Brothers in arms watched each other's backs 

NOLENSVILLE 11/06/2009 — The U.S. Army didn't give them a choice, but John G. and Robert Burns said they would have preferred not to go to war together.

"I wouldn't recommend it," John Burns said. "You've got to worry about your own life and your brother's. You had another person to look out for."

But Robert Burns, 83, said there was a benefit to being in combat with his twin: "You had someone else looking out for you."

Fraternal twins, the Burns boys were drafted into the Army weeks after graduating from Father Ryan High School in 1944, a year before World War II ended. Their older brothers were already involved in the war, one stationed in the South Pacific while the other was in Alaska. Robert and John were 18 when they went through basic training and boarded the Queen Elizabeth, a cruise ship turned military transport vessel.

"The tension was awful high," John Burns said. "There was a fight just about every day on that boat. People were awful hyped up."

After seven days at sea, the brothers landed in Scotland, crossed the English Channel on a tank-landing ship and eventually boarded a train bound for Aachen, Germany. They rode in boxcars and slept on straw-covered floors before arriving at their destination.

"There was nothing but walls, and everything was torn to pieces," Robert said.

"We stayed there maybe three days and you could hear artillery guns going off all the time," John said.

"The bomb blasts shook the ground around you," Robert said.

Combat was nerve-wracking

The Burns went to Belgium and were assigned to Company C in the 83rd Division. They were given a bazooka and a .45-caliber pistol with a cache of shells. One carried the bazooka while the other carried the pistol and the shells. They got their first taste of combat near the border between Holland and Germany, where the Germans had built a damn on the Ruhr River.

"That's where we came under fire for the first time," John Burns said. "We were pinned down in this orchard. We couldn't move. It was scary. These bullets were flying through the apple trees."

They spent most of the night in the orchard then moved into a nearby town the Germans had abandoned. The Burns said most of their encounters with German soldiers were brief, lasting only a few minutes. They spent more time accepting the surrender of German soldiers than they did shooting at them.

"Once, we came up on a troop of Germans and spotted a white-flag waver," Robert said. "No one else would go, so I went over to them myself. There was 20 of them and they asked for cigarettes. They were worn out, with nothing to eat."

John said he saw lines of German soldiers stretching for what seemed like miles. He said the Germans loved American cigarettes and chocolates.

Among the Burns brothers' most tense moments was the time they were trying to cross a moonlit field while going into Dusseldorf.

"We got almost to the road when we heard a real loud noise," John said. "These Germans had a half-track with an 88 mm gun and stopped right where we were. We didn't know whether to open up on them or stay still."

They remained hidden, even when the half-track (an armored vehicle with wheels in the front and tracks in the back) pulled off the road and came close to their position. Then the brothers and the rest of their unit opened fire, killing one German. John said two other soldiers in the half-track surrendered.

All four sons were at war

Jan Molteni, John's oldest daughter, said her grandmother used to tell her how quiet their house was with all four of their boys at war.

"She and my grandfather did a lot of praying," Molteni said. "They looked forward to the letters they got from the boys and had fun figuring out where they were."

John said their letters were censored by the Army, which didn't allow soldiers to name the cities they were in.

"We would make up clues to let them know where we were going or where we'd been," John said.

Approaching the summer of 1945, the brothers were told they'd be sent to Japan, but the war soon came to an end.

"I'll tell you, war will make a man out of you," John said.

The Burns boys were 19 when they returned to Tennessee. Their parents gave them money to start a dairy farm. They bought land in Triune, on Patton Road, where they milked cows for 55 years. They created a club for rabbit hunters called the Sure Shot Rabbit Hunters Club. They got out of the "cow business," as they refer to it, in 2005. Robert, who has six children, still lives in Triune. John, who has seven kids, lives in Nolensville.

Brothers will participate in parade

The Burns are among 126 veterans invited to a breakfast and parade in Nolensville on Saturday. The brothers said they sometimes feel like people forget about the men and women who died fighting to protect the country's freedom.

"Young people don't give a damn about the war," said John, who still carries his military discharge in his pocket. "I think people have almost forgot about it. I feel good about what I did. I hated it when I had to go, but I'm glad I did now."

John said his experience on the front line helps him detect if other veterans are telling truthful stories when they talk about the war.

Robert said he doesn't talk about the war very often. Both men said they appreciate the recognition they receive during the town of Nolensville's Veterans Day parade, which was held for the first time in 2007.

"We believe it is important for the community to see these veterans," said Suzie Lindsey, chairwoman of the town's events committee.

"A lot are very humble and quiet. They deserve to be honored. They fought for our freedom. This gives them a chance to get together. We give them a nice meal and a gift."

The Burns even bring their own float.