R.V. Burgin, a WWII Marine Corps hero, died Apr. 6 at the age of 96. Funeral services will be held today, Friday Apr. 12, near Dallas in Lancaster, Texas at the First Baptist Church at 2:00 p.m.

Romus Valton Burgin joined the marines in 1942 and served in the Pacific theater, one of the most violent parts of the war, including the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Peleliu. The horrors he witnessed were captured in his book, “Islands of the Damned: A Marine at War in the Pacific,” and the HBO series “The Pacific” produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks in 2010.

For his courage in the war, Burgin was awarded a Bronze Star.

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