Burgett hailed from the west side of Detroit, Michigan. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of eighteen following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division as a rifleman and machine gunner. Burgett jumped into Normandy on June 5, 1944, and participated in Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and Operation Nordwind, earning three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star Medal. After the war, Burgett wrote Currahee!: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy (1967) which became a best seller. He went on to write three more popular books about his World War II experiences. The Post Office in Howell, Michigan was named in his honor. Burgett passed away in 2017. 

With permission from the Library of Congress/ Donald R. Burgett collection, Veteran's History Project

Great Lakes National Cemetery

Donald Burgett was born in Detroit, Michigan and upon turning 18 in 1943 he enlisted and volunteered for the Army Paratroops.  His first combat jump was into the Netherlands as part of the 101st Airborne.  His Second combat jump was part of Operation Market-Garden and spent 72 days behind German lines.  He next fought in the Battle of the Bulge and then went on to fight in Operation Nordwind which took the allies into the Rhineland where he eventually helped to capture Adolph Hitler’s mountain retreat.  During battles, he was wounded three times.  Following the war, he moved to Howell Michigan where he lived out his life, writing four memoirs of his time during World War II.  In 2017 the city of Howell renamed their Post Office in his honor and proclaimed June 14th as “Donald Burgett Day”

DONALD ROBERT BURGETT

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