Patrick Burgess

Patrick Burgess enlisted into the U.S. Army in June 1967, right after high school. Because he was only 17 years old, his father had to sign for him. After basic training at Ft. Lewis Washington, Burgess was sent to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he received training in demolition and minesweeping. From there, he was deployed to Vietnam as a Combat Engineer with the 25th Infantry Division.

Burgess and another soldier were assigned to an Infantry platoon to deal with demolition needs. During one mission, along a road from Dầu Tiếng to Tây Ninh, in February 1968, Burgess was wounded by a Viet Cong grenade. The blast left one other soldier wounded and claimed the life of another soldier. Burgess returned to Vietnam in June 1969 with the 299th Combat Engineers. Hi unit was under a heavy siege when he arrived, and the 4th Infantry Division was pulled out, leaving only Combat Engineers. Burgess continued to serve as a demolition expert and did mine sweeping too, He continue to see action across the country, finally finishing his tour in An Khê in July 1970.

Along with his Purple Heart, SGT Burgess was awarded numerous medals and commendations during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, two Vietnam Gallantry Crosses with unit citations, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and more.

U.S. Army Sergeant (SGT) Patrick Burgess represented his fellow Purple Heart heroes as Iowa’s honoree during the 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project Mission.