Fletcher Payne BURTON Jr

Source : Maria

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  St Laurent N°3582

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Normandy American Cemetery

Fletcher BURTON ‘45 was killed seventy-three years ago today in an infantry landing craft on Omaha Beach in Normandy. He was twenty-one years old — one of twenty-four members of his class who fought in WWII and did not live to return to Dartmouth.

BURTON left the College in his sophomore year and served in the Coast Guard as a seaman first class until his death on D-Day aboard the USS LCI(L) 94 — an unwieldy landing vessel whose initials officially stood for Landing Craft Infantry (Large), but colloquially were regarded as an acronym for “Lousy Civilian Idea.” On it he participated in the seaborne invasions of North Africa, and Sicily and Salerno, Italy. On June 6, 1944, the “94” was charged with dropping fresh troops one hour after the first wave of soldiers hit the French beaches.

“Bloody Omaha” was the toughest of the five D-Day beaches, and Burton’s boat took heavy fire as it landed near Saint Laurent and Colleville-sur-Mer. It was hit by several German 88mm artillery rounds, and Burton and two crewmates were killed; Burton died instantly from the concussion of a shell.

Fletcher Burton Jr. ‘45 is honored by a plaque at the Pentagon as one of the “first fallen” on D-Day. He is buried at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, and the granite of New Hampshire keeps the record of his fame under the arches of Memorial Field:

Source : Dartblog.com

Photo of Robert CAPA taken on USS LCI-94

Source : Dartblog.com