More detail on this person: BURGESS, JR.,
LELAND "LEE" COLONEL ret UNITED STATES
ARMY RESERVE Leland "Lee" Heywood Burgess,
Jr., age 71, of Birmingham, Ala, died March 16,
2013, in Birmingham. He was preceded in death by
his parents, Leland Heywood Burgess and Corrie
Fail Burgess of Auburn, Ala. Col. Burgess was born
on November 18, 1941 in Demopolis, Ala. and grew
up in Demopolis and Evergreen. He was a great
storyteller, and took joy in reminiscing about his
childhood experiences in Alabama during the 1940s
and 50s. In 1960, he graduated from Evergreen High
School where he was active in many organizations.
Col. Burgess graduated from the University of
Alabama in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in
Industrial Management. He was a proud member of
Delta Tau Delta where he established many
life-long friendships with his fraternity
brothers. While at the Capstone, through ROTC, he
was commissioned in the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant
of Artillery. After college, Col. Burgess entered
flight school at Ft. Wolters, Texas. In 1967, he
received his wings as an army aviator at Ft.
Rucker, Ala. Later that year, he was deployed to
Vietnam where he was assigned to D Troop (air) 3rd
Squadron 4th Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division at Cu
Chi. Burgess served as a Scout Platoon Leader
until his helicopter was shot down by enemy forces
during the Tet Offensive in February 1968.
Severely wounded, he was able to lead his flight
crew members to safety where they were later
rescued. Upon returning from Vietnam, Burgess
obtained a master's degree in Business
Administration from Auburn University. He later
moved to Chattanooga, Tenn. where he continued
his military service in the Tennessee National
Guard and Army Reserve. After serving his country
for over 30 years, he retired from military duty
in 1995. During his military service, he received
many service decorations including the Silver
Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished
Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart,
and the Air Medal. In civilian life, Col. Burgess
was in senior bank management for over 35 years in
Chattanooga. He was the Executive Vice President
and Cashier for Pioneer Bank and later served as
the Director of Commercial Lending and Senior Vice
President at First Tennessee Bank. Col. Burgess
served the Chattanooga community in both
professional and civic capacities. He was
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the Chattanooga Chapter of the American
Banker's Association, a member of Chattanooga's
Better Business Bureau, and a long-time member of
the Mountain City Club where he served as
President and held a position on the Club's Board
of Directors. He was an Executive Board Member
for the Cherokee Area Council of the Boy Scouts of
America, a member and past President of the
Brainerd Lions Club, a member of the local Kiwanis
Club, and a Tennessee Squire. Col. Burgess
attended Brainerd United Methodist Church. He
enjoyed the outdoors and was always ready for a
fishing trip or a round of golf. He spent many
Saturdays at Council Fire Golf Club where he was a
member. After retirement, Col. Burgess relocated
to Birmingham, Ala. There, he attended Canterbury
United Methodist Church and was a member of the
Crawford Owen Class. He also devoted much of his
time to his grandson, Charles, telling him war
stories and building model airplanes. In
recognition of his patriotism and love of Alabama
football, the University of Alabama honored Col.
Burgess by naming him a Distinguished Veteran
during a 2006 home game. Col. Burgess was an
advocate of the Veteran's History project,
established by the Library of Congress. His
personal war experiences are recorded and can be
viewed at
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/23304 and at
http://www.centaursinvietnam.org/Roster/MyPage/m
ypageBurgess.html. Col. Burgess will be
remembered for his faith, his loyalty and
dedication to family and friends, his
professionalism and character, his quick wit, his
story telling, and his love of Alabama football.
Col. Burgess is survived by his wife, Pamela
Langham Burgess of Birmingham; daughter, Dr.
Karen Burgess, of Tuscaloosa; daughter Stacy
Burgess Hinkle (Logan) and grandson Charles
Leland Hinkle, all of Birmingham. The family will
receive friends on May 11th beginning at 12:30
p.m. in the church parlor with a memorial service
following at 2 p.m. in The Chapel of Canterbury
United Methodist Church, Mt. Brook, Ala.
celebration of life will follow the service.
Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery,
Arlington, Va. The Family wishes to express its
gratitude to the physicians and staff of the
Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road, the staff of the
Medical Intensive Care Unit at UAB Hospital, the
ministers and staff of Canterbury United Methodist
Church, and the members of the Crawford Owen
Class for their prayers and support. The Family
requests in lieu of flowers, please consider
memorial donations to: Multiple Myeloma Research
Foundation, the International Myeloma Society or
the Wounded Warrior Project.
Published in The Birmingham News from April 12 to
April 14, 2013
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023
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