Harvey Paul Burden was born in
Quanah, Texas, on January 28, 1910, the son of Sam J. and Ruth Brown Burden. He
was graduated from Tyler (Texas) High School in 1925, and on June 15, 1926, entered
the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, on appointment as Midshipman from
his native state.
Graduated and commissioned
Ensign on June 5, 1930, he subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain to date
from July 1, 1949.
He was the 11th Commanding
Officer of the U.S.S. Tarawa, assuming those duties on 13 June 1956.
After graduation from the
Naval Academy he was assigned for a month's flight instruction to the Naval Air
Station, San Diego, California, and in August 1930 joined the U.S.S. Mississippi.
He had engineering duties as a junior officer in that battleship until June
1931, and for three months thereafter was a student at the Naval Air Station,
Pensacola, Florida.
From October 1931 to May 1934
he was on board the U.S.S. Memphis, with duties in gunnery, communications and
navigation. Then upon completing flight training at the Naval Air Station,
Pensacola, was designated Naval Aviator in June 1935.
During the period August 1935
to September 1941, he had successive duty as a pilot with Observation Squadron
3B, attached to the U.S.S. Mississippi; Scouting Squadron 42, based on the
U.S.S. Ranger; Patrol Squadrons One and Twenty-one, on the U.S.S. Langley; and
Patrol Squadron 101, based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
He returned to the United
States in October 1941, and was on duty as Officer in Charge, Seaplane
Training, at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, when the United
States entered World War II in December of that year. He remained at Corpus
Christi until June 1943.
Ordered to the U.S.S.
Enterprise, he served as that carrier's Navigator and Tactical Officer during
the latter part of the war, and for "meritorious achievement (in that
capacity) during operations against enemy Japanese forces in the Philippine
Islands Area and the Battle of Leyte Gulf from August 30, 1944 to October 25,
1944
Burden was authorized to wear
the Bronze Star Medal, with Combat "V"; Commendation Ribbon, with
Combat "V"; the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon; the Second Nicaraguan
Campaign Medal; the American Defense Service Medal; American Campaign Medal,
with Fleet Clasp; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two Silver Stars for 10
engagements; World War II Victory Medal; Navy Occupation Service Medal;
National Defense Service Medal; and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two
Bronze Stars.
The citation states that he
"rendered invaluable assistance to his commanding officer throughout the
hazardous missions of the Enterprise and materially aided his ship and air
group in successfully repelling numerous hostile air attacks and inflicting
great damage on enemy ships, aircraft and shore installations...".
Burden received a Letter of
Commendation with Ribbon and Combat "V", from the Commander Fifth
Fleet, "for meritorious conduct in the performance of his duties as
Navigator and Tactical Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise in operations against
the Japanese in the South China Sea and at Iwo Jima and Okinawa from 24
December 1944 to 13 April 1945..."
Additionally he was entitled
to the Ribbon for, and a facsimile of, the Navy Unit Commendation awarded the
U.S.S. Enterprise "for outstanding heroism in action against enemy
Japanese forces in the air, ashore and afloat in the Pacific War Area from
November 19, 1943, to May 14, 1945..."
Detached from the Enterprise in
October 1945, he reported to the Naval Air Technical Training Center, Norman,
Oklahoma, where he served for three months as Executive Officer. He was then
ordered to the Navy Department, Washington, D.C., for a tour of duty with the
Aeronautical Board, Bureau of Aeronautics.
In June 1948 he reported for
duty as Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Carrier Division One, and
after a year at sea, assumed command in July 1949 of the Naval Air Station, Birmingham,
Alabama, where he remained for two years.
He was a student at the Naval
War College, Newport, Rhode Island, from September 1951 to June 1952, when he
was designated Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Currituck (AV-7). A year later
he reported as Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander Fleet Air Wings, Atlantic,
and on November
19, 1954, was transferred (for
similar duty) to the Staff of the Chief of Military Assistance Advisory Group,
Formosa, Tsoying.
Under orders of February 6,
1956, he assumed command of the U.S.S. Tarawa (CVS-40) on 13 June. A year
later, on June 5, 1957, he was transferred to command the Naval Air Station,
Norfolk, Virginia.
Burden was a member of the
National Geographic Society, the U.S. Naval Institute, and the Birmingham, Alabama,
Aero Club. He was married to the former Evelyn Worth of Pasadena, California.
They had two children: Harvey Worth Burden, who graduated with distinction from
the U.S. Naval Academy in 1955, and David Greer Burden.
Admiral Burden retired 1
October 1959 to Chula Vista, California. He died 12 April 1999 at the Naval
Hospital in San Diego, California