Interviewed By:

Holliday Bucar and Kay McNamara

"It was an impersonal war, as far as contact with the enemy.
We were up at twenty thousand feet and we had dumped a lot of bombs,
but we didn't see what they did. And that bothered us."

~ Robert Burns (18:22)

Robert Burns' Story:

Robert Burns was born in 1924, and from a young age, he fell in love with military aviation. Mr. Burns grew up during the heart of the Great Depression in a small, rural town in New York. He lived with his two parents as an only child, and his father served as a transporter in World War I. Mr. Burns was always interested in aviation as a kid, but when his father took him for a ride in a biplane, his fascination blossomed.

In school, Mr. Burns was always interested in mechanics and excelled at math and electrical engineering. Mr. Burns graduated from high school at sixteen years old in 1941, and dreamed of a career involving military aviation. He used his math and engineering skills to his advantage when enlisting to join the Navy at age seventeen. Mr. Burns was denied, but this minor setback didn't stop his determination. When he turned eighteen, Mr. Burns enlisted for the Army Air Corps. When he joined, there was no separate Air Force department like there is today, it was established in 1947. Mr. Burns continued to follow his interests and became a soldier in the Air Corps. He went through a series of training sessions in Atlantic City during the winter months and prepared for combat with his fellow soldiers. He was stationed overseas, and completed rigorous missions to bomb various areas of Nazi Germany. Mr. Burns served as a navigator inside a B-17 Bomber, called "Gus's Pup".

During the war, Mr. Burn’s rank grew throughout his time served. He began as a private air cadet and was then promoted to a commission. By the time he earned his wings, his rank was Second Lieutenant. Near the end of his missions, Mr. Burn's earned the title of First Lieutenant. Mr. Burn's service did not end after his time in WWII. He went into the Air Reserve, and Mr. Burn's did an active duty tour in Truro, MA. He served at the North Truro Air Force Station and monitored flights coming in from overseas.

Today, Robert Burns, age 93, and his wife are living happily in Dennis, Cape Cod. Mr. Burns' story is an inspiration to all, and reveals what World War II was like in the eyes of a navigator.