[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1170-E1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MAJOR GENERAL DOUGLAS BURNETT, FLORIDA'S ADJUTANT GENERAL, RETIRES 
                       AFTER 47 YEARS IN UNIFORM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2010

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, our state of Florida and our 
nation will lose one of our nation's uniformed heroes Friday when 
Florida Adjutant General, Major General Douglas Burnett, retires after 
serving our state as Adjutant General for almost nine years.
  In fact his 47 years, four months and 12 days in uniform make him our 
nation's longest serving Air Force officer. That is correct, General 
Burnett led the Florida National Guard while wearing a blue Air Force 
uniform. He was the first Air Guard officer selected by a Governor to 
lead Florida's National and Air Guard.
  General Burnett led his troops with passion and compassion. He rose 
through the ranks of a life-long National Guard career, beginning as an 
enlisted aircraft radio repairman in 1963 and securing his officer's 
commission and flight wings in 1969. Throughout his career, he served 
at all levels of the Florida Guard, including five tours as Assistant 
Adjutant General Air and Commander of the Florida Air Guard.
  Florida Governor Jeb Bush recognized this strong and steady record of 
leadership when just two months after one of our nation's darkest days, 
September 11, 2001, he selected General Burnett to serve as Florida's 
Adjutant General. It was a tall task for any officer but the right task 
for this General.
  General Burnett quickly established the respect and confidence of his 
troops as he over saw a force of 11,000 soldiers and airmen who 
deployed to two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, responded to 14 
hurricanes, five dangerous years of forest fires, untold tornadoes, and 
even a mission to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, the current 
deployment of Florida Guardsmen in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom is the largest deployment of Florida troops since World War II.
  Despite this hectic pace of operations over the past nine years, 
General Burnett never lost site of his mission to ensure the readiness 
of his troops and availability of the equipment they would need to 
carry out their missions safely and successfully. First and foremost, 
though, was the morale of his guardsmen and their families. As he told 
the Florida Air National Guard publication The Eagle's Eye, ``I felt 
that when you get to know the people and you get to know their mission 
and you get to know their needs, you can lead them better. I really dug 
in to know the culture, the needs.''
  Following my remarks, Madam Speaker, I will include the full story 
about General Burnett entitled ``A Leader's Legacy'' written by Master 
Sergeant Thomas Kielbasa because it captures the essence of a leader 
who carries out his duties equally focused on his mission and the needs 
of his troops.
  My wife Beverly and I know of General Burnett's commitment to 
standing up for the needs of his troops. We took many of his calls and 
e-mails in the middle of the night when others tried to deploy his 
troops with insufficient equipment, when they left his troops sitting 
on a tarmac without an aircraft waiting to return home, or when they 
readied his troops for deployment by putting them in inferior housing. 
Together we solved those problems but only because General Burnett had 
the courage to stand up for his troops and their families.
  As a career guardsman, General Burnett knew that there is no 
distinction between the abilities and professionalism of guard and 
active duty troops. And he always made sure that our nation's military 
leadership knew that and respected the special skills of our Citizen 
Soldiers.
  Throughout his life in uniform, General Burnett served side by side 
with his wife Judy who shared his commitment to taking care of the 
needs of his soldiers and particularly their families. She understood 
the stress of long deployments on spouses and children. This included 
financial and emotional strains.
  Madam Speaker, Major General Douglas Burnett has raised the bar to a 
new level when it comes to leadership. He has devoted his life to 
securing our state and securing our nation. He has helped shepherd us 
through some of our most difficult and dangerous times and done it with 
great skill. He has also trained his replacement, Major General Emmett 
R. Titshaw, Jr., well as this Air Guardsmen will step right in prepared 
to lead Florida's troops wherever their mission takes them.
  Our nation owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to Major General 
Douglas Burnett for his lifetime of service to our state and our nation 
and to the cause of freedom and liberty. He has followed in the 
greatest tradition of all those who have worn our nation's uniform from 
the Minutemen, our nation's earliest citizen soldiers, to the heroes 
who continue to carryout the international war on terrorism.
  In behalf of the people of Florida and the United States of America, 
and all those General Burnett has served with and led these past 47 
years, thank you for a job well done.

                         [From The Eagle's Eye]

 A Leader's Legacy: Major General Douglas Burnett, Adjutant General of 
                Florida, Reflects on 47 Years of Service

                    (By Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa)

       St. Augustine, FL (June 17, 2010).--It's been a long, fast 
     flight for Douglas Burnett. His career took off on a sunny 
     morning nearly 50 years ago when he was a young Airman 
     climbing into the cockpit of an F-102 fighter jet to repair a 
     pilot's radio.
       In what felt like just a few heartbeats to the Florida 
     Guardsman and aspiring jet pilot, his career sped by like a 
     supersonic fighter.
       Now the 65-year-old major general and current Adjutant 
     General of Florida knows his 47 years of military service are 
     nearly over.

