Birth Mother: Viola Waukazoo
Adoptive Mother: Louise Burgess
Adoptive Father: James Burgess
Brothers: Nicholas J. Burgess d. 1979
William Burgess of Traverse City/Kingsley.
Sister: Dora Burgess, d. 2010
John, William, and Dora were or would have been eligible to be members of Grand Traverse Band Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (re-recognized by the US government in 1980).
On 5 April 1949 John was born Larry Waukazoo, the son of Viola Waukazoo d. 1970. His natural father is unknown. One of John/Larry's great-grandfathers was Joseph Waukazoo of Co. K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. He and many of his siblings were taken out of the home and either adopted or put into foster care. He and his brother William (still living) were adopted by the Burgesses & took their surname. He graduated from Kingsley HS in 1968 & volunteered for the US Army. He became a crew chief for a Huey Helicopter.
On 30 June 1970 his Huey was shot down on the border of South Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The marker erected in Evergreen Cemetery, Kingsley, Michigan, bearing his name is a memorial to John L. Burgess and not a grave marker as such.
---
The following was copied from the official records prior to 2012:
Name: John Lawrence Burgess
Rank/Branch: E5/US Army
Unit: Company B, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Date of Birth: 05 April 1949 (Sutton's Bay MI)
Home City of Record: Kingsley MI
Date of Loss: 30 June 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 121557N 1071051E (YU372568)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1645
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
SYNOPSIS: On June 30, 1970, SP5 John L. Burgess was the crew chief of a UH1H helicopter on a command and control mission when it was hit by enemy fire, crashed, and burned near the Cambodia/South Vietnam border in Phuoc Long
Province, South Vietnam.
The other individuals aboard the aircraft included 1Lt. Leslie F. Douglas, Jr., 1Lt. Richard Dyer, SFC Juan Colon-Diaz, and PFC Goosman. PFC Goosman, the left door gunner, was the only survivor of the crash.
PFC Goosman later stated that he pulled the aircraft commander clear of the aircraft, but because of the fire, was unable to free any of the crew members or the one passenger from the aircraft. Goosman was able to
determine that no one else had survived the crash. He remained at the scene of the crash site until friendly troops arrived to secure the aircraft wreckage. The remains of what was thought to be four crew members were placed in four body bags and evacuated.
Major Knudson, who arrived shortly after the crash, landed in a secure LZ adjacent to the crash and picked up Goosman and the 4 body bags. They were transported directly from the crash site to medical facilities located at
Camp Gorvad, Phuoc Vinh, South Vietnam. Graves Registration at Camp Gorvad forwarded the four body bags to the mortuary at Than San Nhut to undergo autopsies. At the mortuary, as identification was conducted, it was
determined that they only had 3 sets of remains rather than four. While processing the remains at the mortuary, it was discovered that one of the body bags contained portions of the upper torso and another bag contained
portions of the lower torso of the same individual. After this discovery, they were combined and positive identifications made of the three individuals, Douglas, Dyer and Colon-Diaz.
Than San Nhut Mortuary never received any remains correlating to SP5 Burgess, and it was believed that the remains of Burgess were either burned beneath the wreckage of the aircraft or incinerated in the fire which
engulfed the aircraft after it crashed. The mortuary suggested another search of the crash site area, but additional searches were not considered possible because of enemy presence in the area. When a final review of
aerial photographs was made in 1973, there was no evidence of the crashed aircraft.
SP5 John L. Burgess is maintained with honor among the missing because his remains were never found to be sent home for burial in the soil for which he fought. His family can grieve for his death.
For the families of nearly 2500 other missing Americans, grief cannot occur. They are caught in the uncertainty of not knowing. They are tantalized and tortured by nearly 10,000 reports received regarding missing Americans in
Southeast Asia. Many of the missing were alive and well the last time they were seen. Some were in radio contact with would-be rescuers. Others were seen in captivity and even photographed, only to disappear from the prison
systems.
While Burgess may not be among the hundreds of Americans thought to be still alive, one can imagine his gladly flying one more mission to help bring his
comrades home - alive.
---
Updates after 2012:
In 2012, remains corresponding to SPC5 Burgess and two of his crewmates were identified by forensic and circumstantial evidence at the crash site. To further identify remains using DNA was not possible.
On 2 July 2013 a funeral and interment with full military honors was conducted at Arlington National Cemetery for John L Burgess. Funerals for the other 2 crewmates had been held previously since their partial remains were recovered in 1970. Sole survivor John Goosman and family members of all 4 men killed in the helicopter crash attended the ceremonies. Because of the nature of the remains buried, the interment is considered a group burial.
