E. L. M. Burns
Source: Wikipedia: E. L. M. Burns
Military • Historical Archive • 🇨🇦 Canada • 0 views

E. L. M. Burns 🇨🇦

Tommy Burns (Known as "Lieutenant-General Eedson Louis Millard Burns")
General, First Commander of UNEF Peacekeepers, Disarmament Diplomat
Born 30 August 1897 🇨🇦 Westmount, Canada
Passed Away 13 September 1985 Manotick, Canada
Lifespan 88 years old
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Notice / Correction
"Peacekeeping is not a military conquest; it is the discipline of holding soldiers between two armies so statesmen have time to build peace."

Archival Overview

Distinguished Canadian general who served as the first commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in 1956, turning Lester B. Pearson's peacekeeping vision into reality.

Biographical Record

Eedson Louis Millard "Tommy" Burns was an artillery officer decorated with the Military Cross in World War I who rose to command I Canadian Corps in Italy during World War II. Following the war, Burns turned his military expertise toward international diplomacy and United Nations conflict resolution.

In 1954, Dag Hammarskjöld appointed Burns Chief of Staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine. During the 1956 Suez Crisis, when Lester B. Pearson proposed the world's first armed peacekeeping force, Burns was appointed Commander of UNEF, establishing the operational doctrine, blue helmets, and rules of engagement for modern UN peacekeeping.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Beechwood Cemetery
Ottawa, Canada
GPS: 45.4450, -75.6600
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