Historical Marker on Boca Campus Honors WWII Soldiers

We are very proud of Boca Raton’s patriotic past and especially the fact that FAU was built on the site of a former Army air base. Here, G.I.s were trained to use a radar technology that helped the Allied Forces win World War II. Today, we honored some of our WWII-era residents by unveiling a Florida Heritage Site historical marker on campus. It was a bittersweet occasion, as the marker was placed on the spot where, on May 12, 1944, nine men tragically died after their B-34 plane crashed during takeoff for a routine training flight. The marker is located at the southeast corner of FAU Boulevard and N University Drive.

Families of five of the nine men attended the ceremony, which gave us an opportunity to thank them for their family’s sacrifice and honor the fallen soldiers publicly. The nine men were:

• First Lieutenant Jacob M. Buie, Student Radar Operator from Florida, age 22
• Staff Sergeant Frank L. Bursaw, Radio Operator, from Missouri, age 31
• First Lieutenant William H. Carson, Pilot, from South Carolina, age 23
• First Lieutenant Thomas A. Lamont, Student Radar Operator, from New York, age 27
• Private Robert E. Locke, Aerial Engineer, from Ohio, age 22
• First Lieutenant John J. Lominac, Student Radar Operator from North Carolina, age 25
• Sergeant John S. Safieko, Radar Operator, from Missouri, age 25
• First Lieutenant Benjamin P. Sibley, Student Radar Operator, from Massachusetts, age 27
• Private First Class Norman R. Steiner, Student Engineer, from New York, age 20

I’d like to thank Dan Flynn, FAU’s Vice President for Research; Susan Gillis of the Boca Raton Historical Society; and Tom Wood, Fire Chief of Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services, for making this event possible. I know it was a tremendous amount of research — both on the history of the site, as well as on the soldiers and their families — and I truly appreciate their efforts.

As a reminder, Monday, May 31 is Memorial Day. I encourage you to take a moment over the weekend to remember the American heroes who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. FAU will be closed on Monday but several offices will remain open for our students who need assistance. Whatever your plans are for the holiday, I hope that you remain safe and have a pleasant weekend.