BLUFFDALE – A onetime prisoner of war, Richard Burgess was a man who spent much of his life looking out for others' interests above his own.
To a person, speakers at his memorial service Friday at the Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery all noted how selfless and caring a man he was to them and just about everyone he came in contact with.
"I knew he was special all our lives and I thought about him every day almost," said fellow Marine Gary Clemmons, who served with Burgess in Vietnam. "When I think I would have it bad, I would think of Richard (in the POW camp)."
So impactful to some was Burgess' connection with them, they came from miles away to pay their respects during a ceremony conducted with full military honors in Bluffdale. Burgess spent over six years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict, but didn't allow it the extinguish the kind, generous spirit that ingratiated him to so many people during his 72 years, speakers noted.
"He instilled a very deep love for country and those who came before us and encouraged us to follow (his lead)," said eldest son Nathaniel Burgess. "He truly did love his family and was always there for them in any shape or form."
Burgess died in Yakima, Washington while traveling to visit family and friends. He had battled health problems stemming from issues with his lungs. His remains were cremated and he was given full Marine Corps honors Friday, with the Utah Patriot Guard riders — many of whom were veterans themselves — standing along the perimeter of the cemetery holding six large American flags.
While the skies were mostly overcast and many tears were shed, most in attendance were reminded of the generally sunny disposition that Burgess was known to have despite the challenges he faced during his time in uniform beginning as a 19-year-old in 1966. After being assigned to a unit in North Vietnam, Burgess was one of a group of eight men sent on a combat mission into the jungle. Just as he was leaving, he had a premonition that things could end badly, Clemmons recounted.
Assigned to the same unit on a 13-month tour, Clemmons said he and Burgess became fast friends, and he knew right away that Richard was "special," but worried that the negative thoughts about the mission could be detrimental.
"He was on the only guy I ever remember in Vietnam," Clemmons said. "He drew point that day and he felt he was going to be captured or killed that day — and he was."
Being point means to assume the first and most exposed position in a combat mission. Clemmons would not see his friend again for over 40 years. Burgess was captured and tortured for 6½ years by the North Vietnamese military. He tried unsuccessfully to escape numerous times before being released in emaciated condition weighing less than 90 pounds.
Even though their time in combat was brief, Clemmons said Burgess left an indelible impression that never left him for more than four decades.
He would often wonder if Burgess made it out alive, and tried for years to find out what happened to his brother in arms but was never able to get accurate information. As fate would have it, Clemmons was able to reconnect through the Veterans Administration and they kept in close contact for the last many years of Burgess' life.
Clemmons said Burgess was always one to put others first and give them whatever uplift they needed to improve their lives.
"He could tap into (the sixth sense) of what connected us," Clemmons explained. "He taught me how to pay attention and it's amazing how many times it saved my life."
Staff Sgt. Christopher Burgess — the second eldest son — said that since childhood his father was his hero. Because of that admiration, he was determined to follow in his footsteps.
"I always looked up to him," he said. "All of the care he put into all of us kids as we were growing up. It was great."
Though his father appreciated the love and respect, the elder Burgess was reluctant to have any of his children serve in the military based on the experiences he had in Vietnam, his son said.
"He really just didn't want to run the risk of seeing any of his kids go through that same experience that he had," Staff Sgt. Burgess said. "It was one of his biggest fears."
Despite his father's admonitions, the young Burgess applied to enlist in the U.S. Army in 2004 at age 17 as a senior in high school. But to formally become a soldier, he would need his father's permission and signature on the enlistment papers.
"He looked at me and then down at his lap for a couple of seconds and when he looked back up at me, all he asked was, 'Are you sure?'" he explained. "I told him, 'Yeah, I am.' He said, 'OK' and he signed the papers right then and there."
Staff Sgt. Burgess said his father positively influenced his life and so many others over the years. That is what people will remember the most about him, he said.
Richard Burgess was the third Utah military member to die in the past month. U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Jared Michael Reaves, of North Ogden, died on July 5 at the University of Chicago Medical Center of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. On June 30, fellow North Ogden resident Sgt. 1st Class Elliott Robbins, a decorated soldier and senior medic, died while serving overseas in a noncombat incident in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Correction: An earlier version said Burgess died on May 8 in his hometown of Gunnison. He actually died in Yakima, Washington, while traveling to visit family and friends.