BURTON JERRY L

1LT Jerry L Burton was a potential member who died during training before going to Vietnam on 01/22/1960 at the age of 23.6
Inglefield, IN
Flight Class 60-4Q
Date of Birth 06/30/1936
Served in the U.S. Army
This information was provided by Barry Geller, Jim Messenger

More detail on this person: Mid-air collision while on cross country flight at Ft Wolters. Collided with another student, Ronald Elwell. Both were solo.I had to borrow a microfilm reader from Weatherford college, haul it to the MIneral Wells library, put a newspaper over my head to shade the light to make the film readable, but it worked.

The Mineral Wells Index Headline story on Sunday Jan 24, 1960 was the mid-air collision of two helicopters. "Killed in the crash were Capt Ronald S. Elwell, 31, of Tulasa, OK ... and 2nd Lt Jerry L. Burton, 23, of Inglefield, IN a 1958 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. The accident occurred 1:15 Friday [Jan 22 by my reckoning] 2.5 miles north of Camp Wolters on the Grady Seale Ranch."

The pilots had just taken off for a cross country flight to Abilene...NOTE that they were both solo. These were the 1st fatalities in the helicopter school which had graduated 3,000 students. Lt Eugene Fudge was the first to reach the crash site (a member according to the directory).

PHOTO CAPTION - "Death Trap - Capt Ronald S. Elwell, 31, a student at the United States Army Primary Helicopter School died in this trainging wreckage friday afternoon after his helicopter was apparently in a mid air collision with another heliopter (U.S. Army Photo)"

From: Jim Messinger

Funeral for First Lt. Jerry L. Burton, 23, who was killed in a helicopter crash near Mineral Wells, Tex., Friday, will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Boone Funeral Home. The Rev. Stanley R. Meckel will officiate.

The body will then be taken to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. for full military services at 2 p.m. Tuesday, with burial in the West Point Cemetery. Lt. Burton was a graduate of the academy in 1958.

The body will be in the local funeral home after 10 a.m. Friday.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Burton, Inglefield Road.

Pilots Are Killed As 'Copters Collide

MINERAL WELLS (UPI) - Two Army helicopters collided in the air north of Mineral Wells Friday, killing both pilots, Capt. Ronald S. Elwell, 31, of Tulsa, Okla., and Lt. Jerry L. Burton, 23, of Inglefield, Ind.

The crash occurred over desolate ranch country. Both of the H-23D helicopters fell into a dense live oak thicket, and one of them burned.

The officers were stationed at Camp Wolters, Tex., on the east side of Mineral Wells. It is the Army's primary training camp for helicopter pilots.

Elwell is survived by his wife and father, Henry S. Elwell of Tulsa. Burton's survivors include his wife and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William B. Burton of Inglefield.

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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Date posted on this site: 08/31/2024


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