 Carl in 1973 | |
| Carl Burton | |
| Portrayed by | John Allsopp |
| Episode | Honor |
| Status | Deceased (1973) |
Carl Burton was a Vietnam vet who returned home only to be shot by Daniel Potter several months later.
History[]
At some point prior to 1973, he met and married Janet Burton and had a son Ned Burton. In the course of the marriage, he was sent overseas to Vietnam where he was a Lieutenant commander of the US Navy. He was shot down over Hannoi, causing him to be captured and sent to a Vietnamese prison camp.
Carl was released and sent home in 1972, after five years in the prison, and met his seven-year-old son Ned, who gifted him a hand carved box with his POW bracelets. Upon his return home, Carl revealed to his wife that his arms had been broken four times, causing them to be busted. He also retained a slight limp. Carl would go for walks, straining his marriage with Janet.
One day when he took Ned to the zoo, he learned that Janet had been spending time with Ken Westin when he was gone.
Prior to his death, Carl went to a memorial held for his friend and fellow serviceman Rex Potter, Daniel Potter's father who had died in the prison camp, after time had passed with Daniel asking about his father nonstop until the boy threw a rock in his window. Carl gave Daniel the bare minimum of what he wanted. At the memorial for Rex, he brought his son but was yelled at by Daniel's mother and Rex's widow, Ruth. Carl then left with Ned and headed to a diner where he learned from a waitress that Ken had impersonated him multiple times with his son when he was still overseas, including his status as a former P.O.W.
He would later be killed by Daniel.