Joe Douglas Burch (1931 - 1981)

Born 29 Jul 1931 in Elgin, Santa Cruz, Arizona, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Teddie Louise Ogg — married 25 Oct 1953 (to 1978) in Safford, Graham, Arizona, United States

Descendants

Died 30 Sep 1981 at age 50 in Baguio, Benguet, Philippines

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mark Burch [send private message]

This profile is part of the Burch Name Study.

Biography

Joe was born on July 29, 1931 in Elgin, Arizona at the house of his great aunt Grace Lowe who was a midwife. There is a town called Elgin in Moray, Scotland where Macbeth and Duncan were from. King Duncan of Scotland was my 28th great grandfather. MacBeth killed Duncan in a battle near Elgin, Scotland.

Father Frank Burch (28) and Mother Grace Douglas Burch (26). He lived in Casa Grande AZ (1940 Census). He told me that his family moved 13 times in 13 years trying to survive growing cotton and peanuts. The places they lived were Casa Grande, Toltec, Eloy and other towns between Tucson and Phoenix. They also spent time on ranches in the Sonoita/Elgin area. Eventually they ended up in Tucson where Joe attended high school at Tucson HS. He was selected for the National Honor Society in 1949. ^{[1] [2]}

He attended the University of Arizona from 1949 to 1953 and studied botany. He was in the Air Force ROTC and received his commission in 1953/54.

He became an Officer in the US Air Force and trained at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. He was first stationed at Hondo AFB where my sister was born. Then he was stationed at Lake Charles AFB (renamed Chennault AFB in 1958) where my brother and I were born. The next assignment was Selfridge AFB in Michigan where we moved in 1960. There he was assigned to Goose Bay, Canada and flew KC-197s to carry out mid-air refueling of nuclear bombers during Operation Chrome Dome. He was awarded a number of medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross in Vietnam. He was awarded a medal for saving people from the Anchor Bay Tornado on May 8, 1964. ^[3]. Our Renault Dauphin had bloodstains in it after that.

After he retired from the Air Force, Joe Burch went back to SE Asia to fly for some private airlines such as Lear Siegler, Air Lao and BirdAir. He flew for BirdAir in the evacuation of Phnom Penh in 1975.

He and my Mom divorced in 1978. He came back to Tucson to divorce her and that is the last time I saw him alive. I came home from college for spring break and we spent some time together. We went to Picacho Peak to see the desert poppies that were blooming profusely that spring. We went to see a movie. My Dad didn't like most movies. He actually took us to see A Clockwork Orange when I was in high school. He read a lot of science fiction, so he probably read the book. Anyway, in 1978 we drove to one of those duplex theatres. Apocalypse Now was on the left and Close Encounters of the Third Kind was on the right. Dad asked what the movies were about. I told him that Close Encounters was about aliens and Apocalypse Now was about the Vietnam War. He said, "I don't want to see a GODDAM Vietnam movie," so we watched Close Encounters, which he thought was silly. I think he would have loved Apocalypse Now but he didn't realize the mythical tropes in it. He probably thought it was another BS movie like The Green Berets which glorified war. He had been through war and did not glorify it.

Joe Burch passed away on September 30, 1981 in a bus crash in Baguio, Philippines. He was able to save his Igorot wife, Augustina, but he was swept away. ^{[4] [5]}

Joe Burch was involved with a classified operation (now declassified) called Comfy Echo.

Citation for Distinguished Flying Cross

Captain Joseph D. Burch distinguished himself by extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a C-130B aircraft commander at Dau Tieng, Republic of Vietnam, on 13 September 1968.

On that date, Captain Burch participated in one of the most hazardous airlift missions ever undertaken in Southeast Asia, to airland a load of combat essential ammunition to the US Army forces at Dau Tieng who had been under constant attack.

Captain Burch landed his aircraft at maximum gross weight on an extremely battle-damaged runway and delivered his vitally needed load of ammunition in minimum time.

The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Burch reflect great credit upon himself and the US Air Force.

Commendation from Commander in Chief Pacific

11 Jun 1975

Dear Mr. Burch, Your dedicated and courageous participation in the Cambodian airlift was in the best American tradition. Your professional performance in that hostile environment and in the dangerous operating conditions of Phnom Penh's Pochentong Airport was outstanding. You have my total admiration.

During this mammoth undertaking, Bird Air flew more than 1,300 missions and delivered in excess 25,000 tons of supplies vital to the lives and safety of over 2 million Cambodians.

You have demonstrated the great American spirit and desire to assist mankind in time of need. My warm thanks for a job well done.

Noel Gayler, Admiral US Navy

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VY47-1KN : accessed 29 August 2017), Joe Burch in household of Frank Burch, Supervisorial District 3, Pinal, Arizona, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 11-17B, sheet 3A, line 38, family 42, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 113.
2. ↑ Arizona State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics Standard Certificate of Birth. State File No. 574b.
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-QWQ0-N6_0&sns=fb
4. ↑ 13 Die in Philippines Crash
5. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JTWT-8MG : 20 May 2014), Joe Burch, Sep 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).

• https://blog.fold3.com/new-vietnam-war-records-from-phan-rang-air-base/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_III_Offensive

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%E1%BA%A7u_Ti%E1%BA%BFng_Base_Camp

• United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Pima, Arizona; Roll: 5746; Sheet Number: 62; Enumeration District: 10-85

• "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KWL-7FXV : 10 February 2023), Joe Douglas Burch, .

• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JTWT-8MG : 11 January 2021), Joe Burch, Sep 1981; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).