Herbert H Burr
Herbert was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, on the 13th of September 1920. Growing up, he and his family were house painters, and he had tried to enlist in the US Army before the attacks on Pearl Harbor but was denied due to having bad teeth. Once the war began, his teeth were no longer an issue, and he was drafted into the Army in Kansas City. Herbert’s tank training took place in the Mojave Desert and he was then deployed to France, Belgium, and Germany in support of World War 2. On the 19th of March 1945, he was a Private First Class that displayed actions with Company C, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division, that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
He displayed conspicuous gallantry during action when the tank in which he was bow gunner was hit by an enemy rocket, which severely wounded the platoon sergeant and forced the remainder of the crew to abandon the vehicle. Deafened, but otherwise unhurt, SSgt. Burr immediately climbed into the driver's seat and continued on the mission of entering the town to reconnoiter road conditions. As he rounded a turn he encountered an 88-mm antitank gun at point-blank range. Realizing that he had no crew, no one to man the tank's guns, he heroically chose to disregard his personal safety in a direct charge on the German weapon. At considerable speed he headed straight for the loaded gun, which was fully manned by enemy troops who had only to pull the lanyard to send a shell into his vehicle. So unexpected and daring was his assault that he was able to drive his tank completely over the gun, demolishing it and causing its crew to flee in confusion. He then skillfully sideswiped a large truck, overturned it, and wheeling his lumbering vehicle, returned to his company. When medical personnel who had been summoned to treat the wounded sergeant could not locate him, the valiant soldier ran through a hail of sniper fire to direct them to his stricken comrade. The bold, fearless determination of SSgt. Burr, his skill and courageous devotion to duty, resulted in the completion of his mission in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
Two months prior to these actions, Herbert had been in another tank that had been hit and sent into flames. He had pulled the mortally wounded driver and the rest of the crew from the tank, extinguished the flames, and then drove the tank to a safe location. These actions earned him the Distinguished Service Cross and on the 23rd of August 1945, Herbert received the Medal of Honor from President Truman in a ceremony at the White House.
He rarely spoke about the war and had to be forced to do so. He rarely wore the Medal of Honor but did wear it on special occasions, like when he had been invited to several Presidential inaugurations. Herbert and his wife raised a family in Missouri and was described as a guy that liked to drink, get into fights, and fish. Herbert Hoover Burr died on the 8th of February 1990, at the age of 69 and he is buried in the Garden of Valor section of the Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence, Missouri.
