Roll of Honor

Burkett, William W. , Jr.

Branch of Service: Army
Era: WWII
Location of Burial: Nashville National Cemetery
Town of Burial: Madison, TN

William Burkett, Jr., “Little Willie” despite his thin frame, was an exceptional football player for MTSU (then STC).  Joe Nunley states in his book, The Raider Forties, “if ever the Raiders had one destined for football greatness, it was William.  His magnificant timing and passing abilities were equally matched by his leadership.”  One of MT’s all-time outstanding passers, Bill Burkett led the nation’s collegiate footballers in passing accuracy in 1941. Co-captain of MT’s 1942 team, he and his brothers Bob and Wilburn of Watertown were key performers for the Blue Raiders in the years leading up to World War II. MTSU had no football team from 1943-1945.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and did his basic infantry training at Camp Robinson. He later became an instructor of recruits at Camp Blanding, Florida. He went overseas as a replacement sergeant in the Ninth Infantry of the Second Infantry and landed in France on June 7, 1944. A German sniper killed Sargeant “Little Wille” as he attempted to lead his squad through a hedgerow near Brest, France, on August 28, 1944, as a member of the 2nd Infantry Division. He earned a Purple Heart. The three brothers are buried at the Nashville National Cemetery Madison, Davidson County, Tennessee.

 

See a service overview at https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=523856.

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