Willard Burleson

Last updated

Willard M. Burleson III
Lt. Gen. Willard M. Burleson III (3).jpg
Born (1965-10-09) October 9, 1965 (age 59)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1988–2024
Rank Lieutenant General
Commands Eighth United States Army
7th Infantry Division
1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division
1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment
Battles / wars Gulf War
War in Afghanistan
Iraq War
Awards Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (4)
Bronze Star Medal (3)

Willard McKenzie Burleson III [1] (born October 9, 1965) [2] is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as commanding General of the Eighth United States Army and chief of Staff of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command from 2020 to 2024.

Contents

Previously, Burleson served as the Director of Operations of the United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea. [3] [4] [5]

Education

Burleson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy. He also earned a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College and a master's degree in Military Art and Science from the Army Command and General Staff College.

Military career

Burleson graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned into the Infantry in May 1988. Burleson's first assignment was in the 7th Infantry Division (Light), Fort Ord, California, which included service in the Multi-National Force and Observers, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, and the invasion of Panama. He also served in 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Savannah, Georgia. He later commanded airborne companies in Vicenza, Italy, which included service as part of the initial entry force for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

After competing duties in Italy, Burleson returned to the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, and then served as aide-de-camp to the commander of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. Burleson later served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Burleson next served as aide-de-camp to the commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, with duty in the Combined Joint Task Force 180 and Multi-National Corps Iraq. Following that tour of duty, Burleson commanded the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, which included a tour with Multi-National Division, Baghdad, Iraq.

After attending the United States Army War College, Burleson returned to the 10th Mountain Division as commander of the 1st Brigade, which included a deployment to Regional Command-North, Afghanistan. Upon completion of brigade command, he served as the commander of the Joint Readiness Training Center's Operations Group at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Burleson later served as the Deputy Commanding General (Operations), 7th Infantry Division (United States), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and Director of the Mission Command Center of Excellence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and as senior advisor to the Ministry of Defense, Afghanistan. Before serving in the Republic of Korea, Burleson served as the commanding general of 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

He relinquished command of Eighth Army to Christopher LaNeve on April 5, 2024. [6]

Awards and decorations

CIB2.svg Combat Infantryman Badge with star (denoting 2nd award)
Ranger Tab.svg Ranger tab
AirAssault.svg Air Assault Badge
Master Parachutist badge (United States).svg Master Parachutist Badge
7th Infantry Division CSIB.jpg 7th Infantry Division Combat Service Identification Badge
BW Sonderabzeichen Fallschirmspringer.png German Parachutist badge
Wings badge.JPG British Parachutist Badge
No free image.png Unidentified foreign parachutist badge
75 Ranger Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia.svg 75th Ranger Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
ArmyOSB.svg 9 Overseas Service Bars
U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit ribbon.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Legion of Merit with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Bronze Star ribbon.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze Star Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Defense Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal ribbon.svg Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Silver oakleaf-3d.svg
Army Achievement Medal ribbon.svg
Army Achievement Medal with silver oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award ribbon.svg Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg
Meritorious Unit Commendation with oak leaf cluster
Army Superior Unit Award ribbon.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Bronze oak leaf-3d.svg Superior Unit Award with two oak leaf clusters
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal ribbon.svg
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with service star
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
Southwest Asia Service Medal ribbon (1991-2016).svg
Southwest Asia Service Medal with service star
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
Kosovo Campaign Medal ribbon.svg
Kosovo Campaign Medal with service star
Afghanistan Campaign ribbon.svg Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars
Iraq Campaign Medal ribbon.svg Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars
Ribbonstar-bronze.svg
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon.svg
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with service star
Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon.svg Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Korea Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg Korea Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Service Medal ribbon.svg Armed Forces Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon.svg Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon.svg Award numeral 5.png Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 5
NATO Medal Yugoslavia ribbon bar.svg NATO Medal for ex-Yugoslavia
MFO Ribbon bar.svg Multinational Force and Observers Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) ribbon.svg Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Personal life

Burleson and his wife both come from army families and they have a son and a daughter.

References

  1. "Willard M. Burleson III". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. "Register of Graduates and Former Cadets, United States Military Academy". 1989.
  3. "Lieutenant General Willard M. Burleson III – General Officer Management Office". www.gomo.army.mil. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021.
  4. army.mil
  5. "Burleson takes reins of Eighth Army as new CG". DVIDS.
  6. Thuloweit, Kenji (March 29, 2024). "Lt. Gen. Burleson honored with Korean name for commitment to ROK-US Alliance". DVIDS. Camp Humphreys, South Korea: Eighth Army. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
Military offices
Preceded by Director to the Ministry of Defense of the Mission Command Center of Excellence
2014–2016
Succeeded by
Preceded by Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Defense of the United States Forces Afghanistan
2016–2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General of the 7th Infantry Division
2017–2019
Succeeded by
Preceded by Director of Operations of the United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea
2019–2020
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commanding General of the Eighth United States Army and Chief of Staff of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command
2020–2024
Succeeded by