Robert Donald Bradley was born August 4, 1924, in Effingham, Illinois, to Esther and Arnold Bradley. While in school, he took the last name of his stepfather, Earl Burnett, and used his own middle name Donald and was known as Don Burnett.

After his high school graduation, he joined the US Navy and served on the tanker ship US Platt in the South Pacific until World War II ended. Continue reading →