Edward Garland Milburn

SGT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co C

ASN#33349842 Casualty: Wounded

Born 1919 in MD, Died 1971

County of enlistment: Wilkes Barre, PA

Other residence(s): Baltimore, MD; Englewood, NJ; Albany, NY; Binghamton, NY; Bridgeton, NJ; Ridgewood, NJ; Los Angeles, CA; West New York, NJ

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

Occupation before the war: occupations in manufacture of automobiles, n.e.c

College education before the war: St. Lawrence Univ. 4 years

Notes: Co A in photo; T/5 in June 1943; SGT per envelope (see photo) and wedding announcement

Source: 603rd Camouflage Engineer Roster provided by W. Anderson; Photo of 603rd Company A, 13 May 1945; Company C roster; Company A Roster; 603rd handwritten list; 603rd roster in Seymour Nussenbaum's scrapbook, June 1943; List of Casualties (Unofficial); photo courtesy Ghost Army Legacy Project

Edward Milburn was born on April 26, 1919 in Baltimore, MD. He was an only child and his parents were young—the family was living with Edward's maternal grandparents in 1920, and Edward's father was working as a clerk in a clothing house. (Edward's grandfather was an Italian-born music teacher, which must have created an interesting environment for him as a child.)

By 1930, the young family had moved to Englewood, NJ and Edward's father was working as a "superintendent" in a chain store. In 1931 he moved to The Grand Union Stores where he would spend the rest of his career. (By the time he retired, he was a VP and director of the company.)

An envelope from a letter Edward Milburn wrote while he was in the Ghost Army; photo courtesy Ghost Army Legacy Project

Edward's father's job required them to move from time to time as he worked his way up the ladder, so Edward spent part of his teens in Albany, NY. He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 when he was in his junior year at St. Lawrence University. He graduated in 1942 having been president of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, and a member of The Outing Club, the news bureau, and the chapel choir. He enlisted shortly thereafter, on July 27, 1942, and was eventually assigned to the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion. After serving in Europe with the unit, he returned home and married his St. Lawrence classmate, Nancy Anne Hatch, on July 12, 1945 in Chicago.

After earning his discharge from the Army with the rank of SGT, Edward, like his father, pursued a career in retail management. In 1946 he went to work for retailer W. T. Grant where he would spend the rest of his career. By 1950 he was living in Bridgeton, NJ with his wife and two children (Jeffrey and Susan) and working as a store manager. By 1956 he was managing the Grant's store in Troy, NY, where he also was a mover and shaker in trade promotion with the Greater Troy Chamber of Commerce.

Edward's rise up the career ladder was swift after that. He became personnel VP for Grant's, and then VP/Controller. The family had moved to Ridgewood, NJ in 1960, but in 1966 Edward was relocated to Los Angeles, CA to serve as the western regional VP. In 1969, he was brought back East in the role of eastern regional VP. He and his wife moved into a high-rise luxury building in West New York, NJ overlooking the Hudson River and New York City. His career path (with time spent in personnel, finance, and regional management) seems to indicate that he was being groomed to take over one of the most senior roles in the company.

He also found time to serve as a deacon at the Westside Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, NJ.

But on February 12, 1971, at the age of 51, he suffered a fatal heart attack in his New York City office. He is buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, NJ.