[[Page E1171]]

     On June 26 Maj. Gen. Burnett will retire from the Florida 
     National Guard, but he clearly remembers that day he first 
     sat in a fighter jet and decided to make a lifetime 
     commitment to the National Guard.
       ``It seems like yesterday,'' the general said during a 
     recent interview at his home in St. Augustine. ``I came back 
     from tech school as an electronics specialist and I went out 
     onto the flight line to repair a radio. I had to get into the 
     cockpit to make sure it worked, and there was something about 
     it that was bigger than anything I had seen in my life. Just 
     sitting in that airplane . . . that was just a really big 
     deal.''
       That moment in 1963 jumpstarted the young Burnett's career 
     as an Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and when that 
     career ends after 47 years, four months and 12 days, it will 
     set a record making him the longest serving Air Force 
     officer.


                           A career takes off

       A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Burnett grew up interested 
     in electronics and developed a strong respect for the 
     military that led him to enlist in the Florida Air National 
     Guard. Shortly after high school he attended basic training 
     at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and then the U.S. Air 
     Force Electronics School at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. For 
     the next six years he served at the 125th Fighter Group in 
     Jacksonville as an aircraft radio repairman.
       ``Being around folks in the Air Guard was just a joy to 
     me,'' he recollected. ``I was into drag racing at the time; 
     the guys that had the best looking cars and the fastest cars 
     were in the Air Guard as well.''
       With his sights set on being a fighter pilot and an 
     officer, he earned a degree in Business Administration from 
     the University of Southern Mississippi and received a direct 
     commission in 1969. After fighter pilot training he was no 
     longer just dreaming of flying the F-102 Delta Dagger, but 
     was actually a full-time alert pilot and later a commercial 
     pilot for Pan American World Airways and United Airlines.
       After holding several key positions in the Florida Air 
     National Guard and accumulating more than 20,000 flying hours 
     in everything from the F-102 Delta Dagger to the 
     C-130 Hercules, Burnett was selected as the Adjutant General 
     of Florida in late 2001.


                           Engaged leadership

       For the first time in the history of the Florida National 
     Guard an Air Guard officer had been chosen to lead the more 
     than 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen in the state. This broke the 
     tradition of only Army general officers serving as The 
     Adjutant General (TAG) of Florida.
       ``I had spent many years in the Florida Air National Guard 
     and I knew my service--the `blue suit' side--pretty well,'' 
     the general explained. ``As the new TAG I knew I had to get 
     knee-deep into Soldier things--right down to the equipment 
     our Soldiers used--everything.''
       Burnett admitted he had a learning curve to familiarize 
     himself with every aspect of the Army National Guard; he 
     studied everything from basic Infantry tactics to even 
     learning the proper usage of the word ``Hooah.''
       ``I learned the Army language,'' he said. ``It's almost 
     like being bilingual . . . you come to appreciate the Army's 
     culture, which is the rugged business of `fieldcraft.' ''
       Throughout the next nine years Maj. Gen. Burnett would be 
     seen jumping into a foxhole next to a young private to test a 
     .50-calibre machine gun, looking under the hood of a mud-
     speckled Humvee, and even donning a Kevlar helmet to watch 
     engineers rig explosives. Soldiers throughout the state would 
     stare wide-eyed as the two-star general approached them, 
     asked about their jobs or families, and discussed the 
     similarities between the Army and the Air Force.
       ``There are a lot of similarities,'' Burnett said. ``That 
     crew chief on the flight line is just as committed to working 
     in tough conditions as that Army Infantry Soldier who is out 
     there in the foxhole and crawling through the mud.''
       He admitted that some people might call his leadership 
     style ``micromanagement,'' but he calls it ``engaged 
     leadership.''
       ``I felt that when you get to know the people and you get 
     to know their mission and you get to know their needs, you 
     can lead them better,'' he explained. ``I really dug in to 
     know the culture, the needs.''


