Lee Hayum Burns

B. 06 March 1919 – d. 28 January 2014

On 28 January 2014, the Lord called this warrior peacefully to his side after 94 years of love, joy, family, and excellence. He was born on 06 March 1919 in Kansas City Missouri to US Navy LT. Arthur Charles Burns, of Brenham, Texas and Hannah (Nan) Hayum, of Horton, Kansas. He graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco, California in 1938, where he was a top tennis player. Throughout his youth he spent much of his time with his mother and Aunt Lucille camping and hiking throughout the National Parks of the United States (Jenny Lake in Yellowstone being his favorite). He was extremely proud of being an Eagle Scout with 3 palms (Gold, Silver, and Bronze). An avid fly-fisherman, he saved the flies he hand-wrapped as a youth.

Lee Burns graduated from the University of California at Berkley, where he again excelled on the tennis team, ROTC, and the leadership of Bowles Hall. Upon graduation and commissioning as a 2LT in the Infantry, he reported to the Armor School at Fort Knox, KY, where he requested Desert Training at Camp Beale, CA, and in June of 1944 he reported for duty with the 2nd Platoon, D Company, 2nd Armored Battalion, 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division in Germany. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for Valor for leading a platoon assault through an enemy minefield to “straighten out the line” and capture Stolberg near Aachen. On the night of 18 December 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, as the Company Commander with Task Force Lovelady, while leading his company on foot into an Assembly Area, his tank hit a German mine, wounding him in both his right leg and side of his face. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and his 2nd Bronze Star Medal for actions that night.

Upon recuperation, he was tasked with the training of the first (at that time ) Negro Tank Battalion in Fort Huachuca, AZ. When leadership demanded that he certify them 2 weeks early for a press opportunity, he refused, not because of their color but because all tankers received the same amount of training and he trained only the best. To which the Colonel replied, “Burns, you will always be a LT!”. He returned to Germany in the Intelligence Corps as a Counter Intelligence Team Chief. This is where he met and married his wife of 65 years, Helen Doubensky, assigned to the British Army in Civil Affairs. On his birthday (March 6th, 1952) he was blessed with the birth of his daughter, Alexandra Lee Burns. He soon shipped his family, to include his mother-in-law, Elizabeth, to Japan during the Korean War. On September 18th, 1956, Andrew Arthur Roderick Burns was born during his final assignment at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he served as the Chief of Security until his retirement in 1962. During his 6 years at West Point, he earned his MA in International Relations and his MBA from Columbia. He also was on the Championship Tennis Team representing both West Point and the First United States Army Region.

From 1962 to 1966, he worked for the Underwood Olivette Corporation in sales management in New York City and Chicago. In 1966, he joined the International Executive Service Corps. He served from 1966 to 1981 as Director of Operations for the Republic of Korea, Greece and Cyprus, and Iran; and as Regional Director for Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, and Thailand until retiring in 1981. He and Helen retired to Annapolis, Maryland where he coached the midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy Sailing Squadron. They them moved to the Fairfax. In 1993, they were blessed with their granddaughter, Catherine Elizabeth Burns, with whom he shared his love of chess and Root Beer Floats.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Helen, their daughter Alexandra (a teacher in California) and husband Andrew Jeffrey, as well as his son Andrew (a retired Army Colonel) and his wife Elizabeth and their daughter Catherine, a junior at Kean University.