Corpsmancollector

Hello,

My name is MAJ Ted Behncke. I am the great-great nephew of Sgt. Burnelle Keith "BK" Behncke. I recently came across your posting concerning BK's service jacket and wartime service. BK was one of five sons who served in WWII from a family of seven boys. This included his brother and my great-grandfather S1c Walter Behncke. Grandpa Walter passed away in 1961 many years before I was born and BK was effectively his stand-in when I grew up. BK was also the last surviving WWII veteran in our family until passing away in 2012. We talked frequently between my two combat tours and he related the landing at Red 2 on Tarawa in 1943. BK led a machine gun team with the Special Weapons Group for the landing instead of his normal section in the Antiaircraft Group. I believe I was the only one who received these details as BK was extraordinarily reticent regarding details and opened up to me based on our shared combat experience.

My grandfather and father are also veterans and were keenly interested when they saw the jacket and asked if I could make contact. BK passed on his compass to me after 9/11, but this was the only WWII item anyone still possesses. BK's passed most of his prized WWII items to his daughter Linda, however she died from cancer in 1995 and her husband subsequently emptied the garage of a number of items, which probably included the jacket. If you were amenable, we would be interesting in reacquiring the jacket through purchase and returning it to the US for display at the next family reunion in Lancaster, Wisconsin, rejoining it with BK's wartime compass. Please let me know if you would be open to this or another offer.

In the interim, please see attached photograph. I believe this is the only picture of BK in uniform after marrying my Aunt Ruth in 1945. It is likely the same one from your post.

Thank you for sharing BK's service with the militaria community and I look forward to your response!

Warmest Regards,

Ted Behncke

MAJ, US Army

Iraq, 2006-07 (Task Force 1-501 Infantry (Airborne)), 2009-10 (3-1 Federal Police Transition Team, Maysan Provincial Transition Team)