Adoptive Mother: Louise Burgess
Adoptive Father: James Burgess
Brothers: Nicholas J. Burgess d. 1979
William Burgess of Traverse City/Kingsley.
Sister: Dora Burgess, d. 2010
John, William, and Dora were or would have been eligible to be members of Grand Traverse Band Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (re-recognized by the US government in 1980).
On 5 April 1949 John was born Larry Waukazoo, the son of Viola Waukazoo d. 1970. His natural father is unknown. One of John/Larry's great-grandfathers was Joseph Waukazoo of Co. K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. He and many of his siblings were taken out of the home and either adopted or put into foster care. He and his brother William (still living) were adopted by the Burgesses & took their surname. He graduated from Kingsley HS in 1968 & volunteered for the US Army. He became a crew chief for a Huey Helicopter.
On 30 June 1970 his Huey was shot down on the border of South Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The marker erected in Evergreen Cemetery, Kingsley, Michigan, bearing his name is a memorial to John L. Burgess and not a grave marker as such.
---
The following was copied from the official records prior to 2012:
Name: John Lawrence Burgess
Rank/Branch: E5/US Army
Unit: Company B, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Date of Birth: 05 April 1949 (Sutton's Bay MI)
Home City of Record: Kingsley MI
Date of Loss: 30 June 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 121557N 1071051E (YU372568)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1645
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
SYNOPSIS: On June 30, 1970, SP5 John L. Burgess was the crew chief of a UH1H helicopter on a command and control mission when it was hit by enemy fire, crashed, and burned near the Cambodia/South Vietnam border in Phuoc Long
Province, South Vietnam.
The other individuals aboard the aircraft included 1Lt. Leslie F. Douglas, Jr., 1Lt. Richard Dyer, SFC Juan Colon-Diaz, and PFC Goosman. PFC Goosman, the left door gunner, was the only survivor of the crash.
PFC Goosman later stated that he pulled the aircraft commander clear of the aircraft, but because of the fire, was unable to free any of the crew members or the one passenger from the aircraft. Goosman was able to
determine that no one else had survived the crash. He remained at the scene of the crash site until friendly troops arrived to secure the aircraft wreckage. The remains of what was thought to be four crew members were placed in four body bags and evacuated.
Major Knudson, who arrived shortly after the crash, landed in a secure LZ adjacent to the crash and picked up Goosman and the 4 body bags. They were transported directly from the crash site to medical facilities located at
Camp Gorvad, Phuoc Vinh, South Vietnam. Graves Registration at Camp Gorvad forwarded the four body bags to the mortuary at Than San Nhut to undergo autopsies. At the mortuary, as identification was conducted, it was
determined that they only had 3 sets of remains rather than four. While processing the remains at the mortuary, it was discovered that one of the body bags contained portions of the upper torso and another bag contained
portions of the lower torso of the same individual. After this discovery, they were combined and positive identifications made of the three individuals, Douglas, Dyer and Colon-Diaz.
Than San Nhut Mortuary never received any remains correlating to SP5 Burgess, and it was believed that the remains of Burgess were either burned beneath the wreckage of the aircraft or incinerated in the fire which
engulfed the aircraft after it crashed. The mortuary suggested another search of the crash site area, but additional searches were not considered possible because of enemy presence in the area. When a final review of
aerial photographs was made in 1973, there was no evidence of the crashed aircraft.
SP5 John L. Burgess is maintained with honor among the missing because his remains were never found to be sent home for burial in the soil for which he fought. His family can grieve for his death.
For the families of nearly 2500 other missing Americans, grief cannot occur. They are caught in the uncertainty of not knowing. They are tantalized and tortured by nearly 10,000 reports received regarding missing Americans in
Southeast Asia. Many of the missing were alive and well the last time they were seen. Some were in radio contact with would-be rescuers. Others were seen in captivity and even photographed, only to disappear from the prison
systems.
While Burgess may not be among the hundreds of Americans thought to be still alive, one can imagine his gladly flying one more mission to help bring his
comrades home - alive.
---
Updates after 2012:
In 2012, remains corresponding to SPC5 Burgess and two of his crewmates were identified by forensic and circumstantial evidence at the crash site. To further identify remains using DNA was not possible.
On 2 July 2013 a funeral and interment with full military honors was conducted at Arlington National Cemetery for John L Burgess. Funerals for the other 2 crewmates had been held previously since their partial remains were recovered in 1970. Sole survivor John Goosman and family members of all 4 men killed in the helicopter crash attended the ceremonies. Because of the nature of the remains buried, the interment is considered a group burial.
Birth Mother: Viola Waukazoo
Adoptive Mother: Louise Burgess
Adoptive Father: James Burgess
Brothers: Nicholas J. Burgess d. 1979
William Burgess of Traverse City/Kingsley.
