Bryan K. Burgess
Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves
January 20, 1971 – November 9, 2006
Age – 35
Canton, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Marine Forces Reserve’s 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Perrysburg, OH
Killed by a sniper while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar, Iraq.
The second Gulf War lasted a little more than eight and a half years. In that time more than 4,400 service members lost their lives in combat.
But during a particularly brutal stretch between October of 2006 and February of 2007, 22 Marines from Selfridge Air National Guard Base were killed in action.
These Marines went there with the purest of intentions to serve in the cause of freedom and that’s what they did. And I just think it’s something that we have to do. I don’t want them to be forgotten.
Bryan attended Livonia Public School and went to Franklin High School. He later worked as a framer building houses and was an avid skier and motorcyclist. He loved his country and felt that it was worth sacrificing his life for.
No task was too menial for Burgess to lend a hand, said his fellow soldiers. Whether that meant performing routine duties or cleaning latrines, Burgess was always pitching in. That’s how he gained the respect of his men. It didn’t matter what the task was… he didn’t put his rank on a pedestal. If one of his subordinates needed a rest, Burgess would stand his watch. If somebody in his reserve unit screwed up, Burgess would raise his hand and take the hit for it. He didn’t have a malicious bone in his body. An avid skier in winter and an avid motorcyclist in summer, Burgess worked as a framer building houses after graduating high school.
Bryan served 11 years as a Marine Reserve’s and spent his time serving in Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican republic, Mainz, Spain, Argentina, Peru, Panama, Portillo, Columbia, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Italy.
Sergeant Burgess’s Awards and decoration include: The Purple Heart, The Selected Marine Corp Reserve Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Iraq Campaign Medal, The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, The USMC Reserve Medal, Marine Rifle Exemplary Badge, Marine Pistol Marksman Badge