L. M. Burney was born on August 10, 1923. He was an ambulance driver in the 575th Ambulance Motor Company during World War II. As Germans approached Malmédy during the Battle of the Bulge, American commanders decided to evacuate a nearby field hospital. His ambulance and some others that were hauling wounded soldiers to the new hospital came upon a convoy of American combat vehicles at Baugnez Crossroads and fell in with the convoy because they were headed the same direction. Germans in the 1st SS Panzer Divison surprised the convoy and took out the lead and tailing vehicles, trapping everyone in between. Germans rounded up everyone in the convoy and placed them in a field next to the road where they opened fire on them with machine guns in accordance with orders from SS commanders that no prisoners were to be taken. After finishing with the machine guns, the SS soldiers went through the field and finished off anyone who still showed signs of life with a pistol shot to the head. PFC Burney is now buried in the Oaklawn Cemetery, Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas, USA.

According to his daughter, the official government information about his death reports that, "LM Burney died Dec. 20, 1944 of wounds received Dec. 17." Although the official death date is 20 December, he likely died on 17 December or soon afterward.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com