Captain James Burt (1 Viewer)

[DMNamiot]

Hi all,

Today is a sad day we have lost another hero from the greatest generation. I met CPT James Burt when he came to Norwich University for a visit and was the guest speaker at a dinner, I grew up in the town next over from him so he asked to meet any cadets that were from the area, so I was it. He was a really interesting man and made a big impression on a very young cadet I also served in the same unit of 2d Armored Division (makes you think about just how small the world really is). Rest in Peace Sir you have earned it!

David M. Namiot Major US Army (ret)

Here is his obit: Norwich University has received word of the death of CPT James Montross Burt, USA, (Ret.), on February 15, 2006, in Wyomissing, Penn., at the age of 88. A member of the Class of 1939, Captain Burt was Norwich's last living Medal of Honor recipient.

A Massachusetts native, James Burt graduated from Lee High School in 1935, and enrolled at Norwich University on an athletic and academic scholarship. A gifted chemistry student and football player, he was a member of Epsilon Tau Sigma Honor Society, Theta Chi fraternity, and served as class treasurer for four years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939, he received a reserve commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in cavalry, and entered civilian life. A chemist for the Hurlbut Paper Company, he interrupted his civilian career in 1941to enter active military duty, serving as a tank commander with the 66th Armored Regiment (Burt's Knights) of the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) in North Africa, Sicily, and the long march from Omaha Beach to Berlin. Throughout his tenure he served under three sons of Norwich University: General Edward Hale Brooks '16, General Ernest N. Harmon '17, and General I.D. White '22.

A veteran of seven military campaigns and three invasions during World War II, Captain Burt was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman for extraordinary heroism under heavy fire during the allied attack on the fortified city of Aachen, Germany, during the Battle of the Bulge. Over ten days in October 1944 on the eastern outskirts of Wurselen, Germany, through miserable weather conditions and under constant, heavy shelling, Captain Burt held the combined forces of tank and infantry together through the German counterattack, despite suffering wounds to the face, neck and abdomen. His heroic actions during the fierce assault helped to secure the closing of the Aachen Gap, a key strategic foothold needed for the further advancement of the Allied Forces deeper into Germany. In addition to the Medal of Honor, Captain Burt's extreme valor earned him the Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

Here is the speach I attended:

Speech by CPT James M. Burt, USA (Ret.)
Medal of Honor Ceremony
Sept. 26, 1981
Norwich University, Northfield, VT
Salutations…
To be here is to be with Heritage…
To hear and to see…and to almost feel.
Among the awesome gifts of God, high among the treasures, is the literacy of symbols, a gift for man not shared with other creatures. Other animals are compassionately handicapped with instinct, which enables their orderly evolution, ...impeccably precise, beautiful, imponderable, totally necessary, and yet a handcuff to Freedom.
Lacking instinct we have, and must have, History and Heritage.
With our reasoned deeds we create heritage, and with our literate symbols we record the happenings in proud words and stored artifacts.
Being honored here massively compounds the grandeur of being here; being honored evokes feelings beyond my lexicon.
For thirty-seven years I have searched the mystique of brain and person for explanations of events gone by, with some meaningful partial answers, but not yet with total comprehension. Let bravery be an example.
Many have said I was brave, but I am not yet sure.
Contiguous with bravery is fear. Or is it? I am not yet sure. Matched to the definitions of fear, definitions read or heard or dreamed or imagined, I have not yet been afraid. Is it possible to be brave without being afraid? I do not yet know.
In our Heritage, in our Great Depression, the Leader's words concerning fear are recorded for always: "There is nothing to fear but Fear itself."
There is, I think, a common set of observations applying to recipients of the Medal of Honor:
They served, as citizen-soldiers served.
They did a little beyond ... but so did others.
They were noticed and recorded, perhaps by accident.
They were unafraid ... who but God knows why.
The Norwich credo of citizen-soldiers has a timeless motto: "I Will Try."
To this motto an amendment might be fitting:
"I Will Try, Unafraid."
--jmb

 

[wadepat]

Dave,

Thanks for sharing the obit and the speech. CPT Burt's life and his speech give us much about which to think and about which to be grateful.

Warm regards,

Pat

 

[Louis Badolato]

I buried my 95 year old grandfather today. Between the loss of him, the best man I personally knew, and of Captain Burt, a Medal of Honor recipient, the world is an emptier place.

 

[sceic2]

My sympathies go out to you and to yours for your loss. Our society needs heroes and the WWII generation provided many hundreds of thousands of them. Louis I understand the deep feelings you have for your grandfather. I admired mine greatly and at his passing, the world and me are a poorer place.

I firmly believe that the current generation serving in the military will fill the void being left by our heroes. They (our WWII heroes) are passing, with distinction as usual, the tradition of honor to the next in line. I am getting much more cynical as I age; I never thought it would happen to me but it has and to my great pleasure, this serving generation of younger soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are something to be admired and cherished. They have large shoes to fill for the generations that have lead the way. The unfortunate thing about life is that we are putting more and more of them (our WWII heroes) into the ground everyday. The VA has reported that there are now more Viet Nam vets alive than there are WWII vets. To me that is somewhat disturbing. The WWII guys have always been here, and now they are leaving. Sad when you think of it. Michael

 

[DMNamiot]

Louis,

I am so very sorry for your loss. I lost my Grand Father a long time ago and miss him deeply. I hope you have many wonderful memories to sustain you during this terribly painful period.

Regards

Dave

 

[Leadmen]

Yes Dave the WWll generation is fading away. This week my last uncle and Godfather passed away. The last of my four WWll uncles from the war. He was wounded by mortar fire in the Battle of the Bulge and had a limp the rest of his life. My other uncles who passed away in the last few years. Another was wounded in arm at Bulge. Another uncle who I talked most with fought throughout Italy with 36th Infantry and was wounded several times and many years in and out of VA hospitals to get sharpenel removed.Only one uncle of the four was not wounded in action. I wished at the time I talked more about their experiences. John