By Ronnie & Cammie Fulk
United States Marine Killed in Fulks Run Fighter Plane Crash
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days of your life is the day you were born and the day you find out why.” I believe with this story I may have found out the why to my life.
Sunday, September 10th ,1950 started as any other Sunday, but it certainly didn’t end that way. It was about 12: 40 PM when 16-year-old Matthew Dove had just left church and was headed to a friend’s house located on 259 beside where the car lot once was. When he arrived, he noticed a plane flying very low. Just moments before five-year-old Weldon “Chuck” Hinkle, playing behind his house on Third Hill Road, had spotted the plane flying so low. As the plane flew over, he could see the pilot’s face so clearly it is a memory he still can see in his mind today. Another witness, Homer Estep said it circled the area, and he could hear the engine cutting on and off and see what appeared to him was the engine on fire. Now as the plane passed again, past where Matthew Dove was watching, it headed west toward a small ridge called Pine Ridge. As the plane attempted to cross Pine Ridge, it was too low and clipped the tops off the trees which sheared a wing from the plane. A moment later, as it disappeared behind the ridge, the sound of a crash and plumes of smoke bellowed into the sky. Matthew jumped into his car and drove to his home that was within half a mile of the crash site. Already his brother-in-law Warren Cullers and 13-year-old brother Donnie Dove who had also seen the plane go down, had left to go to the crash site. Matthew also ran to the crash site with hopes that maybe someone was still alive. When he arrived, the plane was in flames and as the flames died down, they knew it was impossible for the pilot to have survived. Now a hundred questions to be answered
The plane was a World War II F4U Corsair Fighter Plane. There were over 12,000 of these planes produced for the US and their allies. It was a well proved fighter, with a kill ratio of 11.3 to 1. Records show that over 2140 enemy planes were shot down compared to 189 Corsairs lost.
Several hours later, rescue workers arrived and removed the pilot’s burned body, but who was he?
The plane left Cherry Point, NC, enroute to Chicago, IL, along with his partner Captain F. C. Kelly who was flying another plane. The pilot was First Lieutenant Virgil E Burkey, a 28-year-old Marine Pilot from Zion, IL. He was a decorated veteran and saw combat in the Pacific against the Japanese Zeros in fierce fighting.
Yes, he was a son, a husband and more sadly a father of a two-year-old little girl who was waiting for her dad to return home, but she would never feel his loving embrace again.
A story is like a jigsaw puzzle, the more pieces you can put together the better picture you have. As I spoke to witnesses and researched, I came up with some conflicting reports. Some say the weather was low clouds and foggy mountains. Others say it was a clearer day. Some say the pilot had made it as far as Mathias WV, but low fuel or engine problems caused him to return to the valley to try and make it to Hartman’s Airfield in Harrisonburg Va. This is behind where Red Front Supermarket Building is today. But that will be another story. His partner Captain Kelly landed at Harrisonburg Airfield but was unaware that 1st Lt Burkey had crashed.
The next day the site was a beehive of activity as military personnel were gathering up the plane engine and other large parts. Strangely, before the military arrived, someone took one of the machine guns that had been mounted on the plane. The Government placed notices that the gun must be returned, or anyone found with this weapon would be fully prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But it seems like no one knows if it was ever recovered.
When I found out about this event, I had asked Chuck Hinkle about another plane crash. He said he didn’t remember that one but remembered this one well.
I was born and raised not over a half of a mile from this crash, and grew up in the store and to the best of my knowledge I cannot ever remember anyone mentioning this event. When I heard about it, I knew this story had to be told, for if not in a few years it will be forgotten.
