Romus Burgin
Romus Valton Burgin | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 13, 1922 Jewett, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Lancaster, Texas, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service | {{country data {{{1}}}
| Marines/core | variant = | size = | name = }}  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank |  Sergeant |
| Unit | K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division |
| Battles / wars | World War II *Battle of Cape Gloucester *Battle of Peleliu *Battle of Okinawa |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart |
Romus Valton Burgin (born August 13, 1922)[1] is a retired United States Marine and American author.
Early life and family
Burgin was born to Joseph Harmon Burgin and Beulah May (née Perry) Burgin in Jewett, Texas.[1][2] Burgin's younger brother, Joseph ("Joe" or "J.D.") Delton (March 24, 1926 – February 17, 1945) joined the United States Army, after changing his year of birth from 1926 to 1925, and was sent to Europe,[3][4] as a member of Company "C", 274th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division ("Trailblazers").[5][6] Joseph died in Alsace-Lorraine on February 17, 1945 when he was killed by artillery fire near the river Saar and the town of Forbach, as they moved east toward Saarbrücken on the other side of the river, as part of a push against the Siegfried Line.[3][7][8] He is buried at the Sardis Cemetery next to his parents.[9]
Military career
Burgin joined the United States Marine Corps on November 13, 1942, during World War II. and was assigned to the 9th Replacement Battalion. He soon became a mortarman in K-Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (K-3-5),[1] and fought in the Pacific War at Cape Gloucester,[1] then alongside his friend, Eugene Sledge,[1] on Peleliu,[1] and Okinawa.[10][11] Burgin was promoted to the rank of sergeant upon reaching Okinawa.[3][12]
Burgin is the author of the memoir Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific (with William Marvel).[1][13] He was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions in the Battle of Okinawa on 2 May 1945, when he destroyed a Japanese machine gun emplacement that had his company pinned down.[10] He also was going to be awarded a Silver Star by Captain Andrew "Ack-Ack" Haldane for taking out a pillbox on Peleliu, but Haldane was killed by sniper fire before he could submit it.[1]
Personal life
After the war he went to work for the United States Post Office.[3] While in Melbourne, Burgin met an Australian woman, named Florence Risely. They married in Dallas on January 29, 1947.[3][14] The couple had four daughters.[15] As of 2010, he lived in Lancaster, Texas.[12] Burgin is portrayed in the HBO miniseries The Pacific by Martin McCann.[10][11] Burgin himself appears in documentary footage during the miniseries.[15]
Bibliography
- Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific. Penguin. 2010. ISBN 978-0-451-22990-8.
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Marine recounts brutal war in Pacific 'Islands': Former Marine R.V. Burgin writes about fighting in WWII". MSNBC Interactive - MSNBC.com. April 9, 2010. TODAY books.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Veteran wants war tales of the Pacific to be remembered". The Dallas Morning News. June 26, 2005.
- ^ a b c d e Burgin, R. V.; with William "Bill" Marvel (2010), Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific, Penguin, ISBN 978-0-451-22990-8
- ^ Burgin, Joe D; ASN: 38482046 . - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records). - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
- ^ 274th Infantry Regiment Unit Rosters: COMPANY C (Adobe Acrobat *.PDF), 70th Infantry Division Association
- ^ 274th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division Association
- ^ Casualty Listing: A-C, 70th Infantry Division Association
- ^ "Approach to the Siegfried Line", US Seventh Army Report of Operations, Battery Press (c/o 70th Infantry Division Association), 1988, pp. 678–686
- ^ Sardis Cemetery A-F - Leon County, Texas, USGenWeb Archives
- ^ a b c "Veteran R.V. Burgin Fought In 'The Pacific'". March 11, 2010.
- ^ a b "Texan's Pacific war memoir used for HBO mini-series". Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2010.
- ^ a b Dunn, Si (March 7, 2010), "Book review: 'Islands of the Damned' by RV Burgin", The Dallas Morning News
- ^ Burgin, R.V. Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific.
- ^ Sloan, Bill (2005). Brotherhood of Heroes: The Marines at Peleliu, 1944 -- The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War. Simon and Schuster. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7432-8460-8.
- ^ a b Granberry, Michael (March 14, 2010). "'The Pacific,' book spotlight Lancaster veteran's battle story". The Dallas Morning News.
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