Interview with Sam Burns, August 10, 1991

Partial Transcript: It's August the tenth, nineteen hundred and, uh, ninety-one. I'm in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Sam Burns is introduced. Interviewer Arthur L. Kelly gives a brief overview of Burns' military service during World War II with Battery C of the 106th Coast Artillery Battalion.

Keywords: "Stuka Valley"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Active duty; Air defense; Attacks; Bombs; D-Day; Distinguished Service Cross; German bombers; Kentucky National Guard; North Africa; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Sammy, uh, tell me a little bit about your background before we get into your military.

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about growing up in Washington County, Kentucky, attending school, and joining the Kentucky National Guard at age 16. He talks about his work with the Kentucky National Guard at the Harlan County coal strike in 1939, in Wisconsin in 1941, and being brought up for active duty in 1942. He talks about being sent to North Africa via Camp Hulen, Texas, Ireland, and Great Britain.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Anti-aircraft; Armory; Camp Hulen (Tex.); Cavalry; Great Britain; Harlan County coal strikes; Invasions; Ireland; Kentucky National Guard; Logan Road; Military training; Mosquito netting; North Africa; Pearl Harbor; Schools; Wisconsin; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Harlan County (Ky.); Military life.; Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining; United States--National Guard; Washington County (Ky.); World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: But we, uh, landed in North Africa on November the eighth, 1942.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes what it was like landing in North Africa on November 8, 1942, and the bombing and deaths that he witnessed.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Airplanes; Airports; Anti-aircraft guns; Bombings; Electrocution; French; German planes; Invasions; Kentucky National Guard; North Africa; Ships; Spitfire planes; Supermarine Spitfire; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Let, let me roll you back just a little bit.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes his thoughts and feelings as he was going into his first combat experience. He talks about his fears, his prayers, his expectations, and how his training and his sense of duty allowed him to push past his fear to perform his job.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Acclimation; Afraid; Airplanes; At-risk; Attitudes; Awareness; Dangers; Death; Duty; Expectations; Fears; Feelings; Friends; Kentucky National Guard; Mentality; Mothers; North Africa; Patriotic; Performance of duty; Prayers; Protection; Pulse rate; Religion; Shores; Strafing; Training; World War II; Young

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Alright. Um, when you were walking in that rope, can you remember what you thought there?

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes his first combat experience from landing on the beach, to setting up their guns, and then firing upon the enemy planes. He describes the experience of being under fire, including the sounds he was hearing. He talks about his level of fear, becoming acclimated to combat, and the attitudes of his fellow soldiers.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Acclimation; Airplanes; Anti-aircraft guns; Attitudes; Beaches; Boats; Bofors anti-aircraft gun; Bofors gun; Crew; Driving; Enemy fire; Fear level; Fears; Firing; French (Language); Gun barrels; Kentucky National Guard; Landing Craft Infantry (LCI); Landing Ship, Tank (LST); Machine guns; Mentality; Noises; Rounds; Sergeants; Serious; Set up; Ships; Shot down; Signs; Sounds; Spitfire planes; Supermarine Spitfire; Talking; Trucks; Under fire; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Okay, um, from there you went on to an airfield and provided air defense for an airfield right there in that immediate area for a while.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes the experience of moving their troops to Tunisia to guard an airfield. He talks about how they were near a dangerous area, Hill 609.

Keywords: "Stuka Valley"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; 40 mm guns; 50 caliber machine guns; Airfields; Airplanes; Airports; Airstrips; Atlas Mountains; Defense; Feriana (Tunisia); Fériana (Tunisia); Guarding; Hazardous; Hill 609; Infantry; Kentucky National Guard; Missions; Moving; Rain; Sections; Stukas (JU-87s); Troops; Tunisia; Wheat fields; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Okay, I'll come back to that in just a minute.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes the terrain in "Stuka Valley" in Tunisia. He talks about how his battalion was set up, including their foxholes for protection. Bush describes in detail a particular bombing that he experienced in "Stuka Valley." He describes hearing the plane, seeing it almost immediately, realizing it was dropping bombs, and shooting at the plane. He describes how he felt when a bomb detonated very close to him, knocking him and the gun out of the foxhole. Burns was briefly knocked unconscious and upon waking, believed he had been mortally wounded. Burns describes his thoughts and feelings during the time that he believed he had been hit and how he felt when he realized he was unhurt.