Next, what about the family? Could Lt Burkey’s wife still be alive, or how about his daughter who was two at the time of the crash? It is now that I must give Cammie a huge thank you for her efforts in making this story happen. Remember, she started to track a 75-year-old cold trail. I tried the Post Office in that area with no answer, but she called the Zion-Benton Public Library in Zion IL. A very helpful young lady said she would look it up in the microfiche and asked that we call back in a couple days. On the next call Ms. James, the librarian, was on vacation, so a few days later Cammie was able to contact her, and Ms. James sent us two obituaries for Lt. Burkey. In one of these, Cammie found the Lieutenant’s daughter’s name, Andrea Lynn
Of course, the daughter had married by this time, and she had a different last name. But one unusual situation made it somewhat easier. Lt. Burkey’s widow had remarried. But she was still a Burkey. Because of this tragedy, Lt Burkey’s brother was helping the family, and he fell in love with his brother’s widow and they married. By the time we learned, his wife had passed but we now focused on the daughter. Social media and many phone calls, Cammie asked the same question, “Is this the home of Andrea Burkey whose father was killed in a plane crash in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia?” And each the same answer, “No I’m sorry I can’t help you,” so she would try another number. I remember one evening she came into my room where I was watching tv. She sat on the corner of my bed and told me, “Say a prayer. I’m making another call, but I feel good about this one.” As the phone rang, we both prayed and then an answering machine picked up, “Hello. You’ve reached the home of Neal and Lynn Harrison…” Cammie left this message, “Hello, my name is Cammie Fulk, from Fulks Run, VA. I am trying to contact Andrea Burkey, the daughter of Lt. Virgil Burkey. Please call me at….” Later that evening Cammie’s cell phone rang. She exclaimed, “Maybe it’s her!” When she answered a voice said “Hello, this is Lynn Burkey Harrison returning your call.”
“Excuse me but are you the daughter of 1st Lt Virgil Burkey whose plane crashed in the Shenandoah Valley in 1950. Are you his daughter Andrea Lynn?” There was silence and then compare it to when you are watching a TV crime show and you are waiting for the jury to give their verdict. And the answer we heard brought a lump into our throats and tears to Cammie’s eyes, “Yes, Yes I am, and who is this?”
“We live in Fulks Run, Virginia, where your father lost his life.” And then questions started to come.
We learned that in the early 1980’s Andrea (who is known as Lynn), her mother and several members of her family had visited Fulks Run in hopes of finding the area that her father was killed, but the best results of their visit were when the people she spoke to didn’t know or just pointed in a westwardly direction and told the family somewhere in that direction. As I said earlier when researching, I spoke to a long time Fulks Run resident, and he told me that some years after the crash some military members had brought a memorial to the crash site. The memorial was the actual propellor of Lt Burkey’s Corsair plane with the his name and information inscribed into the propeller. He then added, if I wanted, he could get permission, and he could take me to the actual site where the memorial now stands. If I wanted to?! Absolutely, I want to!! and on a fall day in 2024 I was able go to the place where an American Airman lost his life in service to his country. I stood in silence for I stood on hallowed ground. I stood and reflected on what it must have been like that day, but in my mind, I could only guess if that 1st Lt Burkey had his choice, he would have chosen this scenic spot compared to an angry dark ocean for his services to his country to end. What was even more unbelievable to me is I still stood in a debris field, for small parts of the plane were still littered on the ground.
We then shared that we knew the exact spot where her father crashed. She was so excited and asked if it would be possible for her and her family to come visit. We could not speak for the landowners, but we would inquire. After making the contacts I want my readers to know that arrangements are being made for Lynn and her children to visit the site. Oh, by the way, Cammie found now 77-year-old Andrea Lynn Burkey Harrison is living in Lodi, Wisconsin with her husband and family.
But the story does not quite end here, several months after I became aware of the crash, I notified Dewey Ritchie who as we all know is our Board of Supervisors and asked if he was aware that a Military plane had crashed in Fulks Run. He had no idea so at that time he started the process that in their September 2025 meeting exactly 75 years to the month of the crash, the board will take time in their meeting to remember and have a memorial for 1st Lt Burkey. As of this writing, this is a work in progress, but Andrea Lynn is planning on attending, think of this! I will also share more details with my readers as they become known.
There are so many people I need to thank some names are mentioned others not, I thank Cammie for giving up her column this month so that an all but forgotten tragedy can be brought to new life to remember. My last thoughts are that I want to contact the school board to see if it’s possible that Broadway High School could schedule a brief lesson in History Class on September 10th that 75 years ago a Corsair Fighter Plane crashed into a ridge in Fulks Run and the pilot was killed.
This year Memorial Day falls on May 26th, pause and remember the 1000’s like 1st Lt Vergil L Burkey that gave their lives in Military Service, so we live our life in freedom.
Years ago, I heard of a military cemetery in England that had an inscription at the entrance, those that lie within these gates gave their today so we could have our tomorrow.
This article can also be seen online at Chimneyrockchronicle.com under the Fulks Run Follies Column.
If anyone has any comments or feedback email me at FulksRunFollies@gmail.com
Believe It or Not
Until Next Time
Ronnie
