LTC. (Ret.) Stephen W. Burres, Jr. Scholarship
LTC. (Ret.) Stephen W. Burres, Jr., was born on December 16th, 1942,
in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Public School #43 and Broad Ripple
High School, graduating in 1960. He then attended Purdue University,
majoring in History, with a minor in Secondary Education. While attending
Purdue, he was in the Army ROTC Department where he rose to the rank of
Deputy Cadet Commander, graduating in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts. He
was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on June 5, 1965, and went on active
duty in September, 1965. In 1966, he married Marilyn E. Brehob of
Indianapolis, Indiana, and had four children during their marriage. Pamela J.
Burres, Stephen W. Burres, III, Brian W. Burres, and Deborah E. Burres. He
was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he attended Artillery Officer
Basic School. Upon graduation, he was sent to Giessen, Germany. Shortly
thereafter, his assignment was curtailed back to the United States and sent to
Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and was the
only artillery officer at the Infantry Basic Officer Candidate School,
receiving an award as “Honorary Doughboy” for his assistance to over 200
officers of the Officer Candidate Program for the Infantry. His next
assignment was in January, 1967, when he was sent to Vietnam for his first
tour in the Field Artillery, stationed in the Central Highlands. Upon his
return from Vietnam, he was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he was
promoted to the rank of Captain. Captain Burres then attended the Artillery
Officers Advanced Course. From there, he was sent back to SchwabischGmund, Germany, where he served with the 4th Battalion 41st Artillery. He
was temporarily assigned to the Air Defense Artillery (Pershing Missile)
Battery. He later volunteered for a second tour in Vietnam in May, 1970,
commanding an Artillery Battery. He returned to the United States in April,
1971. From there, Captain Burres was assigned to the University of
Wisconsin, Platteville, to help establish a new Army ROTC Department.
Captain Burres was an avid ROTC instructor until June, 1974. While at
Platteville, he helped to establish a satellite ROTC program at Upper Iowa
State University. At the end of those three years, he was sent to Fort Hood,
Texas, in June, 1974, where he started working at a testing facility for new
military equipment. He was promoted to the rank of Major in 1975. Major
Burres did a branch transfer to the 89th Military Police Brigade in 1976. He
received his Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Central
Texas in Killeen, Texas in 1977. In 1979, Major Burres attended the Army
War College and Command and General Staff School while stationed at Fort
Hood. He did a one year tour in Korea with the Military Police as a Deputy
Provost Marshal. When he returned to Fort Hood, he was promoted to the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1981, where he became the Deputy Provost
Marshal, 89th MP Brigade, Third Corps, Fort Hood, receiving the National
Crime Prevention Award for the lowest crime rate of any military installation
in the United States. He remained the Deputy Provost Marshal until his
retirement in September, 1985.
His military awards include: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal w/1
Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal,
National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service
Ribbon w/Numerals, 2 Vietnam Service Medal w/4 Bronze Stars, Republic
of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/60 Device, Meritorious Unit
Commendation, and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry w/Palm.
Upon retirement, LTC. Burres became Chief of Security for Scott &
White Hospital in Temple, Texas, and was responsible for the personal and
physical security of over 15 campuses. He became an active volunteer for
Texas Tech University in 1991 and continued his volunteer service to the
Moms and Dads Association and the Scholarship Committee through 2011,
where he was honored with the Stephen Wint Burres, Jr., honorary endowed
scholarship in September, 2011. He volunteered for a continuous six week
period doing presentations for freshman orientation and was an avid
supporter of Texas Tech Athletics, The Goin’ Band From Raiderland, and
Wounded Warriors Project.
Stephen Burres was an Eagle Scout with 2 palms, was instrumental in
starting and chairing the Bell County DWI Task Force, he volunteered for
Meals On Wheels for over 10 years, and was the building and grounds
director for Grace Presbyterian Church for over 8 years.