1st. Lt Vergil Burkey The Rest of the Story Final Chapter
November is here, and I’ll start with the Jingle… “You’ll wonder where the…. Yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent” Wasn’t that easy!
This was an advertising slogan used from the late 40’s to the 60’s. The jingle contributed to the success of the toothpaste because it instilled into the buyer’s mind that Pepsodent would whiten teeth, and it became the best-selling toothpaste of its time. This month’s jingle came from an email of a faithful reader; I didn’t remember these. They were road signs, and one went like this …” No lady likes to snuggle or dine accompanied by…….” finish this and you re number one!
Now for the important part of the story. Those that remember the May issue will remember 1st Lt Virgil Burkey, and a lot has happened since that story was published. September the ninth and tenth felt as if I was in a movie… it could not be real. History came alive for me. I first want to tell you that in your life there will be a moment that happens that will change your life forever. Over one year ago I stood on the steps of our church. I casually asked Chuck Hinkle if he remembered the plane that almost hit the Fulks Run School. He answered no, but he remembered the one that crashed in Stoney Run. Now if Chuck had just said no and walked in the church it would have been just another Sunday, but his answer changed Cammie’s and my life over the last 12 months, and even more. It was that moment that changed our lives forever.
It was September 9th, 2025, when the Burkey Family, Andrea, Neal, and Dana arrived in the valley. They drove from Wisconsin and went into Harrisonburg to register for a room at a Bed & Breakfast. After securing a room they drove to meet Cammie and me at the home of Matthew Dove in the Mauzy area. We had never met, but over the months in text and calls we had become best friends. Hugs were given and introductions were made to Dennis and Chip Dove, Matthew’s sons, and into the home we went. What a special moment talking to the man that was one of the first on the crash scene. He described that the flames were too hot to see if the pilot was still in the plane, so they searched the surrounding woods hoping he had ejected. But as the flames died down, they saw that he never made it out. As the minutes passed more people arrived at the site, and the next day Military officials flew into Hartman’s airfield on a C-47 airplane which brought a group of onlookers, for this was a rather large plane for the airfield. Of course, when arriving they took control of the site, and the investigation began.
I had mentioned there were stories that the plane had made it as far Northwest as Mathias, and this was confirmed. When leaving the Dove residence, we went to talk to Mrs. Anna Belle Vance in Mathias. As a 15-year-old girl she watched this plane land in her family’s pasture field. Her biggest memory was as the pilot approached her front porch she was fascinated by his Aviator Boots. He inquired where he might find some fuel, and she pointed him in the direction of the See’s Service station. That is all the information she could provide, for she returned to the house and never heard him fly away. This now brought him back to Fulks Run. After leaving Mrs. Vance’s home, it was getting late, and we finished the day with a delicious meal at the Gobbler Grill.
Now next day September 10th, 9:30 AM. As close as possible based on our research, we followed the track that Lt Burkey flew after returning from West Virginia. From each eyewitness’s location, we shared with her the eyewitness accounts and what they saw up to the time of the crash.
Around 11:15 AM, we arrived at the Fulks Run Elementary for Beau Dickenson from the Rockingham County Schools Central Office had arranged that Fulks Run Elementary would have a special history class to educate the pupils about the event where a Marine Pilot lost his life in Fulks Run, and to make it even more special the daughter Lynn Burkey Harrison had the opportunity to sit with the class as they surrounded her and ask questions and view the dress military clothing of her dad she had brought. She shared with them the story of how her mother, Nettie, would take her to visit her father’s parents, her grandparents on their farm. Her father’s brother, her Uncle Jerry lived and worked on the farm to help his parents. It was during those visits that her mother and Jerry fell in love, and they were married when she was six years old. For the longest time she called him her Uncle Jerry Daddy, but she eventually just called him Daddy. They listened so intently it seemed unbelievable.
At 12:10 PM we rushed off to meet two gentlemen that were waiting to take Lynn to the crash site. After a bumpy ride into the woods, we pulled into an area that had a special memorial in it. It was the propellor of the F4u Corsair that her father had crashed along with the inscription of all the information about that fateful day. As I watched her and the family hug that memorial with the tears in her eyes, I didn’t see an adult but a young child that had finally, after several attempts to find this site finally stood in the spot she’d been seeking for years. We were in no hurry as we paused for a prayer and a moment of silence. There were no sounds to be heard, just unbelievable quiet. Before leaving the site, the family picked up debris from the plane crash to take back home with them.
After returning from the mountain plans were made to eat supper and then meet at the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors Meeting. Upon arriving at the County Office Building many pictures were displayed on a table, along with his jacket and his medals. There was a good attendance from people in the community and when the time came for our presentation, those that wanted, told of their remembrance of that day. The Board then passed a resolution in memory of 1st Lt Virgil Burkey and presented an American Flag to the family. Also presented to the family was a Rockingham County Flag that was sealed in a wooden case that was custom made from the wood of a barn that Lynn’s father flew over just seconds before he crashed. Then the family along with the Board went outside to take a group photograph in remembrance of the occasion.
Then came an unexpected announcement that I was made aware of right before the presentation. We had notified two local radio stations of the event and during the noon time hour while we were at the crash site local WBTX and WSVA both made announcements about the Board meeting where Lt Burkey would be remembered. While the announcement was being made on WBTX, two Fulks Run residents heard the announcement, and it just so happened that their father/grandfather had visited the crash site shortly after it happened and had brought the actual nose cone of the plane to his home. With this announcement they shared that they had this nose cone on their pickup truck and were presenting it to the family. What an awesome gift, unbelievable.
September 11th, after a very busy two days the family with their plane parts, many photos and memories headed back to Wisconsin. They were so excited to get back home and show and share with their friends and family they drove straight home.
Now the one thing mentioned previously about machine guns being taken was true. Conflicting stories existed, but it was told that someone saw the person or persons take the gun and men in suits visited a home in West Virginia, and when arriving they informed the family unless they wanted to spend a lot of time where the sun didn’t shine those guns needed to be returned. It was rumored they were on Dry River, but wherever they were in a few days they were returned.
Now for the amazing part, this all happened through prayer and the Lord helping these pieces come together. The Board of Supervisors meeting dates are decided one year in advance. This meeting was held exactly 75 years to the DAY of the crash. The Elementary School children met with Lynn 75 years to the Day. The family visited the crash site 75 years to the HOUR. A person cannot do this without God’s help. The community of Fulks Run has made new friends. The family could not believe how friendly and nice the Board was to them. But what a tremendous blessing it was to Cammie and me to help bring a little more closure for the family. I want to end my story as it began.
In the wee hours of the morning in Cherry Hill North Carolina a young mother was awakened by knocks on the door. When she answered the door, she turned on the porch light, there were three military officials standing on her front porch. She instantly knew something terrible had happened, for you see she was a young wife of a 28-year-old United States Marine pilot. The officials informed her that her husband, 1st. Lt Virgil Burkey on September 10th, 1950, was killed in a crash somewhere in the Northwestern part of Virginia. When they left, she went into the bedroom of her small daughter, and as she picked her up and held her tightly in her arms, she whispered, “Sweetheart, Daddy’s not ever coming home. Daddy’s not ever coming home.” She carried her 20-month-old little girl to her rocking chair and sat and hugged her and wept till morning.
Believe it or not
Until next time
Ronnie and Cammie
Lyn, Neil, and their daughter Dana at the site
Lyn used the cone and debris from the site as a memorial to her father just outside her window so she can view it at the start of each day
Lyn when her father died
Lyn shares the keepsake book her mother Nettie made
