cool dudes i admire: pvc. herbert burr

Herbert H. Burr, Congressional Medal of Honor Society

january 15, 1945. private first class herbert burr, an m4 sherman tank gunner with the 11th armored division, came under fire in noville, belgium. the m4 took a direct hit from german guns, killing 2 and wounding other members of the crew. with the sherman tank engulfed in flames, and shell shocked from the impact, burr opted to disregard the hazards and located the placement of the german troops— he destroyed the enemy detachment with his .30 cal machine gun.

once his ammunition was depleted, burr rescued the wounded soldier out of the burning sherman tank and escorted him back to the lines for medical attention. now under heavy enemy fire, burr returned to the retrieve the burning tank— knowing entirely well it was a ticking time bomb. he extinguished the flames and brought it back to american lines. for this action, he was awarded the distinguished service cross.

2 months later, his tank came under fire from german-launched rockets near the town of dorrmoschel, germany. the entire crew wounded, burr ordered them to abandon the vehicle and return to friendly lines— he then climbed into the driver’s seat and entered the town to scout road conditions— continuing the mission on his own. as he was rounding a turn, he encountered an 88m german gun at point blank range.

now regretting his release of the wounded crew with as there was nobody to man the guns, he charged the crew manning the 88m gun— an unexpected assault caused the enemy crew to flee while simultaneously demolishing the piece. for good measure, burr drove over a supply truck— destroying whatever resources they had. after returning & realizing that one of his abandoned crew never returned to friendly lines, burr ran through a hail of sniper fire to rescue him.

For this action, he was awarded the medal of honor— god doesn’t make men like he used to anymore.