Church History
Part 35
Although space does not permit me to relate the volume of information we have, it is an honor to work on compiling the list of church members who served in the military. With Memorial Day on May 30th, it only seems appropriate to share with my readers the results of some research that relates to two members of our church family.
Several members of The Burch family have served our country. I want to share with you some of the story of Charles Hendrix Burch. He was the brother of the late Paul O. Burch who served in the U.S. Army Air Force.
On several occasions, Paul told me that one of his brothers was lost at sea, in World War II, off the coast of South America. Charles’ sister-in -law, Evelyn Burch, told me of a memorial marker in The Mobile National Cemetery. The marker is located in Memorial Section B and site 5. Since the family, by 2010, had no written information regarding the loss of Charles, I thought that little documentation could be added. With the help of The Department of the Navy, I was certainly shown to be wrong.
Not only was the Navy able to verify that Charles served in The Merchant Marine, but they furnished me with the name of the ship on which he served and a complete crew roster. He serve on the USNS Louisiana, a Texaco-owned tanker. The amount of information that was given me is not only quite impressive but very emotional to read. This included a complete description of the battle and an exact location of the USNS Louisiana, which was lost with her entire crew. She is located at 7.4 degrees and 24 minutes North by 52 degrees and 32 minutes West. This is off the coast of Dutch Guiana. Mr. Charles Hendrix Burch is the only known MIA in the history of our church. Thanks to Mr. Jerry Bach, with the POW/MIA Activities Branch, who was a tremendous help.
Locating information about the second veteran was even more difficult. While reading a copy of a World War II newsletter from our church, I noticed a reference to a Douglas Powell. Later I noticed that, while serving in the Philippines, he had not been heard from for about six months. I wondered if he might be listed as an MIA.
The solution to this concern involved not only The Department of the Navy and The Department of State but our church secretary, Liz. Our church records indicate that he was baptized in 1936. This time would infer he was baptized at Spring Hill Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The Department of the Navy discovered that only one Douglas Powell served in the Philippines in World War II. Mr. Powell enlisted in the Navy in 1915 and served his country in both World War II and World War I. He was born October 1, 1896, and died January 7, 1947. It is a great privilege and a high honor for me to inform my readers that he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The location is Section 4 and site 2914-A. At present, he is the only known member of our church to be buried at Arlington.
Many men and women, in service to our country, have paid a greater price that one can imagine. However, some have paid the ultimate price.
Church Historian,
Charles Dupree
