Middletown Man honored for World War II heroics
Survived sinking; was set to invade Japan when surrender came
by Doug McKenzie

 

GLORY DAYS - Middletown resident Sgt. Richard Burke (front row, center), shown here with his artillery unit during World War II, is slated to be honored with the North Jersey Distinguished Service Medal for his six years of service during the war.

 

MIDDLETOWN – It's been more than 50 years since township resident Richard P. Burke served the nation during World War II; however, appreciation for his service has withstood the test of time.

Burke, 83, is set to be honored with the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal for his years of service during the war from November 1940 to December 1946.

Burke, who now resides in Concord Court in Shadow Lake Village with his wife of 56 years, Doris, began his service with the U.S. Marine Corps when his unit left Norfolk for San Francisco aboard the USS Hornet. Upon reaching San Francisco, by passing through the Panama Canal, they were scheduled to pick up 16 B-52s to conduct what was being called the Doolittle Raid over Tokyo.

However, before launching the attack, the Hornet stopped in the Caribbean to run tests with the B-52s. Then, the ship headed straight for Tokyo without stopping for fear of being discovered.

The Doolittle Raid was scheduled for dusk on April 18, but radar picked up two Japanese fishing boats in the area, and though the cruisers destroyed the fishing boats, it was not known if they had radioed ahead. Therefore, the decision was made to launch the attack around noon, four or five hours earlier than planned.

From his position on the flight deck, where he manned an anti-aircraft gun, Burke remembers watching the B-52s take off on their way to battle.

Following the Doolittle Raid, the Hornet left for Pearl Harbor for supplies, and then got orders to go to the Midway Islands, where it engaged the Japanese in June 1942.

In July, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor to assist the Marines in preparing for their landing in Guadalcanal. Burke's unit remained there through October until the island was secured, about two-and-a-half months after the initial invasion on Aug. 1st.

From there, the Hornet was sent to the Santa Cruz islands, where the Japanese sank it on Oct. 27, 1942. Burke was injured by shrapnel from "kamikaze bombs," and still has shrapnel in his head and back. After floating in the sea alone for several hours, Burke was picked up by the USS Anderson and taken to New Caledonia. In December, he was shipped aboard the Lurline back to the United States, where he was to break for several months.

It was during that time that Burke and his wife were married, on May 29, 1943. They became the first couple to be registered in the wedding book at the Catholic chapel in Camp LeJeune, N.C.

The following year, Burke was still at Camp LeJeune, where the Marines formed the First 155mm Rifle Battalion. They went to New Zealand in the fall of 1943, and eventually set up camp in Guadalcanal. Their initial combat with the 155s was their landing on Bouganville, which they secured before returning to base on Guadalcanal. They stayed there until they invaded Guam.

After securing Guam, they went back to Guadalcanal and prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. After securing Okinawa, and getting ready to invade the Japanese mainland. Burke learned that the Japanese had surrendered in August 1945.

Burke then returned to the States with one year remaining on his second enlistment, which he served out as a security guard at the Naval Prison in Portsmouth, N.H. He was discharged from there in December 1946, and returned home to Jersey City.

Burke was one of five brothers on active duty during the war. All survived the war. He remembers one day when he happened to be home on leave (Oct. 11, 1942) when he answered the door to receive a postal telegraph for his mother. The telegraph began, "We deeply regret to inform you that your son, Cpl. Richard P. Burke, has been wounded in action..."

Burke's mother never saw the telegram. Doris Burke said that Burke was happy that he was home to receive that telegram because he knows it would have upset his mother.

Burke and his wife decided to remain in New Jersey, and had two children, Tim and Bonnie, both of whom were born on Oct. 5, five years apart.

Tim Burke, 52, an associate professor of humanities and writing at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, said that the Distinguished Service Medal is very important to his father because he is very proud of his years of service during the war. This new medal will look nice next to his Bronze Star, awarded for valor, and the Purple Heart he received after being wounded, he said.

Tim added that the announcement that his father would be receiving the medal has allowed him to learn more about his father's military history.

"As a kid I always wanted to know about it, but Dad didn't glorify the details," he said. "He would usually give minimal , flat information. I guess a lot of it was just something he didn't want to relive."

However, Tim has been able to learn more through recent conversations with his father.

"As we've gotten older, he's begun to talk more about it, and show more pride for his involvement," he said.

Burke has been attending reunions in the past few years with his wife, which has given him a chance to reflect on his involvement in the war.

Burke, who was unable to comment due to illness, was scheduled to receive the medal next Wednesday; however, the ceremony is in the process of being rescheduled. Whenever it happens, Burke will be pleased to receive the award in the company of his family.

"He's very proud of himself," Doris Burke said. "And, of course, we're all very proud of him, too."