Sister: Dora Burgess, d. 2010
John, William, and Dora were or would have been eligible to be members of Grand Traverse Band Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (re-recognized by the US government in 1980).
On 5 April 1949 John was born Larry Waukazoo, the son of Viola Waukazoo d. 1970. His natural father is unknown. One of John/Larry's great-grandfathers was Joseph Waukazoo of Co. K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. He and many of his siblings were taken out of the home and either adopted or put into foster care. He and his brother William (still living) were adopted by the Burgesses & took their surname. He graduated from Kingsley HS in 1968 & volunteered for the US Army. He became a crew chief for a Huey Helicopter.
On 30 June 1970 his Huey was shot down on the border of South Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The marker erected in Evergreen Cemetery, Kingsley, Michigan, bearing his name is a memorial to John L. Burgess and not a grave marker as such.
---
The following was copied from the official records prior to 2012:
Name: John Lawrence Burgess
Rank/Branch: E5/US Army
Unit: Company B, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Date of Birth: 05 April 1949 (Sutton's Bay MI)
Home City of Record: Kingsley MI
Date of Loss: 30 June 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 121557N 1071051E (YU372568)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1645
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
SYNOPSIS: On June 30, 1970, SP5 John L. Burgess was the crew chief of a UH1H helicopter on a command and control mission when it was hit by enemy fire, crashed, and burned near the Cambodia/South Vietnam border in Phuoc Long
Province, South Vietnam.
The other individuals aboard the aircraft included 1Lt. Leslie F. Douglas, Jr., 1Lt. Richard Dyer, SFC Juan Colon-Diaz, and PFC Goosman. PFC Goosman, the left door gunner, was the only survivor of the crash.
PFC Goosman later stated that he pulled the aircraft commander clear of the aircraft, but because of the fire, was unable to free any of the crew members or the one passenger from the aircraft. Goosman was able to
determine that no one else had survived the crash. He remained at the scene of the crash site until friendly troops arrived to secure the aircraft wreckage. The remains of what was thought to be four crew members were placed in four body bags and evacuated.
Major Knudson, who arrived shortly after the crash, landed in a secure LZ adjacent to the crash and picked up Goosman and the 4 body bags. They were transported directly from the crash site to medical facilities located at
Camp Gorvad, Phuoc Vinh, South Vietnam. Graves Registration at Camp Gorvad forwarded the four body bags to the mortuary at Than San Nhut to undergo autopsies. At the mortuary, as identification was conducted, it was
determined that they only had 3 sets of remains rather than four. While processing the remains at the mortuary, it was discovered that one of the body bags contained portions of the upper torso and another bag contained
portions of the lower torso of the same individual. After this discovery, they were combined and positive identifications made of the three individuals, Douglas, Dyer and Colon-Diaz.
Than San Nhut Mortuary never received any remains correlating to SP5 Burgess, and it was believed that the remains of Burgess were either burned beneath the wreckage of the aircraft or incinerated in the fire which
engulfed the aircraft after it crashed. The mortuary suggested another search of the crash site area, but additional searches were not considered possible because of enemy presence in the area. When a final review of
aerial photographs was made in 1973, there was no evidence of the crashed aircraft.
SP5 John L. Burgess is maintained with honor among the missing because his remains were never found to be sent home for burial in the soil for which he fought. His family can grieve for his death.
For the families of nearly 2500 other missing Americans, grief cannot occur. They are caught in the uncertainty of not knowing. They are tantalized and tortured by nearly 10,000 reports received regarding missing Americans in
Southeast Asia. Many of the missing were alive and well the last time they were seen. Some were in radio contact with would-be rescuers. Others were seen in captivity and even photographed, only to disappear from the prison
systems.
While Burgess may not be among the hundreds of Americans thought to be still alive, one can imagine his gladly flying one more mission to help bring his
comrades home - alive.
---
Updates after 2012:
In 2012, remains corresponding to SPC5 Burgess and two of his crewmates were identified by forensic and circumstantial evidence at the crash site. To further identify remains using DNA was not possible.
On 2 July 2013 a funeral and interment with full military honors was conducted at Arlington National Cemetery for John L Burgess. Funerals for the other 2 crewmates had been held previously since their partial remains were recovered in 1970. Sole survivor John Goosman and family members of all 4 men killed in the helicopter crash attended the ceremonies. Because of the nature of the remains buried, the interment is considered a group burial.
Adoptive Mother: Louise Burgess
Adoptive Father: James Burgess
Brothers: Nicholas J. Burgess d. 1979
William Burgess of Traverse City/Kingsley.
