Arleigh Burke
| Arleigh Burke | |
|---|---|
Burke in 1951
|
|
| Birth name | Arleigh Albert Burke |
| Nickname(s) | "31-knot Burke" |
| Born |
October 19, 1901 Boulder, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 1996 (aged 94) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Buried at | U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1923–1961 |
| Rank |
 Admiral
|
| Commands held | Chief of Naval Operations (1955–1961) |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War |
| Awards |
Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star Legion of Merit (4, with Combat V) Presidential Medal of Freedom |
Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), the lead ship of her class of Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyers, was commissioned in his honor in 1991, during his lifetime.
Burke was born in Boulder, Colorado, on October 19, 1901, to Oscar Burke and Clara Mokler. His grandfather, August Björkgren, was a Swedish immigrant to the US and changed his surname to 'Burke' (a popular Irish surname) to sound more 'American'. Due to the 1918 influenza outbreak, schools were closed in Boulder and he never graduated from high school. He won an alternate appointment to the Naval Academy given by his local congressman. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1923, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy. He married Miss Roberta Gorsuch of Washington, D.C.
Over the next 18 years, Burke served aboard battleships and destroyers, and earned a Master of Science in Engineering at the University of Michigan. When World War II came, he found himself, to his great disappointment, in a shore billet at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. After persistent efforts on his part, he received orders to join the fighting in the South Pacific.
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Wikipedia