Tony Kenneth Burris (May 30, 1929 – October 9, 1951) was a Choctaw soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' ...

ly received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his actions on October 8–9, 1951, during the

Battle of Heartbreak Ridge The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge (; french: Bataille de Crèvecœur), also known as the Battle of Wendengli (), was a month-long battle in the Korean War which took place between September 13th and October 15th, 1951. After withdrawing from Blood ...

. He is buried in Blanchard Cemetery,

Blanchard, Oklahoma Blanchard is a city in McClain and Grady counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 7,670 at the 2010 census, up from 2,816 at the 2000 census. Blanchard is part of a rapidly growing area of northern McClain and Grady counties kn ...

. His grave can be found at GPS (lat/lon): 35.1591, -97.65226.

Awards and decorations

Burris's awards include:

Medal of Honor citation

Citation:

Sfc. Burris, a member of Company L, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty. On 8 October, when his company encountered intense fire from an entrenched hostile force, Sfc. Burris charged forward alone, throwing grenades into the position and destroying approximately 15 of the enemy. On the following day, spearheading a renewed assault on enemy positions on the next ridge, he was wounded by machine gun fire but continued the assault, reaching the crest of the ridge ahead of his unit and sustaining a second wound. Calling for a 57mm. recoilless rifle team, he deliberately exposed himself to draw hostile fire and reveal the enemy position. The enemy machine gun emplacement was destroyed. The company then moved forward and prepared to assault other positions on the ridge line. Sfc. Burris, refusing evacuation and submitting only to emergency treatment, joined the unit in its renewed attack but fire from hostile emplacement halted the advance. Sfc. Burris rose to his feet, charged forward and destroyed the first emplacement with its heavy machine gun and crew of 6 men. Moving out to the next emplacement, and throwing his last grenade which destroyed this position, he fell mortally wounded by enemy fire. Inspired by his consummate gallantry, his comrades renewed a spirited assault which overran enemy positions and secured Hill 605, a strategic position in the battle for "
Heartbreak Ridge ''Heartbreak Ridge'' is a 1986 American war film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, who also starred in the film. The film also co-stars Marsha Mason, Everett McGill, and Mario Van Peebles, and was released in the United States on Decembe ...
", Sfc. Burris' indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding heroism, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest glory upon himself, the infantry and the U.S. Army.

References

: * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burris, Tony K. 1929 births 1951 deaths Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma people People from Blanchard, Oklahoma United States Army non-commissioned officers American military personnel killed in the Korean War United States Army Medal of Honor recipients Korean War recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army personnel of the Korean War Native American United States military personnel

Awards and decorations

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References