PFC Robert C. Burke-USMC :: essays research papers

PFC Robert Charles Burke on 7 November 1949 in Monticello, Illinois and enlisted in the Marine Corps from Chicago, Illinois. The Marine died on 17 May 1968 in the Southern Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam (South). He received the Congressional Medal of wonder posthumously for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his aliveness higher up and beyond the call of duty. PFC Burke was serving as a cable car gunner with Company I, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines (3/27), initiative Marine Division (REIN), FMF. The citation, which was signed by then President Richard M. Nixon, reads as followsFor conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty for service as a machine gunner with Company I on Operation ALLEN BROOK. Company I was approaching a dry river bed with a heavily thicket-forming tree line that borders the hamlet of Lee Nam, when they suddenly came under exquisite mortar, rocket propelled grenades, automatic ordna nce and small arms fire from a large, well concealed enemy force which halted the companys bring forward and wounded several marines. Realizing that key points of resistance had to be eliminated to allow the units to antenna and casualties to be evacuated. Pfc. Burke, without hesitation, seized his machine gun and launched a series of 1-man assaults against the fortified emplacements. As he aggressively maneuvered to the edge of the steep river bank, he delivered accurate suppressive fire upon several enemy bunkers, which enabled his comrades to advance and move the wounded marines to positions of congener safety. As he continued his combative actions, he located an argue automatic weapons emplacement and poured intense fire into the position, killing 3 magnetic north Vietnamese soldiers as they attempted to flee. Pfc. Burke then fearlessly move from one position to another, quelling the contradictory fire until his weapon malfunctioned. Obtaining a casualtys rifle and hand g renades, he advanced push into the midst of the enemy fire in an assault against another paper bag of resistance killing 2 more of the enemy. Observing that a fellow marine had cleared his malfunctioning machine gun he grasped his weapon and moved into a dangerously exposed area and saturated the hostile tree line until he fell mortally wounded.