-Tribute to-
Sgt Willis L. Burnworth
About us
We are Colette and Peter Stassen, and live in Zerkegem, a little town 14 kilometers southwest of the medieval town Bruges. We have 2 daughters, a son, a granddaughter and a grandson. The children have all left the house and created their own little home. The only living creatures that are around us, is a British shorthair, called Nero.
Colette retired in 2013 as a Master Chief of the Belgian Navy. She likes history, cooking and travelling. In July 2018 I retired as a Sergeant Major of the Belgian Army. I spend my free time preparing round trips to the States and creating photo books of these trips.
From February 2011 till August 2015 I did a lot of protocol at the different commemorations in the Province of West Flanders. One of them was the annually Memorial Day Service at the Flanders Field American Cemetery.
The superintendant of this cemetery, Chris Arseneault, and Joseph Schram, Commander of American Legion 'Flanders Field' Post BE02 told us about the Adopt-a-Grave program. We did not hesitate a moment and applied for the adoption of a grave. On August 16th, 2014 at a special ceremony in presence of the Honorable Denise Campbell Bauer, Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium, we adopted the grave of Sergeant Willis Lewis Burnworth, company H, 145th Infantry, 37th Division.
It is our intention to find as much information as possible about Sgt Burnworth, so we can understand what he and his fellow soldiers endured.
We hope that anybody who can help us in our search, will contact us to exchange information.
Peter Stassen
8 August 2015