Keywords: "Stuka Valley"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; 40 mm guns; 50 caliber machine guns; Afraid; Aiming; Air raids; Airplanes; Ammunition; Attacks; Battalions; Blood; Bofors anti-aircraft gun; Bofors gun; Bombings; Bombs; British airplanes; Crews; Death; Dives; Diving; Dropping bombs; Encounters; Explosions; Fear levels; Fears; Feelings; Firing; Foxholes; Friendly fire; German airplanes; Gratitude; Hearing; Hits; Identifying; Kentucky National Guard; Knocked out; Mentality; Mountains; Mud; Prayers; Protection; Scared; Set up; Shooting; Sirens; Sounds; Stukas (JU-87s); Stunned; Terrain; Terrifying; Tracers; Vegetation; World War II; Wounded

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Um, anything else on Stuka Valley that, that we can get here that was unusual or difficult to deal with, or?

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes a few of his worst experiences during the war, including the incident in "Stuka Valley," enemy planes dropping flares and bombs on them at Anzio Beach, and an incident in Feriana.

Keywords: "Stuka Valley"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Anti-aircraft guns; Anti-tank guns; Anzio (Italy); Anzio Beach (Italy); Bombings; Feriana (Tunisia); Flares; Fériana (Tunisia); Gafsa (Tunisia); Kentucky National Guard; Retreat; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Uh, I want to wind up Stuka Valley if I can.

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about the attitudes and performance of his fellow soldiers, saying that no one was a coward in the face of danger. He talks about an incident where one of his battalion-mates was accidentally hit with a pistol during an R&R break, resulting in Burns being sent in his place on the mission that ultimately earned him his Distinguished Service Cross.

Keywords: "Stuka Valley"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Arguments; Attitudes; Courageous; Cowards; Duty; Guns; Injuries; Kentucky National Guard; Lieutenants; Patriotic; Performance of duty; Pistols; Proud; Raids; Rest and recuperation (R&R); Richard Kelly; Troops; Trucks; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Okay, this is a good time to go into the, to the, uh, attack where you shot down your planes.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes being sent on a mission as a driver transporting troops at night to Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. When he arrived, seven enemy planes began attacking them. Burns describes his maneuvers in detail: shooting at the planes with the machine gun mounted on top of his truck, then moving the truck as the planes turned around for another pass. He says this maneuver happened three or four times, resulting in him shooting down at least two planes. He describes his thoughts and feelings during this incident.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; 50 caliber machine guns; Airplanes; Ammunition; Attacks; Battle of Kasserine Pass; Bombers; Convoys; Deserts; Driving; Explosions; Faid Pass (Tunisia); Faïd Pass (Tunisia); Feelings; Feriana (Tunisia); Fired upon; Firing; Fériana (Tunisia); Germans; Heart beats; Hits; Infantry; Junkers Ju 88; Kentucky National Guard; Mentality; Methods; Mounted machine guns; Moving; Night movements; Nights; Proximity; Pulse rate; Raids; Rations; Retreat; Shooting; Sidi Bouzid (Tunisia); Strafing; Thoughts; Troops; Trucks; Turning around; Windshields; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: But I, I do remember a very vivid, uh, memory that, uh, this officer or major, I think about a major rank, uh, coming up and asking me--

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about his interaction with an officer after shooting down the enemy planes at Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. He talks about his feelings after the incident was over, feeling grateful that he had survived while also feeling empathy for the enemies he had killed. He talks more about his feelings during the incident and the sensations he experienced. He talks about his gun overheating near the end of the skirmish. He talks about being congratulated by the other soldiers present at Sidi Bouzid.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Airplanes; Attacks; Attitudes; Congratulations; Contributions; Death; Distinguished Service Cross; Empathy; Feelings; Flyovers; Gratitude; Height; Kentucky; Kentucky National Guard; Killing; Mixed emotions; Noise level; Officers; Overheating; Pilots; Proximity; Serious; Sounds; Success; Tracers; Winning; World War II; Wounded

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: And, uh, and then how long was it before you went back to your unit?

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about returning to his unit that evening and their reactions to his shooting down the enemy planes at Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. He talks about his personality and how he was normally treated by the other soldiers in his battalion. He talks about how his childhood shaped his personality and outlook on life, including being the son of an unwed mother at a time when that was unacceptable in society. He talks about being bullied for these circumstances all through his childhood. He talks about his mother's abusive husbands, his brother killing one of these men, and his brother's suicide. He talks about how receiving the Distinguished Service Cross affected his mentality about himself and talks about the welcome he received when he arrived back home from the war.

Keywords: "Countrified"; 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Abuse; Abusive relationships; Attitudes; Brothers; Bullying; Child abuse; Coming home; Death; Distinguished Service Cross; Domestic abuse; Envy; Fathers; George Moore; Grateful; Gun barrels; Husbands; Jammed; Jealousy; Jobs; Kentucky National Guard; Latrines; Meaning; Murders; Personality; Publicity; Reactions; Respect; Single mothers; Suicide; Units; Unwed mothers; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Childhood; Combat.; Families.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: And, uh, uh, getting your life back in, in some kind of a order after this hard, uh, uh, situation for you as you were growing up...