                              Wartime TAG

       When he assumed the role of Adjutant General in November 
     2001, Maj. Gen. Burnett knew he was taking charge during an 
     unprecedented time in the Florida National Guard. The Sept. 
     11 terrorist attacks were fresh wounds on the American 
     psyche, and no one could exactly predict how that would 
     affect those serving in uniform; during the next nine years 
     the ``Global War on Terrorism'' would draw the talents of 
     more than 11,000 Florida Army National Guard Soldiers and 
     Airmen to locations and combat zones around the world.
       ``Not only were we engaged in combat operations in two wars 
     in Afghanistan and Iraq and other places in harm's way, but 
     we responded to 14 hurricanes, five firefighting seasons, 
     major tornadoes, and we've done it all at the same time,'' 
     the general noted. ``And while we were doing this we also 
     sent Florida Guardsmen to the U.S.-Mexico border security 
     mission called `Operation Jump Start.' ''
       Burnett said this showed the Department of Defense, the 
     Departments of the Army and Air Force, and the National Guard 
     Bureau, that ``Florida can fight major wars, respond to 
     natural disasters and still perform domestic security 
     operations at the same time. The nation has a right to expect 
     us to step up in all three venues.''
       But as the Florida National Guard moved into the uncharted 
     territory of a 21st century battlefield, the general met the 
     challenges and pressures of being a ``wartime TAG.''
       ``I can think of many occasions that kept me up at night,'' 
     Burnett admitted. ``The rapid deployment of the 53rd Brigade 
     to Iraq in 2002 was one of the roughest periods, because we 
     literally called Soldiers the day after Christmas and in five 
     or six days we were moving them to Fort Stewart.''
       He said the biggest question he kept asking himself was 
     whether the more than 1,500 Florida National Guard Soldiers 
     were trained enough for combat operations against Saddam 
     Hussein's forces.
       ``I was concerned if we had the right weapons,'' he 
     explained. ``For example, body armor: we did not start with 
     the Interceptor body armor that the Active Duty had. And we 
     didn't know if we were going to have it until right before we 
     went through that berm between Jordan and Iraq. I was very 
     concerned we weren't going to have it.''
       Thanks to support by congressional leaders, National Guard 
     Soldiers and Airmen throughout Florida were equipped and 
     ready, Burnett noted.
       ``Our congressional delegation has been magnificent in our 
     support of the Florida National Guard, particularly in the 
     funding of new equipment,'' he said. ``The Constitution says 
     that the Congress will equip the Guard, and they've done 
     that. Congressman C.W. Bill Young has been an absolute hero 
     in leading the charge for the modernization of equipment and 
     facilities for the Florida National Guard. Our senators and 
     the rest of the delegation have been superb as well.''
       Later in 2003 uncertainty about the redeployment dates of 
     the Florida Infantry units serving in Iraq brought a storm of 
     media coverage and outcry from concerned family members. The 
     general's answer was to address the concerns of the families 
     and the public directly during a series of unprecedented and 
     personal ``town hall meetings.''
       ``Initially our Soldiers believed they would only be gone 
     for six months,'' Maj. Gen. Burnett recollected. ``As it 
     became obvious they would spend a year of `boots on the 
     ground' our families were frightened and they were 
     frustrated. I felt the only way to get the message to them 
     was to do it personally.''
       In a little over a week he participated in ten meetings 
     from South Florida to the Panhandle, meeting with family 
     groups and letting them know why the Soldiers would continue 
     to serve in the combat zone.
       ``It was a pick-up game at that point; things were changing 
     daily,'' he said. ``I was working on behalf of the governor 
     to carry facts to these families. And it was a very difficult 
     mission because the senior leaders in Iraq were telling 
     Guardsmen that they were going to be going home at the six-
     month point. And the information I was getting from the 
     Pentagon was that we were going to be there for a year. I had 
     to go out and deliver that news, and it was very difficult to 
     look these families in the eyes and tell them their Soldiers 
     would be gone another six months.''


               ``Not your grandfather's National Guard''

