Tommy Roland Burns
Agency patch
Airman Second Class

Tommy Roland Burns

Accident Veteran →
End of Watch October 25, 1960
Age 20
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 95 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Airman Second Class Tommy Burns was killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of 10th Street and A Avenue in downtown Tokyo, Japan, while returning to his base after having escorted an ambulance to the hospital at 4:30 a.m.

His patrol car struck a concrete streetcar loading barrier, causing him to suffer fatal injuries. He was transported to Nipon University Hospital, where he died several hours later.

A2C Burns had served in the U.S. Air Force for three years and was assigned to the 421st Air Police Squadron.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents, four sisters, and four brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-549234F6
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Tommy. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Airman Second Class Burns gave the United States Air Force Security Forces 3 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location JBSA-Lackland, TX
Platform Identity usafsffed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 25, 1960
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 20
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

Tommy Roland Burns served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Airman Second Class Tommy Roland Burns is one of 10,095 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,587 officers honored here.

In TX, 657 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27.1% of this state's fallen. That is 3.9 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.

At United States Air Force Security Forces, 28 of 41 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 68.3% of this agency's fallen.

United States Air Force Security Forces
28
of 41 officers
68.3% Accident
TX — Statewide
657
of 2,421 officers
27.1% Accident
Nationwide
10,095
of 32,587 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Tommy Roland Burns's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,095 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How Tommy Roland Burns Compares

Age at End of Watch
20
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Tommy Roland Burns is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

Tommy Roland Burns served in the United States military before joining law enforcement.

Visit Tommy Roland Burns’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.