Sister: Dora Burgess, d. 2010
John, William, and Dora were or would have been eligible to be members of Grand Traverse Band Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (re-recognized by the US government in 1980).
On 5 April 1949 John was born Larry Waukazoo, the son of Viola Waukazoo d. 1970. His natural father is unknown. One of John/Larry's great-grandfathers was Joseph Waukazoo of Co. K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters. He and many of his siblings were taken out of the home and either adopted or put into foster care. He and his brother William (still living) were adopted by the Burgesses & took their surname. He graduated from Kingsley HS in 1968 & volunteered for the US Army. He became a crew chief for a Huey Helicopter.
On 30 June 1970 his Huey was shot down on the border of South Viet Nam and Cambodia.
The marker erected in Evergreen Cemetery, Kingsley, Michigan, bearing his name is a memorial to John L. Burgess and not a grave marker as such.
---
The following was copied from the official records prior to 2012:
Name: John Lawrence Burgess
Rank/Branch: E5/US Army
Unit: Company B, 227th Aviation Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
Date of Birth: 05 April 1949 (Sutton's Bay MI)
Home City of Record: Kingsley MI
Date of Loss: 30 June 1970
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 121557N 1071051E (YU372568)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Refno: 1645
Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing)
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK in 1998.
SYNOPSIS: On June 30, 1970, SP5 John L. Burgess was the crew chief of a UH1H helicopter on a command and control mission when it was hit by enemy fire, crashed, and burned near the Cambodia/South Vietnam border in Phuoc Long
Province, South Vietnam.
The other individuals aboard the aircraft included 1Lt. Leslie F. Douglas, Jr., 1Lt. Richard Dyer, SFC Juan Colon-Diaz, and PFC Goosman. PFC Goosman, the left door gunner, was the only survivor of the crash.
PFC Goosman later stated that he pulled the aircraft commander clear of the aircraft, but because of the fire, was unable to free any of the crew members or the one passenger from the aircraft. Goosman was able to
determine that no one else had survived the crash. He remained at the scene of the crash site until friendly troops arrived to secure the aircraft wreckage. The remains of what was thought to be four crew members were placed in four body bags and evacuated.
Major Knudson, who arrived shortly after the crash, landed in a secure LZ adjacent to the crash and picked up Goosman and the 4 body bags. They were transported directly from the crash site to medical facilities located at
Camp Gorvad, Phuoc Vinh, South Vietnam. Graves Registration at Camp Gorvad forwarded the four body bags to the mortuary at Than San Nhut to undergo autopsies. At the mortuary, as identification was conducted, it was
determined that they only had 3 sets of remains rather than four. While processing the remains at the mortuary, it was discovered that one of the body bags contained portions of the upper torso and another bag contained
portions of the lower torso of the same individual. After this discovery, they were combined and positive identifications made of the three individuals, Douglas, Dyer and Colon-Diaz.
Than San Nhut Mortuary never received any remains correlating to SP5 Burgess, and it was believed that the remains of Burgess were either burned beneath the wreckage of the aircraft or incinerated in the fire which
engulfed the aircraft after it crashed. The mortuary suggested another search of the crash site area, but additional searches were not considered possible because of enemy presence in the area. When a final review of
aerial photographs was made in 1973, there was no evidence of the crashed aircraft.
SP5 John L. Burgess is maintained with honor among the missing because his remains were never found to be sent home for burial in the soil for which he fought. His family can grieve for his death.
For the families of nearly 2500 other missing Americans, grief cannot occur. They are caught in the uncertainty of not knowing. They are tantalized and tortured by nearly 10,000 reports received regarding missing Americans in
Southeast Asia. Many of the missing were alive and well the last time they were seen. Some were in radio contact with would-be rescuers. Others were seen in captivity and even photographed, only to disappear from the prison
systems.
While Burgess may not be among the hundreds of Americans thought to be still alive, one can imagine his gladly flying one more mission to help bring his
comrades home - alive.
---
Updates after 2012:
In 2012, remains corresponding to SPC5 Burgess and two of his crewmates were identified by forensic and circumstantial evidence at the crash site. To further identify remains using DNA was not possible.
On 2 July 2013 a funeral and interment with full military honors was conducted at Arlington National Cemetery for John L Burgess. Funerals for the other 2 crewmates had been held previously since their partial remains were recovered in 1970. Sole survivor John Goosman and family members of all 4 men killed in the helicopter crash attended the ceremonies. Because of the nature of the remains buried, the interment is considered a group burial.
Gravesite Details
Beloved Sons Of James & Louise Burgess -- inscription on Kingsley Memorial, which is a cenotaph.
Family Members
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