Sappington National Guard Soldier aces infantry leadership course

Staff Sgt. James M. Burgess Jr., of Sappington, was recently named a distinguished honor graduate of the Army's Infantryman Advanced Leadership Course.

By Bill Phelan
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - A local Missouri National Guard Soldier, Staff Sgt. James M. Burgess Jr., of Sappington, was recently named a distinguished honor graduate of the Infantryman Advanced Leadership Course.

An Iraqi War Veteran with 10 years of Guard service, Burgess completed the four-week, two-phase course with an academic score of 93.5-percent.

"The course is fairly challenging," Burgess said. "There are three tactical, written exams, a land navigation course, a demolition course and a forward observer examination and they take the cumulative average of how you performed on all of that. You are also evaluated on leadership because it's essentially a platoon sergeant's school."

Given the fact that some of those who take the course fail to complete it, Burgess was relieved to have done so well.
"This will help me take that next step in my military career," he said.

Staff Sgt. Burgess is a weapons squad leader with C Company, 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment. His unit is headquartered at the National Guard Armory on south Kingshighway in St. Louis.

When not wearing the Army uniform, Burgess works as financial advisor and is step-father to his wife Jennifer's 7-year-old son.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites:
www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng;

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For more information about this release, please contact UPAR Bill Phelan at 314-416-6639 or cell, 314-556-5428 or e-mail bill.phelan@us.army.mil.