14 Names to Remember Project
14 Names to Remember | Burton Allen Gustafson
14 Names to Remember Project. Layout by Tonya Strickland. Historic graphics attributed.
Gig Harbor Now columnist Tonya Strickland researched and profiled the 14 local men whose names appear on the World War II monument at Kenneth Leo Marvin Memorial Park. Find all 14 profiles here.
Hometown: Gig Harbor
Branch: U.S. Naval Reserve
Rank: 2nd Class Machinist’s Mate
Died: May 30, 1943
Burton Allen Gustafson was born on June 26, 1919, in Seattle. His records indicate he was adopted — under mysterious circumstances. At the time, the records also show his name as “Herbert Allen Gustafson,” which changed later in life.
Gustafson’s birth records show Gig Harbor resident Oscar Albert “Al” Gustafson as the father, and the word “none” as the mother. When Burton Gustafson was born, his father, Al, was married to Hazel Cross of Vashon Island. Hazel remained Burton’s mother and next of kin on all his military records — even after she divorced from his father and remarried to become Hazel Bullard. The name Burton was likely Hazel-inspired: she grew up in the Burton neighborhood of Vashon Island. There was also a Burton Avenue in Bremerton where Burton worked at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
In the 1920 U.S. Census, Burton, listed as Herbert, was living with Al and Hazel in Seattle with Hazel’s sister. By the time the 1930 U.S. Census rolled around, Burton, again listed as Herbert, moved to Gig Harbor and lived with Oscar Levine Gustafson Sr. and Anna Gustafson, his paternal grandparents. The family was well-known: Gig Harbor’s Gustafson Drive NW is named after them and they’re also listed on the Finholm View Climb downtown.
USS Tatoosh (YAG-1) moored pier-side at NOB Kodiak, Alaska | 17 February 1943 | (Gustafson went missing three months later); Service Ship Photo Archive for USS Tatoosh (YAG-1).
In 1936, Burton signed up for the U.S. Naval Reserves’ V-6 program for generalized and specialist training. His dad, a marine engineer, often worked with him on passenger ships. Several ship logs coming in and out of Seattle have Al Gustafson listed as marine engineer and Burton Gustafson (sometimes as Herbert) as oiler.
During WWII, Burton served as a 2nd Class Machinist’s Mate aboard the USS Tatoosh off the coast of the Aleutian Islands in the Alaska Territory. Two of the islands (Adak and Kiska) were occupied by the Japanese. The Tatoosh, a repurposed civilian steamship from Washington state, was outfitted as a floating mobile base during the construction of the U.S. naval bases on Kodiak and Adak islands. As a tender, crews tethered to the Tatoosh for refueling and repairs; and to have a place to eat and rest inside. “Although its facilities were limited, it did have good food, hot showers, and motion pictures every night,” wrote Capt. Robert Bulkley Jr.
Burton Gustafson was declared missing in action on May 30, 1943. The Tatoosh’s ship log said he and three others went missing and “circumstances indicate accidental drowning.” No additional details were given. His death was officially declared on May 31, 1944. Burton Gustafson’s name is honored at the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
Status: MIA – Missing in Action