Ed Burke of Green Township, hero of World War II, has died at the age of 104

GREEN TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Longtime Green Township resident and World War II veteran Ed Burke has died.

In April, when Burke turned 104, he sat down with WCPO 9 anchor Craig McKee for a Homefront segment.

Burke summed up D-Day on June 6, 1944, with a single word: “Hell.”

Before the war, he told Craig that he was keeping an eye on world events and could see himself wearing a military uniform in one way or another as part of the United States’ role in World War II. For this reason, he decided to join Xavier University’s ROTC program.

“I’m going to get involved no matter what I do. That’s why it’s much better to join as an officer,” he said.

Finally, he said that General Patton would personally select him to lead the 821st Anti-Tank Battalion of the 29th Infantry Division.

“I did what I was told,” Burke said. “General Patton was the guy who helped me. Although he took me from the back of the field artillery to the tank. He was quite a character.”

Provided

After landing at Omaha Beach, Burke was involved in every major battle in which Allied forces attempted to push back Germany.

He has written three books about his service and the various struggles he endured during his four-year tour of duty, which took him from the rank of lieutenant to major.

“There’s a chapter in his first book where he talks about how he got the Silver Star, and how he had to cross the Roer River in the middle of the night under fire to figure out where to put his tanks, and how he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it back,” said Pat Schaffer, the eldest of five children Burke and his wife, Betty Lou, had after he returned from the war.

In addition to the Silver Star, Burke was awarded the Bronze Star and the French government’s highest decoration for foreign military personnel: Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.

WCPO

Preparations for the funeral and a mass are still pending.

Burke spoke at length about his service with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Veterans History Project. You can watch the video here on the library’s YouTube channel.

If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email [email protected]. You can also Join the Homefront Facebook group, Follow Craig McKee on Facebook And You can find more Homefront stories here.

If you have a veteran story to tell in your community, email [email protected]. You can also Join the Homefront Facebook group, Follow Craig McKee on Facebook And You can find more Homefront stories here.