George A. Burgtorf, who met Marilyn 70 years ago in Korea, died aged 92 on July 6, 2024 (via Legacy.)
“When he was first in Korea, he was assigned to a large tent. Being the new guy, he was in charge of filling the gas for the stove when it ran out of fuel at night. After the first night of waking up cold in the night and going outside to add gas to the tank for the stove, he had an idea. He went to the motor pool, and borrowed some tubing off of a broken-down truck. He used that tubing to hook up two tanks to the stove. From that night forward the stove would run through the night without needing to fill it with fuel.
During George’s time in Korea, Marilyn Monroe was on a USO entertainment tour. One stop on the tour was where George was stationed. As luck would have it, not only did he watch the show, but he had lunch with Marilyn Monroe.”
George was born and lived in Michigan, and after leaving the US Army, worked in the maintenance department at Extruded Metals in Belding for 40 years.
He also built a farmhouse and travelled throughout the United States, later buying a home in Florida.
He is survived by Evelyn, his wife of 71 years; his son Kirt, and daughter-in-law; plus two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Speaking to the Ionia Sentinel-Standard in 2016, George shared his memories of Marilyn, and several photos taken during her visit.
“George Burgtorf of Saranac was a 20-year-old sergeant in the United States Army’s 2nd Infantry on a cold day in February 1954 when Marilyn Monroe performed in the Chorwon Valley during the Korean War. He carried with him a small Brownie camera and a pass that granted him access to everywhere, except the top secret code room, that is.
He was nearby when she landed by helicopter at the camp and later he ate lunch with the movie star and dozens of other service men in the mess hall. In the afternoon, he was near the front when she went on stage and performed several songs.
‘She spoke to most of us, she just said, Hi,’ Burgtorf said. ‘She seemed very nice.’
‘The food was generally very good at the mess hall. She seemed to enjoy herself.’
Burgtorf’s job was taking care of telephone communications for the army. It brought him close to generals, movie stars and future president Gerald Ford.
‘I could get into any building because of the telephone,’ Burgtorf said. ‘The mess hall was really just a tent, and I was the only one with a camera that day.’
He said he saw one or two other USO performances with the 2nd Infantry at the Bulldozer Bowl, but he doesn’t remember who performed other than Monroe, which stands out in his mind.
‘It was many years ago,’ Burgtorf said. ‘It was very, very cold that day. I think they must have had a heater blowing towards the stage, because she was in some skimpy clothes.’
‘We were right in the valley, there were mountains on both sides of everything.’
Burgtorf said after Monroe performed she quickly got onto a helicopter and went to perform another show. ‘She was on a very tight schedule,’ he said.”
The Marilyn Report 