force.
For Burt however, the 2nd Division had other plans. Due to his expertise with radios, he was temporarily attached to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division on the 20th for the Invasion of Tinian. Three days later, he boarded LST 222 in preparation for the assault landing. The next morning, the 2nd Marine Division conducted their diversionary landing attempt at the north beaches of Tinian. Heavy Japanese fire appeared to repulse the LVTs, but this was all according to plan. As the enemy’s attention was diverted to the north, the 24th and 25th Marines steamed towards the tiny White Beaches 1 and 2 and landed without much resistance. The diversion was a success. Due to mechanical and communication problems however, MTSgt Burt and the 23rd Marines did not land until shortly after 3:00 PM, but by that time, the marines had gained a strong beachhead and began advancing inland with 3rd Battalion, 23th Marines in reserve. During the night of the 24th, the Japanese launched a vicious counterattack against the marine lines near the beachhead. The attack on the left and center were beaten back by the 24th and 25th Marines, and the push on the extreme right of the line caught the 23rd Marines in their first battle of the campaign. Five enemy tanks supported by a few hundred enemy infantry made contact with the marines at 3:30 AM. The fighting was short but brutal, and MTSgt Burt monitored the messages and reported that the 3rd Battalion was not needed; the attack had been repulsed. The next morning, the marines pushed onwards and the 23rd Marines advanced towards Faibus San Hilo Point, and by 4:37 PM they reached Objective O-1 without much resistance. During the next two days, MTSgt Burt’s 3rd Battalion and the 23rd Marines pushed up along the west coast and encountered no enemy troops, a testament to the work done by the marines during the first two days of the battle. On July 28th, the 4th Marine Division launched another attack towards Objective O-5 and then Objective 6A, reaching it by 5:30 PM. MSgt Burt and marine communicators worked furiously to keep track of each unit as the command posts frequently moved to keep up with the assault forces. By the evening, the 23rd Marines had advanced the farthest, 7,300 yards, were placed back in reserve, and then followed the 2nd Division as they swept across the island and captured Tinian Town. On July 31st, the regiment was brought back to the front once again to finish off the last enemy defenders. The first attack began at 8:30 AM, but this time, MTSgt Burt’s 23rd Marines encountered strong enemy resistance which could not be dealt with by nightfall, so 3rd Battalion moved to a cliff with 1st Battalion to establish a perimeter and prepare for the next day. At 8:00 AM on August 1st, MTSgt Burt’s regiment tried to advance but encountered difficult enemy resistance which delayed the attack for two hours. Finally, they reached a cliff line honeycombed with occupied caves and ravines and radioed back the unfavorable news; clearing this section could take weeks or months. However, the marines had cleared nearly the entire island and Tinian was declared secure. MTSgt Burt returned to his previous unit shortly after and remained on the island while they mopped up the remaining Japanese stragglers hiding in caves until returning to Saipan on October 25th as an occupying force and to prepare for Operation Iceberg; the invasion of Okinawa. That day would come five months later.
Okinawa
On March 25th, 1945, MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines left Saipan and made their way to Okinawa. The 2nd Marine Division’s job for the first day of the operation was to once again conduct two feint landings on the southern coast of the island near Monotoga to divert attention from the main amphibious assaults. At 5:30 AM on April 1st, the preliminary bombardment began, signaling the beginning of the battle of Okinawa. Over 100,000 shells rained down on the enemy held island until the assault waves plowed on to the beaches. MTSgt Burt’s 2nd Marine Division replicated a legitimate assault in every aspect and by the fourth “wave,” all LVTs returned to their ship, even though they had experienced only four shots fired by the Japanese. The real assault waves experienced the same phenomenon and by nightfall, had pushed 15,000 yards inland and landed 60,000 troops without the extremely heavy casualties expected to befall the army and marine forces on the first day. On April 2nd, the 2nd Marine Division conducted their second fake landing on the same beaches with similar results, and then became their floating reserve while the assault had already reached the L +15 objectives thirteen days ahead of schedule. The big question hung over everyone’s heads, “where is the enemy?”
Discouraged from failed attempts to drive the marines back to the sea in previous campaigns, the Japanese chose to construct a fortified defense deep within the island and force the allies to come fight them on their own terms. By April 5th, the ease in which the allies had advanced through the island was coming to an end, but so was MTSgt Burt’s time on Okinawa. On the 12th, he and the 2nd Marine Division left the island and returned to Saipan, but in May, his regiment was ordered back by General Buckner to take part in the Iheya Shima assault landing, as they couldn’t spare any men already fighting. So, MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines left aboard LST 445, arrived at Okinawa on May 29th, and began preparing for the operation. That day came on June 3rd, and the marines boarded their LVTs, rushed towards Iheya Shima, and to their relief, encountered no enemy resistance. The 8th Marines remained on the island until the 13th, when they were ordered to Okinawa with the 1st Marine Division and relieved the battered 7th Marines and entered the line on June 17th. The next day, they attacked two sections of enemy opposition around Meedera and Mabuni, secured their objective, dug in for the night, then pushed completely to the sea through Ibaru Ridge two days later. With the capture of the coast, enemy resistance collapsed, and on June 22nd, the allied command announced the formal end of the Okinawa campaign after 82 long days.
Victory in the Pacific
MTSgt Burt and the 8th Marines’ job was over, and he returned to Saipan aboard LST 550 on July 11th and was stationed there when Japan announced their surrender on September 2nd, 1945, which officially ended the war in the Pacific. MTSgt Burt would not return to the United States until March of 1946, when he was assigned to the 2nd Service Company, Service Battalion at Camp Lejeune to work as a shop and signal repairman. In October, he transferred to the camp’s supply depot and was promoted to Master Sergeant the next month and for the next five years, he moved around stations throughout the east and west coasts.
Korea
With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, The Marine Corps needed MSgt Burt’s experience once again, and on February 25th, 1952, he left the US with UD 29-52, Aviation Detachment, 18th Replacement Draft, arrived in Korea on March 13th, and joined MTAS2, Marine Air Control Group 2, 1st MAW, stationed near Panmunjum at the western front, to support the 1st Marine Division. Since he was more than qualified with operating radios and other methods of communication, MSgt Burt was part of the ground echelon that sent and received messages from the pilots. During the winter of 1952, MSgt Burt switched over to Headquarters, Marine Air Control Group 2 to better fulfill his role, and with his tour of duty complete, he returned to the United States in January of 1953 and joined the USMC Depot of Supplies, San Francisco.
After twenty years of service with the Marine Corps, MSgt Burt was honorably discharged on September 30th, 1958 and awarded his fifth Good Conduct medal for continuous, excellent service with the USMC. Unfortunately, nothing is known about his civilian life, other than that he passed away on July 26th, 1998 in Biloxi, Mississippi.