Carl Martin Burk, a native of McPherson County, is shown in uniform in this photo postcard from World War I. Burk, who often went by Martin or C. M., served as a mechanic in the First Marine Aeronautic Company, U.S. Marine Corps. The company operated seaplanes out of a naval base at Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Burk, however, became ill while stationed in the Azores and was sent home early. He spent the remainder of his enlistment in a naval hospital at Fort Lyon in Colorado. After the war, Burk settled in New Mexico, living first in Albuquerque and Cuba, and later in Hobbs. He was a certified public accountant for most of his career, although he also operated a cattle ranch in Cuba, NM for several years. He was active in Hobbs civic affairs from the late 1930s until his death in 1964 at the age of 73.
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