| ROBERT J. BURKHEAD |
| My buddies in the Marines called me “Burkie,” and I liked that! |
| I grew up in Chicago and joined the Marines when I was 19. My enlistment began not quite one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When the amphibious assault on Betio began on 20 November 1943, I was a PFC in B Company, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines in the 2nd Marine Division. |
| After duty in the Guadalcanal campaign in 1942 (first over at Gavutu, then Tanambogo, and then on Guadalcanal itself), I was sent along with many other Marines of the 2nd Marine Division to New Zealand for rest, recuperation and training for the next battle at Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. From New Zealand, we travelled on the Harris-class attack transport USS Harry Lee (APA-10), formerly known as the SS Exochorda when it had been owned by the American Export Lines. |
| USS Harry Lee (APA-10) |
| A PHOTO OF USS Harry Lee COMES HERE SOON. |
| We joined other transports in Task Force 53 at Efate in the New Hebrides (the present-day Republic of Vanuatu) and arrived at Tarawa Atoll the day before the battle began. |
| EFATE ISLAND, VANUATU |
| A SPACE VIEW PHOTO OF EFATE, VANUATU COMES HERE SOON. |
| In the pre-dawn hours before H-Hour we had a good breakfast of steak and eggs at about 3:30AM. A bunch of us played poker, and some of us went out from time to time to watch the pre-assault Navy bombardment of Betio. Going ashore at Betio, I was in a group of about 20 in the 2nd Wave to Red Beach 2. Armed with my rifle (the 1903 Springfield); ammo; back pack and canteen; I remember one sudden and defining incident on my bumpy ride into the beach: I was wounded and never made it to shore. |
| I was shot by a sniper. His round hit my helmet above my left ear. The shot knocked me out, creating a fair-sized but superficial wound, and shrapnel hit my left lower jaw. This incident caused me to fall face down into the warm water, already bloodied by wounded and dead Marines in my midst. Just floating in the water must have waked me up pretty quick, but I realized I would be a tempting target for the sniper if he saw me get up and move. So, I lay still with my face just barely out of the water while somebody else took out the sniper. Then some guys got me out of the water and began to take care of me. They put me on a landing craft returning to the transport area, and I was put aboard the USS Zeilin (APA-3) for a few days before I was sent over to the hospital ship USS Solace (AH-5). |
| USS Zeilin (APA-3) |
| A PHOTO OF USS Zeilin COMES HERE SOON. |
| USS Solace (AH-5) |
| A PHOTO OF USS Solace COMES HERE SOON. |
| It turns out that my wound served as a ticket back to a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. I have had recurring problems with that ear ever since. I can’t remember how long I was at the hospital in Auckland, but after many weeks I was able to return to my unit and join them in time for the next battle at Saipan over in the Marshall Islands. |
| At Tarawa, I still remember that run in to the beach, and not just because I was wounded. At one point, a major went up to the deck area of the landing craft, up high at the stern where the coxswain was. I could hear him shout, “Get this damn boat to the beach, or I’ll blow your head off!” He had hardly finished saying that when a sniper on shore shot him right through the heart and he died instantly. Another memory I have, too, was when a lieutenant I was with had his rifle shot right out of his hands. He ordered me to give him my rifle. Instantly, I remembered the most basic of Marine commands – NEVER give up your rifle! But he was my superior, and I guess I just felt I had to please him. The problem was solved quickly because nearby was a dead sailor, and I took his rifle and used it from then on. |
| About 7 months after Tarawa, on Tinian, I was also wounded, and that incident was my second ticket back to New Zealand, only this time I was taken to Wellington. Yep, there must be some magnetic attraction I have had for New Zealand. Good people there. |
| By the time I was finished at Tinian, I had earned two Purple Hearts and some of the other medals that most guys got. I was no hero. One award, of sorts, that I treasure highly is my honorable discharge received on 07 January 1946, four years and 4 days after I enlisted! |
| Burkie, we thank you for your service. You are a dedicated, purposeful and resilient Marine, and we admire those traits. We will remember. |
| SEMPER FI, BURKIE ! |
| Received 19 November 2010 |
| Return to ROSTER |