Military Science/ROTC Captain William Burgess selected for promotion

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University’s Captain (CPT) William Burgess, assistant professor of Military Science and Officer in Charge of the Murray State Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Company, was selected for promotion to Major in the Fiscal Year 2022 Army Major Promotion. The Army selects officers to be promoted to Major based on their career performance and demonstrated potential to serve at the next higher rank. He will officially pin on his new rank in the fall of 2023. In addition, CPT Burgess was approved to continue to serve as the assistant professor of Military Science and Officer in Charge of the Murray State University ROTC until the spring of 2026.

"CPT Burgess's promotion is indicative of the strong leadership he provides to Murray State’s ROTC program,” said Dan Lavit, executive director of the Center for Adult and Regional Education (CARE) at Murray State. “He is helping to develop the type of leaders both Murray State University and the U.S. Army Cadet Command can be proud of.”

CPT Burgess was born in Alvarado, Texas and entered the Army in 2004 as a Human Resource Specialist in the Army Reserves and was deployed to Al Asad AB, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. After the deployment, he began the ROTC program at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. In 2011, CPT Burgess earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in History and was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. He attended the Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma where his initial assignment was with Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade as the Fire Control Platoon Leader. In December 2012, he was deployed to Turkey in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Conference (NATO) mission Operation Active Fence. Following his time as Platoon Leader, CPT Burgess was selected to be the Battery’s Executive Office, and upon promotion in October 2015, he was selected to be the Battalion Adjutant of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment. CPT Burgess then attended the Air Defense Artillery Captains Career Course (ADACCC) at Fort Sill in 2016. Following ADACCC, he was assigned to 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) at Fort Bliss, Texas and was deployed to Kuwait as an Operations Officer in the TAAMDCORD cell in 2017. He also served as the commander for Headquarters Support Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bliss from February – December 2018; served as commander of Charlie Battery, 5-52 ADA from February 2019 – August 2020; served as commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 5-52 ADA from September 2020 – June 2021; and was deployed to Al Udied AB, Qatar in May 2020 – May 2021; all leading up to him serving as assistant professor of Military Science/ROTC at Murray State.

CPT Burgess is married to the former Rebecca Clark of Joshua, Texas and they have two daughters, Sophia (eight) and Olivia (four).

CPT Burgess has received several major awards and decorations during his time of service, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal .

"Captain (Promotable) Burgess is a true professional and fantastic officer. Congratulations to him and his family on his selection for promotion, and we are honored he will be able to continue to serve at Murray State for an extended period of time," said Lieutenant Colonel Bernard House, professor of Military Science at Murray State.

For more information on Murray State University’s Military Science (ROTC) program please visit murraystate.edu/rotc.