TEC4, US Army, Iona Coleman Burnett
Born: April 24, 1924
Died: November 22, 1995
Burial Site: SFNC, Section 8C, Site 46
Iona Coleman Burnett was born in Terril, Iowa to Lilly Elvina Ploss and Frank A. Coleman. 1 She attended Salinas High School, in California where she was in the glee club and played softball in the summer. 2, 3 She graduated in 1941. 4 In 1939, she completed a Red Cross certificate in lifesaving and received a nurses’ aide certificate in 1943. 5,6 She began working as a nurses’ aide in Salinas shortly thereafter.
Coleman Burnett’s mother passed away in 1942 and her father passed away in February 1944. 7 Following the deaths of her parents, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) on June 3, 1944. 7, 8 Resigning from her nurses’ aide work, she told The Californian, “I have enjoyed the nurse’s aide work very much this past year and the staffs of all the hospitals have been very kind and helpful.” 9 Coleman Burnett was stationed in Lenmore, California. 10 From July 1945 to March 1947 she was deployed to Germany, 11 She met and married Alton Lee Burnett in Heidelberg, Germany. 12 She was discharged from the military on February 14, 1947, while still overseas. 7 By 1952, she was working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 13
Burnett, Iona Coleman Document 1
“Salinas Valley Nurses’ Aides,” The Californian, June 3, 1944, 2. Newspapers.com.
Burnett, Iona Coleman Document 2
“Society,” The Californian, October 6, 1944, 9. Newspapers.com.
![Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.](https://sites.sfcc.edu/vlgp/files/2023/07/Burnett-Iona-Coleman-D3.jpg)
Burnett, Iona Coleman Document 3
Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Burnett, Iona Coleman Document 4
“Iona L. Burnett,” Albuquerque Journal, November 28, 1995, 25. Newspapers.com.
Notes
1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
2. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
3. “Talented Cast of High School Students to Give Operetta Friday Evening,” The Californian, March 3, 1938, 11. Newspapers.com.
4. “Largest Graduating Class,” The Californian, April 30, 1941, 8. Newspapers.com.
5. Thirteen Nurses Aids are Honored at Graduation,” The Californian, May 10, 1943, 9. Newspapers.com.
6. “Red Cross to Give Awards,” Salinas Morning Post, August 17, 1939, 4. Newspapers.com.
7. “Funeral Notices, Coleman,” The Californian, February 18, 1944, 8. Newspapers.com.
8. Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
9. “Salinas Valley Nurses’ Aides,” The Californian, June 3, 1944, 2. Newspapers.com.
10. “Society,” The Californian, October 6, 1944, 9. Newspapers.com.
11. Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
12. Ancestry.com. Member Tree information, posted by Wilma Hammar.
13. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
Prepared by Sue Ruth, Ph.D., Central New Mexico Community College