Burke Landon Narrative

Black bay waves crashed into the bow of his boat. The strong gusts of salty wind made his boat sway under the ominous, gray clouds. Most wouldn’t have dared taking a boat out in such conditions, but for Burke Landon, a Virginia Marine Police Officer, this was just another day on the job, a job that he will never forget. In 1986, Burke joined the Marine Police Officers, whom he would stay with for 18 years. “Basically, I just wanted a better job than what I was doing. I figured I would enjoy getting back on the water, being born and bred on Tangier Island, and it was a way of getting back to it.” When asked about a typical day on the water, Burke leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “There was really no such thing as a typical day.”

As he described this, his tone became more profound and the dim lighting of the room became much more grim. “Found an elderly couple dead in their boat from hyperthermia.” He looked down as he recalled this haunting encounter. “It was the first time I had seen a dead body, other that in a casket at a funeral. That I was the one to discover them dead, it left a lasting impression.” He reported that their boat had gotten pushed away in the storm, and rather than wait the storm out they decided to try to get it back. They paddled their canoe to the shore where their boat had washed up and their canoe immediately blew up onto shore. Being in their mid-70s, there was no way that they could have gotten back to their home through 50 mph winds. So instead, they laid down in their bigger boat and hoped to be rescued. “Apparently he had died first. She had put him in a blanket and put her arm around him, and that’s how I found them. With her arm around him.” Though such events can be daunting, they did allow him to gain some skills that he wouldn’t have obtained without his experience as a Police Officer. Like cops have to be, he learned to be observant and aware of his surroundings. He now knows how to recognize faces and how to get his point across. Along with these skills, he gained friendships with people he would have never met otherwise like governors, congressmen, and other politicians.