John Burke

Prepared by the Witnesses of War team

John H. “Jack” Burke Jr. was born on 8 September 1925 and was a lifelong resident of Worcester, Massachusetts. During the Second World War, he served with the 387th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division, known as the “Trident Division.” He fought as a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) gunner, providing automatic fire in support of his fellow infantrymen.

After combat in Germany, Burke advanced into western Czechoslovakia during the war’s final weeks. Between 24 and 28 April 1945, he fought around Cheb, where American troops encountered determined German resistance. Decades later, he remembered firing his BAR repeatedly during the fighting and the losses suffered by his unit.

Among those killed was his friend Henry Neidert, a twenty-year-old soldier from Ohio who died on 25 April 1945. Burke continued to remember him long after returning home, preserving a personal connection to the men who did not survive the campaign. His service formed part of the 97th Infantry Division’s advance through western Bohemia, helping bring Nazi occupation to an end.

After the war, Burke devoted more than forty years to Worcester Public Schools as a teacher and principal. He and his wife, Claire, raised eight children during their 62-year marriage. John Burke died on 19 April 2026, aged 100, leaving a legacy of military service, education and devotion to his family.