Week of Iwo Jima 75: Cecil Burlingame USMC
/Sent in by his daughter, Marie Hampton
This is my Dad. He turned 21 on the day he enlisted. He said the other guys called him "Grandpa". I wasn't born until he was 54 but he had one hell of a life before my brother and I came along.
“He was at Guadalcanal and taken off that island by JFK. He told us he was up to his knees in the ocean before the boats came along.
He received 2 Purple Hearts. Never did get the bullet out of his calf. He was also at IWO JIMA. (Our personalized license plate said that for years).
He loved his reunions and all of his buddies. He was the best. I miss him every day and he was gone way too soon. Semper Fi
If you have a family member who served on Iwo Jima, we would love for you to send in a photograph and short paragraph telling their service story. You can send it to:
OMVeteranStories@gmail.com
We will be sharing stories and photographs highlighting our Iwo Jima Veterans over the anniversary month an would LOVE to include you family’s hero.
