Posted by Ed Kritzer '48 on January 28, 2003:

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM C. BURROWS Retired Feb. 1, 1978 Major General William C. Burrows is vice commander in chief of Aerospace Defense Command with headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. The command administers, trains and equips all U.S. Air Force aerospace defense resources to defend North America and supervises air defense Air National Guard organizations. These forces are made available by ADCOM to the commander in chief of the North American Air Defense Command. General Burrows was born in Washington, D.C., in 1925. He graduated from high school at the Graham-Eckes School, Palm Beach, Fla., in 1943, and enlisted in the U.S. Army that same year. After preliminary training at Camp Blanding, Fla., he was sent to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. He received a congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., in 1944, and graduated in 1948 with a bachelor of science degree and commission as a second lieutenant. He has a master's degree from Columbia University, N.Y. He spent several months as a basic training officer at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, then entered basic flying training at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and graduated from advanced flying training at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in November 1949. His first operational assignment was to the 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 33d Fighter Group, Otis Air Force Base, Mass. The squadron later moved to Westover Air Force Base, Mass. During this assignment, he attended a 10-week course at the Aircraft Controllers School, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and in December 1950 was assigned there as an instructor. General Burrows entered Columbia University in February 1952 and graduated in July 1953 with a master's degree in international relations. He then was assigned at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., where he had been selected to be an instructor, in the Department of Social Sciences teaching U.S government, contemporary foreign governments, and economic and industrial geography. He was assistant professor of geography during 1955-56 and attended a summertime fellowship program at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1954. After two months of upgrade training in the F-100 aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., General Burrows was assigned in November 1956 as a fighter pilot in the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, Bitburg Air Base, Germany. He served as assistant operations officer and then executive officer of the 23d Tactical Fighter Squadron, and later moved to wing headquarters to become flying safety officer, chief of operations, and then acting deputy for operations. In August 1959 he returned to the United States to enter the Command and Staff Course at the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. In June 1960 General Burrows was assigned to Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base, Va., in the Doctrine and Policy Division. In addition, he served as a special assistant to the commander of TAC. In August 1965 he entered the National War College at Washington, D.C. In July 1966 he was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam as chief, Current operations Division, Directorate of Plans, Seventh Air Force, Tan Son Nhut Airfield, and later became director of plans. During this tour of duty he logged 165 hours of combat flying time. General Burrows was assigned in August 1967 to Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., in the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and operations, as a staff officer in the Aerospace Doctrine Division, and later became chief of the division. In March 1970 he became the deputy assistant for National Security Council Matters. In July 1971, upon being promoted to brigadier general, he assumed duties in the organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as chief, Far East/South Asia Division, Plans and Policy Directorate, J-5. Upon completion of that tour of duty in August 1972, he was assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Taiwan Defense Command, Taipei, Taiwan, with concurrent duty as commander, Detachment 14 of Headquarters Command, U.S. Air Force. In July 1974 General Burrows returned to Headquarters U.S. Air Force as deputy director of plans in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Operations. On March 1, 1976, he became deputy chief of staff, plans and programs for NORAD/ADCOM, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. He assumed his present position Aug. 20, 1977. General Burrows is a command pilot. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the order of Cloud and Banner from the Republic of China. He was promoted to the grade of major general Feb. 12, 1975, with date of rank July 1, 1972. (Current as of August 1977)

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