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about how he had not finished high school before he joined the Kentucky National Guard and was sent to World War II. He talks about how one of his battalion-mates encouraged him to continue his education once he returned home. He talks about attending high school for a year at age 23 before learning about and earning his GED. He talks about then attending Campbellsville Junior College before transferring to Centre College, all paid for by the G.I. Bill. He talks about his career after earning his degree. He talks about how the difficult situations he faced in life ultimately worked in his favor.

Keywords: Abuse; Attitudes; Campbellsville High School; Campbellsville Junior College; Centre College; Child abuse; Contrasts; Danville (Ky.); Distinguished Service Cross; Domestic abuse; Encouragement; G.I. Bill; General Educational Development (GED) tests; Grocery stores; High schools; Personality; Postal service; Riley (Ky.); Step-fathers; Teaching; Wife

Subjects: Education, Higher; Families.; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Well, let me get you back to the war.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. He describes how he felt when he was summoned for a meeting with the general and how he felt when receiving the medal.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Anzio (Italy); Attitudes; Awards; Congressional Medal of Honor; Defensive; Distinguished Service Cross; Expressions; Feelings; Hap Arnold; Honors; Kentucky National Guard; Mentality; North Africa; Officers; Sidi Bouzid (Tunisia); Valor; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Then, uh, let's go to the next big event then.

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about how the Germans would copy the Americans' insignia on their vehicles in order to be mistaken for allies. Burns describes an incident of friendly fire in Salerno, Italy. He talks about playing cards with members of his battalion when they heard a plane. One of their men identified it as an American plane, but it began firing upon them. He describes in detail the incident and the death of two of his battalion-mates and the wounding of a third. He talks about the demeanor of his battalion after the incident.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Airplanes; Ambulances; American airplanes; American pilots; Arms; Attitudes; Confusion; Cut off; Firing; Foxholes; Friendly fire; German line; Gloom; Henry Spence; Injuries; Insignia; John E. Parrott; Joseph R. Carrico; Kentucky National Guard; Killed in action; Mentality; Mistakes; Numb; Personality; Playing cards; Reactions; Salerno (Italy); Thompson submachine guns; Tommy guns; Troops; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; War casualties.; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: We went to a--Anzio on January 22nd, 1945.

Segment Synopsis: Burns talks about waterproofing their vehicles to go ashore at Anzio, Italy on D-Day. He describes living at Anzio for weeks before being sent home from the war on points. He describes the living conditions, the battles, witnessing more deaths, and the sensations and feelings during his time in Anzio. He describes two of his commanders.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Abbeys; Anzio (Italy); Ashore; Bombings; Bombs; Cigarettes; Cisterns; Commanders; D-Day; Death; Decapitation; Drinking; Drugs; Fears; Firing; Foxholes; George Moore; German soldiers; Going home; Hiding; Intensity; Invasions; Kentucky National Guard; Killed in action; Louisville Courier-Journal; Monastery; Monte Cassino (Italy); Montecassino (Italy); Noises; Personality; Purple Heart; Rain; Sand; Scary; Shelling; Shells; Shelters; Shrapnel; Smoking; Sounds; Strafing; Tunnels; Vehicles; Waterproofing; Wine; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Well, um, going back to, um, some of the background information.

Segment Synopsis: Burns returns to talk about shipping out from Camp Hulen, Texas to Scotland, Ireland, and then North Africa. He talks about the people he met in Ireland. He gives his final thoughts on his experiences in Africa and his feelings about his military service overall.

Keywords: 106th Coast Artillery Battalion, Battery C; Africa; Battle of Kasserine Pass; Camp Hulen (Tex.); Feelings; Gafsa (Tunisia); Glasgow (Scotland); Infantry; Ireland; Irish Republican Army (IRA); Kentucky National Guard; Military service; Nova Scotia; Proud; Ships; Summary; Tanks; Treatment; World War II

Subjects: Artillery.; Combat.; Military life.; United States--National Guard; World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: Um, tell me, uh, about your present family.

Segment Synopsis: Burns describes his wife and children and their careers. He talks about his career as a teacher and principal. He talks about the injury he sustained during the war. The interview concludes abruptly.

Keywords: Agent Orange; Bombings; Careers; Children; Daughters; Eleanora Eloise Womack Burns; Family; Injuries; Kids; Korean War veterans; Leukemia; School principals; Sons; Wife

Subjects: Education; Teachers; Teaching; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.