John Richard “Jack” Burden was born at home in the tiny village of Fitchville, OH on June 6, 1938 to Grace Rose and Venerd Alfred Burden. He was welcomed by his sister Connie and brother, Fred. Jack had few memories of life in Fitchville as the family moved to Cleveland, OH after a few years. After World War II, they moved to Wapakoneta, OH to be close to family and for his father to once again be in the family sawmill business. Jack’s youngest sister, Mary Lynne, arrived soon after.

Jack attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School through high school and always considered Wapakoneta his hometown. Jack developed a strong work ethic and a love of aviation. His “Quest to Fly” started at a young age. When the time came to decide on furthering his education, he looked towards the service academies as a path to pursuing his dream of becoming an aviator. The Navy and Air Force seemed like the logical choices for aviation; but, while he qualified for both, he did not receive an appointment to either. After graduating high school in June 1956, he visited West Point, went through more testing, and knew that was where he wanted to be. He took the train to Washington, DC and had an interview with his congressman. On June 29, 1956, Jack received a telegram from the Department of the Army authorizing him to report to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on July 3, 1956 to enter with the Class of 1960. By the end of that day, he was officially a proud member of the Corps of Cadets. After Beast Barracks, Jack was assigned to Company K-1. He remained with K-1 until graduation, making lifelong friends. He successfully worked hard to catch up academically after attending a small high school. Jack was on the Pistol Team all four years and served as team manager the last two, earning a Minor “A.” While a Catholic acolyte he was honored to serve for Cardinal Spellman at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Jack was also a member of the Newman Forum, Debate Council, and Camera Club. In the fall of plebe year, Jack met Jean Heelan on a blind date. That was the beginning of their life together. They married 24 hours after graduation and were always close in heart though duty required long separations.

After the Artillery Officer Basic Course, Jack went to Airborne School, followed by assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division. His daughter Ellen was born at Fort Bragg, NC. The next step in his “Quest to Fly” was fixed-wing flight school. Immediately after graduating, he was assigned to 73rd Aviation Company and left for Vietnam. He chose the course of his aviation career: fixed-wing, rotary-wing, Navy Test Pilot School, and a change to the Armor branch. His son, John, was born during the Artillery Officer Career Course, and daughter Molly was born during test pilot school.

Jack served two tours in Vietnam as an Army aviator and is a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and Naval Test Pilot School. Among his many assignments while on active duty, he served as an experimental test pilot for the Army at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. His final troop assignment was as commander of the 4th Squadron, 7th Air Cavalry in Korea. His last tour of duty was in the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. He retired as an Master Army Aviator with awards including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Medal (37 oak leaf clusters).

Following retirement from the military in 1980, he held several positions with civilian contractors. Jack retired from civilian employment and moved to Lovettsville, VA in 2008, where he served on the Lovettsville Planning Commission and then on the Town Council until 2014. Jack played an integral part in Americanism for the Town of Lovettsville, helping to bring the Veterans Memorial to fruition and planning Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies for years. Jack also led members of the community in placing American flags on veteran graves in Lovettsville Union Cemetery each year. He was a silent contributor to many American Legion programs, including the Virginia Boys State program. Prior to Lovettsville American Legion Post 1836, Jack was a lifetime member of Post 293 in Purcellville, VA. He was dedicated to the four pillars of the American Legion and was honored as the 2019 Lovettsville American Legion Post 1836 Legionnaire of the Year.

He was an active member of the Heritage Highlands Homeowners Association and served on the Board of Trustees for Lovettsville Union Cemetery. Jack also served on the building committee for the St. Francis de Sales Education Center.

Jack finished writing his memoir, “Stories of My Life,” as his legacy for many generations of his family. Throughout his life he always strove to live up to his personal goals: “Make Quality a Habit, Lead by Example, Be Considerate.” 

Jack’s strong Catholic faith sustained him through many difficult times both professionally and personally as he battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for 24 years. Jack was very devoted to his family and friends and took great pride in all their accomplishments. He and Jean were blessed with 16 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Having fought his last battle and flown his final flight, he died at home with his children and the love of his life for more than sixty-six years, Jean, at his side.

Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.

— Jean and Children: Ellen, John, Molly