Born: December 28, 1925
Died: February 22, 2006
Campaigns Served: Iwo Jima (wounded)
Highest Rank Attained: Private
Decorations: Purple Heart
Clifford Burnette enlisted in the Marine Corps in his late teens. He was assigned to Able Company, 24th Marines in the fall of 1944.
Private Burnette served as a rifleman during the battle of Iwo Jima, where he was wounded on February 23, 1945. He was evacuated to the USS Fremont (APA-44) for treatment, and was returned to action three days later. Burnette was evacuated a second time on March 1 for illness; his company had just been shattered in an attack on the Meat Grinder, so it is possible he was suffering from shell shock. A night off the line worked wonders, and Burnette returned to action the next day. He would survive the battle and the war without further injury.
Clifford Burnette died in Taylor, Arkansas, in 2006.
[NOTE: Civilian records spell the last name as Burnett - ed.]