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Casualty Info
Home Town Saratoga Springs, NY
Last Address 187 Maple Ave Saratoga Springs, NY
Casualty Date Jun 18, 1945
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Other Explosive Device
Location Sea of Japan
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
Wall/Plot Coordinates Court 5 (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Prior to enlisting in the Navy, Charles Burdick served with Company L, 1st Infantry in the New York Guard. His service dates covered from 12/30/1940 to 6/11/1943. Nothing else is known about this part of his military service.
USS Bonefish (SS-223) was on a war patrol in the Sea of Japan with two other submarines. Her last communication was during a rendezvous on June 18th. Captured Japanese records indicate that a Japanese vessel was sunk on June 19th and that during an intense counterattack a submarine was sunk with all hands. It is presumed that this was the Bonefish. Motor Machinists Mate Second Class Burdick was officially declared dead 15 July 1946.
Comments/Citation:
Service number: 8094906
Submarine war patrols:
USS Puffer (SS-268) - 3rd through 5th
USS Bonefish (SS-223) - 6th through 8th
Navy Unit Commendation
For outstanding heroism in action against enemy Japanese shipping and combatant units during her Fourth War Patrol in the Celebes and Sulu Seas from April 30 to June 21, 1944. Operating in bold defiance of persistent and severe hostile counter measures, the USS Puffer daringly struck at heavily escorted Japanese convoys. Going in despite relentless opposition, she penetrated the enemy's formidable screens to press home her attacks, launching her torpedoes with devastating speed and precision to sink numerous valuable units of the Japanese Fleet. Skillfully handled by her valiant officers and men, she withstood merciless depth charges and repeatedly returned to deliver crushing blows to the enemy's vital life lines of supply. Her gallant fighting spirit and intrepid devotion to duty were exemplified in an outstanding combat record in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Navy Unit Commendation
For outstanding heroism in action during the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth War Patrols in enemy Japanese-controlled areas of the Pacific. Harassed continually and several times bombed by watchful and aggressive enemy aircraft, the USS Bonefish boldly penetrated the most forward combat areas to effect wide coverage of her assigned sectors and strike fiercely at important Japanese surface targets. Consistently ready for combat under the superb handling of her gallant officers and men, she defied heavy escort screens; she developed her contacts with determined aggressiveness and launched gunfire and torpedo attacks despite the severest hostile countermeasures to sink or damage many ships vital to the enemy's continued persecution of the war. In addition to her valiant combat achievements, the Bonefish rendered splendid lifeguard services during air strikes against hostile territory, effecting the rescue of two friendly pilots. Her outstanding record of success under the hazards and difficulties of prolonged patrols reflects the highest credit upon the Bonefish, her courageous, fighting ship's company and the United States Naval Service.
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Okinawa Gunto Operation
From Month/Year
March / 1945
To Month/Year
June / 1945
Description The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg. was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were approaching Japan, and planned to use Okinawa, a large island only 340 mi (550 km) away from mainland Japan, as a base for air operations on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland (coded Operation Downfall). Four divisions of the U.S. 10th Army (the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th) and two Marine Divisions (the 1st and 6th) fought on the island. Their invasion was supported by naval, amphibious, and tactical air forces.
The battle has been referred to as the "typhoon of steel" in English, and tetsu no ame ("rain of steel") or ("violent wind of steel") in Japanese. The nicknames refer to the ferocity of the fighting, the intensity of kamikaze attacks from the Japanese defenders, and to the sheer numbers of Allied ships and armored vehicles that assaulted the island. The battle resulted in the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Based on Okinawan government sources, mainland Japan lost 77,166 soldiers, who were either killed or committed suicide, and the Allies suffered 14,009 deaths (with an estimated total of more than 65,000 casualties of all kinds). Simultaneously, 42,000–150,000 local civilians were killed or committed suicide, a significant proportion of the local population. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki together with the Soviet invasion of Manchuria caused Japan to surrender less than two months after the end of the fighting on Okinawa.