Old Mission Veteran Burton F. Pheatt Turns 100 Years Old

(Editor’s Note: Rudy Rudolph pays homage to Burton F. Pheatt, who enlisted in the Army in 1942 at the age of 17, and will turn 100 in January 2025. Thank you, Rudy, for sharing his story with Gazette readers. -jb)

In September 1939, Germany invaded the country of Poland and World War Two started in Europe. The United States did not immediately choose sides in the conflict, but did lend material support to England.

Then, on December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, sinking multiple vessels, including the Battleship USS Arizona, and causing much loss of life. The U.S. officially declared war with Japan the very next day, December 8, 1941. Shortly thereafter, Germany declared war with the United States and we, as a nation, were totally immersed in the conflict.

As many other young men in 1942, Burton F. Pheatt, age 17, voluntarily enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was able to do this only with the concurrence of his adult parent or guardian. Burton had been born on January 7, 1925, on Leelanau Peninsula, but his mother died when he was three and his father subsequently passed when he was 7.

Life was tough in the early 1900’s. With the loss of his parents, Burton and his older brother Robert had come to live on the Old Mission Peninsula, residing with his aunt and uncle, Florence and John Arthur Kilmury.

This teenager from Old Mission took an Army aptitude test that identified his talent as a prospective pilot. He was sent to Florida State University in Gainesville, Florida for initiation into the physics and basics of powered flight. He proved his proficiency in this regard and was then posted to Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, for advanced flight training.

There he was introduced to military training aircraft like the BT-13 Valiant and the AT-11 Kansan, eventually progressing to the C-47 transport and ultimately, the B-25 Bomber. By the end of his training, Burton was one of more than 250,000 pilots trained by the Army Air Corps between 1941 and 1945.

As he was finishing his flight training, on May 7, 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered and the war in Europe was over. Suddenly there was no need for additional pilots and Burton was transferred to training as a navigator. Then in August of 1945, Japan also surrendered and World War Two came to a close. Burton, along with millions of other American young men, was released from active service shortly thereafter.

This January 7, 2025, Burton, once a young man raised on a cherry farm in Old Mission, now living in Arizona, turns 100 years old. His name, along with 64 names of other young Old Mission men, including his older brother, is listed on the World War Two memorial near Mission Point Lighthouse on the Old Mission Peninsula.

ry 2025.

Thank you for your service, Burton, and God Bless You!

-Rudy Rudolph, Former Post Commander, American Legion Post 399, Old Mission

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