       The extensive deployments for the Soldiers and Airmen of 
     the Florida National Guard after 2001 demanded a commitment 
     to a tenet that the Adjutant General addressed throughout his 
     career: Readiness.
       ``Readiness and high states of readiness are confidence 
     builders,'' he explained. ``These successes ensure 
     (Department of Defense) support and Congressional funding. 
     You just can't operate a National Guard with anything less 
     than the highest standards.''
       Burnett's mantra of the Guard moving from ``a force in 
     reserve to a force in being'' was echoed throughout the 
     Florida National Guard during his tenure and evidenced each 
     time an Army or Air unit left for deployment. He said Active 
     Duty counterparts and Florida citizens deserved to know how 
     ready and reliable the Florida National Guard actually was, 
     especially during high-profile missions like Operations Noble 
     Eagle, Iraqi Freedom, or Enduring Freedom.
       ``I think we've been able to transcend a lot of concerns 
     about Guard readiness in the past, because over seven years 
     of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq they have found 
     the Guard highly capable,'' he said.
       The general pointed to high ratings by the Florida Air 
     National Guard on Operational Readiness Inspections, and by 
     the Florida Army National Guard on Command Logistics Review 
     inspections, as proof of this.
       ``That's the way to send the signal that we `get it','' he 
     said. ``This is not your grandfather's National Guard.
       ``I really hope the commitment to excellence that I've 
     tried to instill, has become a mindset in our Soldiers and 
     Airmen,'' Burnett added. ``If you don't want to be part of 
     the best National Guard state in America, you probably don't 
     want to serve here. And I can assure you that almost all of 
     our people feel that way. We have fighter pilots wanting to 
     join the 125th Fighter Wing because of its high standards of 
     excellence. We have young people that stay with us on the 
     Army side because they want to be on a winning team. And we 
     are a winning team.''


                            Legacy of people

       When he entered the military during the heyday of the Cold 
     War, Airman Burnett was

[[Page E1172]]

     working with equipment and aircraft that now can probably 
     only be seen in military museums. Almost half a century later 
     the Guard's equipment has changed, but the high level of 
     commitment and service found in its people has remained.
       According to the Adjutant General, he believes his own 
     commitment to those members of the Florida National Guard's 
     enlisted and officer corps will serve as his lasting legacy.
       ``I would hope that my biggest legacy is that I was a 
     leader who was engaged in the full spectrum of our missions, 
     but was mostly concerned about people,'' he said. ``Because, 
     it is the people that make the National Guard what it is. 
     We've always done the missions even though we haven't always 
     had the best equipment. We've got good equipment now, but 
     it's the same great people we've always had.''
       Burnett lauded the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) he has 
     served with during his long career, noting that while their 
     professionalism has remained high, they have become 
     increasingly ``technically and professionally proficient'' 
     over the years.
       ``I still hold in awe the NCOs that led us during the 60s, 
     the 70s and the 80s; they were absolutely astounding,'' he 
     explained. ``We've always had strong NCOs, but they've 
     stepped up, they're taking on more responsibility earlier, 
     they're exerting strong leadership skills earlier.''
       He noted that as a senior leader he always tried to focus 
     his own energy on meeting the needs of the junior enlisted 
     and junior officers.
       ``I've been concerned with making sure our leaders 
     understand how important it is to reach out to every 
     individual Guardsman so that they know how important we think 
     they are,'' he said. ``And they are very important to us.''
       The general and his wife Judy were also ever-present 
     supporters of the Guard's expanding Family Readiness 
     initiatives; whether it was at a unit deployment or a 
     welcome-home ceremony, the Burnetts could be found meeting 
     with Soldiers, Airmen, and their Families.
       ``I've been honored to serve alongside some unbelievable 
     people, both Army and Air,'' he said. ``I've tried to shift 
     our focus from simply taking care of Soldiers and Airmen to 
     actually meeting our service members' expectations. Let me 
     tell you, there's a big difference between taking care of 
     Guardsmen and meeting their expectations. You have to think a 
     little more and you certainly have to work a lot harder.''


                             Final approach

       Each generation of Guardsmen has a leader that represents 
     its period of service, and those Florida Soldiers and Airmen 
     who served during the first decade of the 21st Century will 
     see Burnett as this generation's leader. After Maj. Gen. 
     Burnett hangs up his uniform for the final time, he will 
     stand among those leaders who helped carry on a tradition of 
     military service in Florida that stretches back to 1565.
       ``I'm going to miss the people,'' Burnett said. ``That is 
     what this business is all about; being around Guardsmen has 
     been my life.''
       He said he won't miss the status or the rank that went with 
     being the Adjutant General, but rather will miss wearing his 
     military uniform and interacting with his fellow Guard 
     members.
       ``I'll miss wearing the uniform because it identifies you 
     with people who have a similar commitment to something bigger 
     than yourself,'' he added. ``For me the National Guard has 
     been my passion. I loved to fly, but being able to make a 
     difference and make the lives of our people better is a 
     passion that has consumed me. That is what I'll miss.''
       As his 47-year-long sortie comes to an end, and he pushes 
     back the cockpit canopy of an historic career one last time, 
     Douglas Burnett will know the flight lasted just a few 
     seconds--nearly 1.5 billion seconds.
       And the Florida National Guard is grateful for every second 
     he has given to our state and nation. Well done, sir . . . 
     well done!

                          ____________________