Valor Friday

When I start researching a topic often the first place you’ll find me is on Wikipedia. Many of our country’s heroes have lengthy articles that go into great detail. Some not so much. Today’s is a case of the latter. There are a total of three sentences in Tony Burris’ Wikipedia article. This includes a visual representation of his awards and decorations and the narrative of his highest award earned. In order to suss out more of the life and times of a man that deserves to be properly remembered and honored requires digging deep.

Burris was a native of Oklahoma. From Blanchard, a place which now bears a statue to Tony Burris at the American Legion post, he graduated from Blanchard Public Schools in 1947. Born a member of the Choctaw tribe, he was one of ten children in his family and a member of the Blanchard First Baptist Church.

As with most men of his age, Burris sought adventure through service to his country in time of war. Too young to have served in World War II (without lying and hiding his age like some other noteworthy figures) he volunteered for the Army in July 1950, just days after North Korea invaded the South and started the Korean War.

Burris is remembered by his oldest sister Loretta Wilson as a bookish, quiet young man who liked to hunt. He was so quiet and reserved that the family was shocked when he enlisted.

“He just went off one weekend and signed up and didn’t tell anybody. We were all shocked when he got back and told us,” Wilson said. “He felt like he had an obligation to go. He wanted to serve.”

Enlisting in July 1950 was a bold move. It was a dark time for the Korean and US forces fighting against the communists. After the surprise invasion in June, the Allied forces would be pushed back to the point of nearly slipping off the peninsula. It wasn’t until the Invasion of Inchon in September that American and United Nations forces would be able to effectively fight back against the North and begin to regain lost ground.

After enlisting, Burris received basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas and advanced training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was subsequently sent to Korea and assigned to the 38th Infantry Regiment (“Rock of the Marne”).

The 38th Infantry had received their nickname and special designation from their service in World War I. Assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division at the time, the 38th was part of a dogged defense of Paris in July 1918 along the Marne River, part of the Second Battle of the Marne, itself part of the larger Aisne-Marne Offensive. The division commanding general famously cried out, as all the friendly units around them retreated in the face of the German onslaught, “Nous Resterons La” (We Shall Remain Here)!

Moved to the 2nd Infantry Division, the 38th Infantry continued their record of exemplary combat service during the Second World War. Once again fighting in France, the 38th Infantry landed on D-Day+1 (7 June 1944) at Normandy. They fought across Northern France, through the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and into Central Europe. Before war’s end they saw 303 days of combat.

With more than 30 years of proven combat effectiveness, it’s no wonder that the 38th Infantry (still a part of the 2nd Infantry Division) were called to action early in the Korean War. Burris would have arrived at the 38th Infantry when they were already in theater, likely serving as a replacement for a combat loss.

The 38th Infantry (as did the rest of the 2nd Infantry Division) had arrived in Korea on 23 July 1950, not even a month after the war had started. They were the first American unit to arrive in Korea from the United States mainland. A month later the division was fully committed and relieving the heavily beleaguered 24th Infantry Division.

It was into the frenetic advance up the Korean Peninsula after the Invasion of Inchon that Tony Burris would join Company L, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment. The military life must have suited him, because with only 15 months of service he was already a sergeant first class (the second highest enlisted rank at the time).

By the fall of 1951 the UN forces had pushed the North Koreans back to the 38th Parallel (the pre-war boundary). In response, the communist Chinese joined the war, leading to a stalemate along the front. After the Battle of Bloody Ridge (18 August to 5 September 1951) just north of the 38th Parallel had caused the communists to retreat, the UN forces pressed the attack where they had retreated to. This hill would become known as Heartbreak Ridge.

The Battle of Bloody Ridge had cost the 2nd Infantry Division, supported by the South Korean 36th Infantry Regiment, 2,700 friendly casualties against an estimated 8,000 enemy killed in action and 7,000 more wounded. The enemy, retreating to Heartbreak Ridge, had demonstrated a stubborn unwillingness to cede any of their ground. Just a week after Bloody Ridge, on 13 September, the 2nd Infantry Division was once again pressed into action.

The 2nd Infantry Division was supported by a battalion of French troops, a battalion of Dutch troops, and a South Korean infantry division. The enemy forces consisted of three North Korean divisions and one Chinese division.

The assault of Heartbreak Ridge was mostly led by artillery at the outset. After three weeks of pounding the enemy positions, the UN troops had made little headway and suffered hundreds of casualties. A change of plans was in order.

Operation Touchdown, as the plan was called, would see all three of the 2nd Infantry Division’s regiments attack the enemy in a coordinated assault. It kicked off on 4 October with 49 fighter-bombers softening the enemy positions. Over the coming days the UN forces would push forward, being supported by artillery, air, and tanks. The coordinated nature of the operation would lead it to be a success, but not without cost.

Sergeant First Class Burris would be with his troops, leading the charge. On 8 October his company came under intense enemy fire from a well entrenched enemy position. Without hesitation, Burris charged forward.

Launching directly at the enemy fortification alone, Burris launched hand grenades and unleashed rifle fire into the enemy. He is estimated to have single-handedly killed 15 men in the successful charge, saving the lives of his soldiers.

The very next day, Burris would again be leading his men forward on an adjacent hill. As he charged up the hill he was struck by enemy machine gun fire. Ignoring his wounds, he continued the assault. He crested the hill ahead of all of his troops and sustained another wound from the enemy.

Burris called for a 57mm recoilless rifle team to attack the enemy position. When they were unable to locate it, Burris moved into the open to draw the enemy fire so the recoilless rifle could target and take the enemy out. With the enemy shooting at Burris, his rifle team were able to silence the enemy machine gun.

The enemy position destroyed, the company moved forward to take other positions along the ridge. Burris refused anything more than emergency treatment for his several wounds. He could have been evacuated and nobody would have thought the less of him, but he elected to remain with his men as they continued the fight.

As the company moved forward they were again halted by an enemy machine gun nest. As the men took cover, Burris again rose up and charged forward alone. With grenades and rifle in hand, Burris attacked the first of two enemy machine gun positions. Dispatching six men in the first enemy fortification, he silenced the nest.

Burris turned to the next position. As he again drove forward alone to attack it he threw his last grenade. The grenade destroyed the enemy position, but the effort cost Burris. An enemy round fatally struck him just after he threw his final grenade. As the enemy position went silent so too did the 22-year-old sergeant. He was one of 3,700 casualties suffered by the 2nd Infantry Division during the month-long battle on Heartbreak Ridge.

For his efforts over those two days in the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge Burris would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He is also a recipient of the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, and Korean service decorations.

It wasn’t until 31 October that a telegram would be sent home notifying his family that Burris had died. His younger sister Joan Thomson was in school that day. It was raining and the delivery driver was unable to make it to the family farm. Her grandfather had to take it and deliver it to Burris’ parents.

The family still has the Bible, dollar bill, and lighter that Tony Burris was carrying on his person when he died. They also have a pile of letters written home by the valiant young man. Some of these are on display in Blanchard near the statue of Burris.

One letter Burris wrote home is also on display at his statue. The plaque reads;

Letter written to family from unknown location in Korea. ‘…I received word from a pretty reliable source the other day that no one from our regiment will be rotated until this new attack is over with, so that will be just that much longer before it becomes my turn…it is so chilly at night–I would hate to spend another winter here. Love, Tony’

Burris is the only Choctaw to have ever received the Medal of Honor. His was one of only two Medals of Honor (both posthumous) awarded for the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge.

Category: Army, Historical, Korea, Medal of Honor, Valor, We Remember