MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center
Roll of Honor
Buerstetta, Richard A.
Branch of Service: MarinesEra: OEF/OIF/ONDLocation of Burial: Middle Tennessee State Veterans CemeteryTown of Burial: Nashville, TN
Lance Corporal Richard Allen Buerstetta was born on January 22, 1986, in Lake Forest, Illinois, to Paul and Madeline Buerstetta. The family, including his sister Avrill and brother Thomas, eventually settled on a 22-acre horse farm in Fernvale, Tennessee. Richard graduated from Franklin High School in Williamson County in 2004. Known as a star rugby player, he was inspired by the events of 9/11 to join the Marine Corps Reserve after graduation. Richard was assigned to India Company, 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines (3/24), a Marine Corps Reserve unit based in Nashville. In 2006 while attending Middle Tennessee State University he was activated for service in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Richard deployed to Al Anbar Province in September 2006. Tragically, he was killed on October 23, 2006, when an improvised explosive device (IED) destroyed his vehicle. Lance Corporal Tyler Overstreet was also killed and three other Marines wounded. Posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Richard was buried in Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. In 2008 a bridge in Williamson County near his family’s farm was dedicated as the “Lance Corporal Richard A. Buerstetta Memorial Bridge.”
