Romus Burgin

Romus Valton "R.V." Burgin (August 13, 1922 – April 6, 2019)^[1] was a United States Marine and American author. As a young man, he served in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Burgin was the author of the memoir Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific (with William Marvel).

Burgin's younger brother, Joseph ("Joe" or "J.D.") Delton (March 24, 1926 – February 17, 1945) joined the United States Army, after changing his year of birth from 1926 to 1925, and was sent to Europe,^[7][8] as a member of Company "C", 274th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division ("Trailblazers").^[9][10] Joseph died in Alsace-Lorraine on February 17, 1945, when he was killed by artillery fire near the river Saar and the town of Forbach, as they moved east toward Saarbrücken on the other side of the river, as part of a push against the Siegfried Line.^[7][11][12] He is buried at the Sardis Cemetery next to his parents.^[13]

Military career

Burgin joined the

1st row	V Device				Purple Heart				Combat Action Ribbon
2nd row	Navy Presidential Unit Citation with two Service stars				Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal			American Campaign Medal
3rd row	Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three Service stars			World War II Victory Medal			Navy Occupation Service Medal

Personal life

In 1946 he began working for the

Burgin did not speak about the war, not even to his family, until he met other veterans and decided to author his book. Burgin then became a fixture at veterans events and was one of seven grand marshals in the 2015 Dallas Veterans Day Parade.[16]

Burgin died on April 6, 2019, at the age of 96 in Lancaster, Texas, and is buried next to his wife at Rawlins Cemetery.^[17]

Bibliography

• Burgin, R.V.; Marvel, William "Bill" (2010). Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific. Penguin.
  ISBN 978-0-451-22990-8
  .

• List of U.S. Marines
• List of non-fiction writers
• List of writers
• List of people from Texas
• Eugene Sledge
• Merriell Shelton

References