War hero from Boulder on new stamp

This undated handout image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows the four postage stamps honoring Navy veterans. Top row, from left are, William S. Sims,commander of U.S. Naval forces in European waters during World War I, and Arliegh A. Burke, a top destroyer squadron commander in World War II. Bottom row, from left are, John McCloy, one of the few men in the nation's history to earn two Medals of Honor, and Doris Miller, cited as the first black American hero of World War II. (AP Photo/US Postal Service) — This undated handout image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows the four postage stamps honoring Navy veterans. Top row, from left are, William S. Sims,commander of U.S. Naval forces in European waters during World War I, and Arliegh A. Burke, a top destroyer squadron commander in World War II. Bottom row, from left are, John McCloy, one of the few men in the nation’s history to earn two Medals of Honor, and Doris Miller, cited as the first black American hero of World War II. (AP Photo/US Postal Service)

By Joey Bunch | jbunch@denverpost.com | The Denver Post

PUBLISHED: February 4, 2010 at 10:02 AM MST | UPDATED: May 6, 2016 at 4:48 PM MDT

Getting your player ready...

Arleigh Albert Burke, the famous World War II Navy commander, left his mark on his hometown of Boulder, and now his stamp will go on America’s mail.

Burke is among four Navy heroes depicted on the stamps that went on sale today. His family attended the unveiling this morning at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to the Postal Service.

Known as “31-Knot Burke,” his crews raced to engage in combat in the Pacific. In 22 battles under his command, Squadron 23 took out one cruiser, nine destroyers, one submarine and 30 aircraft, according to the Navy.

Burke was chief of naval operations from 1955 until his retirement in 1961.

In his Colorado hometown, Burke Park at Thunderbird Lake is named after him. A memorial there includes a bronze sculpture of Burke and a 12-foot anchor from a World War II destroyer. Boulder’s Burke Elementary School bore his name until it closed in 1982.

He also is the namesake of the Arleigh Burke class of guided-missile destroyers, and each year, the Navy presents the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy to its most outstanding ship or aircraft squadron.

Others to be featured on stamps are:

Petty Officer Doris “Dorie” Miller, 1919-1943, was a cook who manned an anti-aircraft gun he had never been trained to use and fought off Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor as bombs fell around him. Miller was killed two years later when a torpedo sank his warship in the Battle of Tarawa. He was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2001 movie “Pearl Harbor.”

William S. Sims, 1858-1936, was commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe during World War I and was later president of the Naval War College. His book “The Victory at Sea” won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921.

John C. McCloy, 1876-1945, won two Medals of Honor and the Navy Cross for heroism in the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, the second during the 1914 Mexican Revolution and during World War I, respectively.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com

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