BURNS, RAYMOND

RAYMOND BURNS

Coram

Navy

Raymond Thaddeus Burns was born on July 17, 1923 at New York City. He was the son of Anna (Oettinger) and Leo Burns. Before the war he was a student attending the Colorado School of Mines. He was living at Coram when he enlisted on October 20, 1942 at Patchogue. He was trained as a Naval Aviator and left the country in January of 1945 on the USS Suwannee. He was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 40, and made 35 strikes against Okinawa Japan, Borneo and the Philippines. For his service he was awarded a Distinquished Flying Cross and an Air Medal. Burns returned to the United States on December 10, 1945 and was discharged six days later.

Lt. Burns is Home

Patchogue Advance

December 6, 1945

Lieut. (j.g.) Raymond Burns, U.S.N.R., aged 22, of Coram, wearer of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the air medal with four clusters and the Asiatic-Pacific ribbon with two battle stars, is on terminal leave and preparing to leave the Navy on December 16. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo Burns of Coram.

Lieutenant Burns has been in the service for four years, and was commissioned on April 1, 1944. He was overseas for eleven months and saw action at Okinawa, Borneo and the occupation of Japan. He was in the original unit which gave air support at the occupation of Nagasaki and spent two months in Japan before returning to the United States.

He was stationed aboard the U.S.S. Suwanee. Lieutenant Burns is a graduate of Port Jefferson High school and attended Pratt institute. His brother, Bartley, is a fire control man, first class, now stationed at Fort Lauderdale Fla.

Information supplied by the,

Brookhaven Town Historians office