Another World War II Veteran - Burl Bonnie Mills

While we are on the subject of World War II, here's another Itawamba veteran. Burl Bonnie Mills enlisted early, in 1942, when he was 26 years old. Unlike some of his brothers, Burl was slight in build. His enlistment record indicates he was five foot, five inches tall and weighed only 115 pounds. Nonetheless, he quickly earned the nickname of "Little Scorpion" for his feistiness while he was stationed with a tank regiment in Casablanca. Burl was shot in the arm and knocked down into a well, breaking his back during the fall, but he made it back home to Itawamba County.

Burl was the son of Jesse Thomas Mills and Onady Randolph and brother to my husband's grandfather. I suspect that he was named after his great-uncle, Burrell (or Burwell) Randolph. He was born September 30, 1916 and died June 7, 1959. He was married to Rubye Johnson who is still living.