Ol'Harry

WW II VETERAN, LAWMAN, GENTLEMAN

Even though former Guilford County Sheriff Walter A. “Sticky” Burch and I have attended John Willett’s Bible Study Group together for years, he has always spurned the invite to share his World War II experiences. 

That changed abruptly when shown a February 19, 1943 photo of him leaving Greensboro for aviation cadet training in Miami, Florida.  The photo was provided by Lieutenant Colonel Frank Montgomery, USAF (Retired), who was written about in these pages on June 3, 2017. 

74-YEAR OLD PHOTO RELEASES LIFETIME OF MEMORIES
LT COL FRANK MONTGOMERY USAF (RET) (CENTER KNEELING)
LONGTIME LAWMAN STICKY BURCH (2ND FROM LEFT STANDING)

That photo and the reunion between Montgomery and Burch spawned 74 years of memories -- they flowed much faster than I could write.

Burch has almost 99 years of Greensboro connections, but claims he was born in Asheville.  By accident.  “My mother was visiting there when I was born.”

He attended Asheboro Street and Gillespie Park schools before graduating from Greensboro High School in 1938, where he lettered in wrestling, track and football.  “My father died when I was 15, but Football Coach Bob Jamieson was like a father to me.

It is an urban legend that Coach Jamieson gave me the nickname that stuck with me more than my birth name.  I played end on the football team for three years.  You can be assured, Coach Jamieson was never convinced I could catch footballs like I had ‘sticky’ fingers.  Anyhow, the name stuck.”

Burch was several years older than the typical aviation cadet.  “I went to Presbyterian College on a football scholarship but probably did more in track.  I ran the 100 and 200 yard dash and anchored the 440 relay.  One day, I ran all three events against Clemson.  We won, but that was the toughest day of my life!” 

After one year in college and one year with the Greensboro Police Department, Burch answered the call to serve his country.

“I was a gung-ho aviation cadet in preliminary flight training in Miami.  My next stop was Middle Georgia State College in Cochran, Georgia, then to Nashville, Tennessee for classification.  My first actual flight training was at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida.

Flying was fun – I loved the PT-17 Stearman we trained in and did very well during take-offs and in-flight, but not so well with landings.  Two out of three wasn’t good enough.  I was shipped out for photo reconnaissance training.    Washing out was especially embarrassing inasmuch as the Stearman had the reputation of almost landing itself!”

Burch vividly recollects, “I cried like a baby after washing out of pilot’s training.”

Even though someone else did the piloting, Burch arrived in the European Theater in time to fly combat photo reconnaissance missions before V-E Day.  “It was just the pilot and me.  We typically flew at about 10,000 feet and photographed potential targets for the next day’s bomb runs.  Our small aircraft had guns but we weren’t sure they worked.  German fighter planes got after us occasionally, but we dodged more mountains than enemy bullets.” 

MONTGOMERY AND BURCH "CATCHING UP" AFTER 74 YEARS
SEVERAL MCDONALD'S CUSTOMERS "CAUGHT UP" WITH THEM

Burch returned to the Greensboro Police Department after the war and retired with 40 years’ service – he was Assistant Chief of Police at the time of his retirement.  Tack on two terms as sheriff for a total of 48 years in law enforcement.

“I was happily retired when asked to run for sheriff.  My wife did not want me to run, and was the happiest girl in town when B. J. Barnes ‘retired me’ the third time I ran.”

Mary Jones Burch passed away in 2011 after 65 years of marriage.  The Burches had twin girls and a son, seven grands, and six great-grandchildren.

He had an answer reminiscent of Secretary of Defense James Mattis when asked if dealing with bad guys for almost half a century upset him, “Not at all, but I upset a few of them.”

Burch remains philosophical about his longevity, “It’s easy to look back over nine decades and see that the good Lord had a plan for me all along – I thank Him every day for how He has blessed me!”

A long-time member of the Congregational United Church of Christ, Burch is a member of the Oriental Shrine Club and the Greensboro Rotary Club.

MONTGOMERY, BURCH & THETFORD ENJOY CRACKER BARREL MOMENT 2017
(BURCH RECOVERING FROM SKIN CANCER SURGERY)

On September 8, 2017, High Point’s Frank Montgomery will be 94.  On October 21, 2017, Greensboro’s Sticky Burch will be 99.  Two fortunate towns to be called home by two American Patriots.