In 1939 Louis F. Burleson was transferred to Kirtland Field in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was there in 1941 that he met Virginia Griffiths, who he married in September, less than 90 days before Pearl Harbor and the outbreak of WWII. His new wife, Virginia (Ginger) Griffiths was a native of Ireland, and was born on Feb 15th, 1920 in Dublin. She immigrated to the United States with her mother Geraldine to New York City in 1921. Less than a week after their wedding, Louis was promoted to Technical Sergeant and transferred to Clark Field in the Philippines where he was assigned to the 19th bomb group of the 5th Air Force as chief mechanic for the fleet on several dozen B-17 bombers. It was at Clark Field where Lou first encountered combat when he fought the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. Listening to radio reports of the destruction of Pearl Harbor, the radio announcer said that Clark Field had also been bombed. Taking the hint, the B-17s were moved to a safer area, but less then 10 minutes after the announcement a wave of more than 50 Japanese bombers devastated Clark Field, destroying more than half the U.S. air power in the Pacific theater.

As the Japanese invaded the Philippines, Louis fled to Luzon where the last holdouts prepared a stand against the Japanese invaders. After General Macarthur was order to leave Luzon, morale declined as the Americans were short on food and supplies and vastly outnumbered by the Japanese.

Clark Field, December 1941 Louis was ordered to take the last ship from Luzon, leaving his compatriots to face certain defeat. Those left behind were captured and were forced to march north though the jungle in the infamous “Bataan Death March”.Louis Burleson fled with the 5th Air Force to New Guinea, and later to Australia in early 1942.

The 19th bomb group suffered heavy losses from the daring daylight raids and they sought to undertake a new bombing method that would minimize casualties. During his time in Australia, Louis flew fifty-two combat missions as a gunner and flight engineer in the remaining B17 bombers. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross on two occasions, each time for meritorious valor in combat, and also received the Air Medal. Louis F. Burleson’s first Distinguished Flying Cross commendation reads:

LOUIS F. BURLESON, 6882468, Technical Sergeant, Headquarters Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group (H), Air Corps, United States Army. For extraordinary achievement while participating in the aerial flights in the Southwest Pacific Area from December 8, 1941 to