These
pages are a memorial tribute to Terry Patrick Burns, "Pat" to
his friends, family and loved ones, "Captain Burns" or
"The Skipper" to those he had the privilege of serving with in
the Marine Corps. Pat served two tours in Vietnam. As a young officer of
the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, he was among the first of the Marines to
land in Chu Lai in early 1965. Following the birth of his oldest
son in 1967, Pat returned to Vietnam in 1968-70 to, in his own words,
"take care of something left undone."
For a significant portion of his second tour, Captain
Burns had the honor and privilege of commanding Mike Company, 3rd
Battalion, 5th Marines. As noted in the adjoining chronology, Pat joined
the company at An Hoa in late 1968, and was an integral part of many of
the significant operations undertaken by Mike 3/5 until July of 1969,
when he was transferred further north to command a CAP company operating
in the Phu Bai area. Although he served with two other units during his
time in-country, and extended his second tour in order to stay with his
CAP unit, his shared experiences with the men of Mike 3/5 remained with
him for the rest of his life. Indeed, the Mike 3/5 banner, seen in a
photograph elsewhere on this site, rested, neatly folded, at his
bedside, both as a tribute to the men who did not return, and as a
ever-present reminder of a defining period in a young man’s life.
Pat never spoke much about the war itself, but his
experiences during late 1968-1969 had a profound impact on him. He
downplayed his military accomplishments, as well as the honors bestowed
upon him for his courage. He counseled his children on the horrors of
war and hoped that they would never have to experience the trials and
tribulations of hard-fought human conflict. To say that he never forgot
those experiences would be an understatement. He lived with them every
day of his life.
If you happen to have served with Pat, please take a
moment to leave a message for his family. If you have a interesting
story to tell regarding Captain Burns, or an event to add to the
chronology, please share it with us. The thoughts and words of his
service buddies, some of which are included here in the Tributes
section, bring great comfort and a higher level of understanding to
those who loved him dearly, and who will forever hold a special place
their hearts for a truly wonderful man.
Under this page are Pat's
obituary, tributes from Marines who knew
him and a an excellent chronology put
together by his nephew, Scot Milholland. For pictures please visit Pat's
picture page.
Please email the Webmaster
with comments, questions, corrections and any other feedback you wish to
make. If you wish
