I received an email about the passing of Charles D. Burks. I didn't recognize the name, but out of respect, I usually read these when I receive them.  When I read all of the things this man had accomplished I was beyond impressed. Here is a bit from his obituary:

"January 19, 1922 - June 19, 2017

Charles D. “Charlie” Burks, 95, of Logansport, passed away at 2:17 p.m. Monday, June 19, 2017, in St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis following complications from a broken hip.

Born January 19, 1922 in Monon, Indiana. He was the son of the late Elmer and Estella Fulmer Burks.

On August 16, 1945 in Bisbee, Arizona he married Betty (Smith) Burks, who survives.

In 1940,along with Betty’s brother, Charlie joined the U.S. Army Air Corps . He served as a B-17 bomber pilot in Europe. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Army during World War II when his plane was shot down in 1944 over Brussels, Belgium. Charles always said he made one more take off than landing. He was captured by the Nazis while serving in Germany, and was sent to Stalag Luft 3 near Sagan, Germany where 6,667 other American POWs were held. Charles was imprisoned for at least 381 days. He escaped in February 1945 with two other pilots. It took them 37 days to get back to the American lines. The three pilots had very little contact with civilians in Germany, but would stop at farm houses to get food.  The three pilots lived on potatoes that farmers had left in the fields and covered with straw. Charlie recalled in an interview once, “There were times we didn’t eat for several days. I love potatoes, they saved my life.”

After the war, Charlie worked with the Logansport Police Department for five years before becoming a U.S. Marshal. He worked in various places including northern Indiana and eastern Illinois. He was later assigned to the U.S. Marshals office in New Orleans where the family lived for 15 years.. It was during the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1960 when Charlie was one of several U.S. Marshals who escorted Ruby Bridges, the first black child to attend the previously segregated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana.  This image was immortalized in the famous Norman Rockwell painting, “The Problem We All Live With.” Charlie also participated in the integrations of the University of Mississippi and universities in both Alabama and Georgia.

In 1988, after 20 years of service, Charlie retired from his law enforcement career and returned to Logansport.

In 2008, Charlie was presented with the "Spirit of Justice" award - the highest honor given by the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. In 2013, Ruby Bridges was reunited with Charlie at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which was filming the pair for its permanent exhibit called “The Power of Children.”

TLDR: They don't make 'em like Charles Burks anymore. The guy was a B-17 pilot in WWII, shot down and captured. Was a POW for a year, then escaped and made it back to American lines. Became a police officer, then a Deputy U.S. Marshal. Was in the iconic pictures and Rockwell painting when he protected little Ruby Bridges in New Orleans when the schools were desegregated. The guy packed a lot of living into his 95 years.

RIP Mr. Burks, you've earned.

RIP American Hero

Thanks for posting this OP.

RIP Charlie!

A life well lived.

I bet he "lived" more than most people

Posting this from his hometown of Logansport tonight.

Wish I had met the man; will keep an eye out for any local articles and attach later.

Amazing and sad to know that heros like that can live amongst you in a town of less than 20K and you never even know it.

RIP Sir.  Thank you for your service.

You lived a good one.  

There was good men then. There are still good men today doing good things.

They be few in numbers in both era's. Not intending to say that he wasn't a great man. He is a wonderful example of a great man and his honorable life is a lesson for all.

Thank you Marshal Burk and may you RIP.

I'm guessing that means he was most likely a humble man as well. I left off the family stuff from the obituary, might want to look it up and see if you know any of his relatives.

RIP Sir. Quite a life.

God bless you, Sir, and thank you for all you did for your family and our country.

Thank you for posting this!

I thought we don't like war heroes who were captured...?

I never met a WWII veteran who didn't impress me as a good man.  They saw things no man should see and died for people they would never know.  Watching The Death Railway on Smithsonian right now makes me want to say some things that would get me a time out or worse.

Great post, OP.  Thanks!

RIP, you've earned it, sir.

God bless that man and his family.

OP, thank you for sharing.

RIP sir!