WWII Vet Was to Lead Parade But Never Knew It
Madison resident Wilfred Burkitt, who received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, died last week at the age of 95.
There were plans for Wilfred Burkitt to lead the annual Memorial Day Parade in Madison this year, but the World War II veteran never knew it. Burkitt's oldest daughter, Lynn Welsch, said parade organizers told her they planned to rope him into the role at the last minute because they knew the 95-year-old Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient would have resisted the recognition. "He would have said, 'No, no, no, no, no,'" Welsch said. "He didn't know that." Burkitt died Thursday after a short illness, and Mayor Bob Conley held a moment of silence in his honor at the start of Monday's Madison Borough Council meeting. The funeral service was Monday. Burkitt was "not only a true hero and great representative of Madison, but one of the best …
Jake Remaly
2:47 pm on Friday, March 1, 2013
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