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Captain Burton Brooks Witham Jr.
WWII - Korea - Vietnam
Captain Burton Brooks Witham Jr., 85, (USN Ret.) of Englewood, Fl., formerly of Virginia Beach, VA, passed away peacefully on August 7, 2008. Burt was born in Portland, Maine, the son of Burton B. and Celia A. Witham. He served in the U.S. Navy for 32 years retiring in 1973. Captain Witham was Commander of Task Force 116/Gamewardens from mid-1966 to April 1967. Burt was a 32nd degree Mason, an avid hobbyist and community volunteer. He is survived by his daughters, Mary Huddleston of Huntersville, N.C., Anne Kilpatrick of Easley, S.C.; three granddaughters and two great-granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his wife of 47 years, Caroline Milliken Witham. A memorial service will be held in Englewood, Fla., in October 2008 with family and friends.
Other Comments:
REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM BLACK BERETS AND THE BROWN WATER NAVY
Captain Burton B. Witham mandated the wearing of black berets by TF-116 personnel on 29 April 1967. There apparently were two reasons for his order. First, one of the River Patrol Force's earliest original missions was law enforcement, as an extension of the Republic of Vietnam's National Marine Police (NMP.) Secondly, the Commander of the NMP publicly presented a black police beret to Witham. COMNAVFORV did not approve Captain Witham’s initial request to adopt the beret. He later issued his directive.
OPERATION GAME WARDEN
Witham was promoted to Captain on May 1, 1966, and moved the CTF 116 staff headquarters from Saigon to a previous Vietnamese Navy base, at Binh Thuy, deep in the Mekong Delta. On May 18, 1966, he relieved Rear Admiral Ward as Commander River Patrol Force, Vietnam, at Binh Thuy, and became the first Commander of Operation Game Warden.
Captain Burt Witham was Commander of Task Force 116/Gamewardens from May 1966 to April 1967.
Chain of Command Witham was assigned as the Director of Enlisted Training at the Fleet Sonar School, Key West, FL, from October 1959 to December 1962. Then, having been promoted to commander, he became the Executive Officer, USS FRANCIS MARION (APA 249), a troop carrier, for nearly two years, from January 1963 to November 1964, and Commanding Officer, USS RUSHMORE (LSD 14), a landing ship, dock, homeported in Little Creek, VA, from November 1964 until December 1965.
