John Francis Burnes


John Francis Burnes was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during World War I and one of the earliest Marine Mustangs.

Biography

He was born in Binghamton, New York, as Martin J. Maher, son of Martin C. Maher and Bridget Kelley. He grew up in Corning, New York, and in 1900 US Census is listed as working as an iron moulder in that city. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in June 1904 as John Francis Burnes.
His overseas stations include Panama, Santo Domingo, Cuba,the Philippine Islands, Nicaragua, Peking, and France. He was promoted to 1st sergeant in May 1907 and to sergeant major on 28 Sep 1916.
On December 9, 1916, in a letter signed by John A. LeJeune, Burnes was "designated to take the examination for appointment as Marine Gunner ". Burnes passed those examinations with a final average of 96.46%, and on 24 March 1917, Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels signed off on the appointment, making Burnes a Marine Mustang. Burnes was discharged from his enlistment so that he could accept the appointment as Marine Gunner.
The US entered WW1 in April 1917, and military promotions were accelerated. Burnes was commissioned as a 1stLt on 2 June 1917 and then as a Captain on 3 June 1917.
He served with the 74th Company in the 6th Regiment of the USMC in France, where his gallant service in battle was recognized posthumously by the Distinguished Service Cross. "In the attack on the Bois de Belleau June 12, 1918 he was badly wounded but completed disposition of his platoon under violent fire. The injuries which he sustained in the performance of this self-sacrificing duty later caused his death." He was also awarded the Navy Cross and a Silver Star citation.
His remains were repatriated in July 1921, and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Namesake

The destroyer was named for him.