[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 176 (Tuesday, November 5, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6382]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              Tribute to Major General Jefferson S. Burton

  Mr. LEE. Madam President, I rise to honor Utah's valiant citizen, MG 
Jeff Burton, adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, and to pay 
tribute to him for his many years of devoted service to our Nation and 
to the great State of Utah.
  As General Burton closes a long chapter of 37 years of military 
service, he leaves behind a tremendous legacy as an American patriot 
and as a true servant-leader. So I would like to take a moment to talk 
about General Burton today.
  From a young age, General Burton knew that he wanted to follow in the 
footsteps of a number of his family members by serving both his faith 
and his country. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints on a Canadian Indian reservation, braving harsh 
conditions that would well prepare him for his future of military 
service.
  As soon as he returned home, he enrolled at Brigham Young University, 
where he enlisted in the National Guard as an artillery field soldier. 
He joined BYU's ROTC Program, receiving a commission as second 
lieutenant in 1984.
  He completed tours with the U.S. Army Military Police Corps in 
Alabama; with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, CO; and with 
the 7th U.S. Corps in Germany, where he witnessed the fall of the 
Berlin Wall.
  In 1991, General Burton left the Army and returned home to join the 
Utah National Guard, where he served in a variety of distinguished 
leadership positions over the next decade. Chief among them was a 
position that involved commanding the 1457th Engineer Combat Battalion 
during Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the initial ground war in 
that conflict.
  He and his troops were tasked with searching for and eliminating 
explosive devices, improving Embassy security, and improvising whenever 
necessary to strengthen security in and around the U.S. Embassy, and of 
course responding to bombings and other acts of terror. They were often 
the first ones on the scene of an explosion. In honor of his heroic 
service there, he was awarded the Bronze Star.
  General Burton was appointed assistant adjutant general of the Utah 
National Guard in 2008, promoted to brigadier general just a few months 
later, and then made major general and adjutant general in 2012. In 
this role, General Burton has trained and equipped over 7,000 soldiers 
under his command and helped them to prepare to respond to challenges 
in both military life and in their personal lives.
  He has prepared them not only to fight our Nation's wars and provide 
military support to our troops throughout the world but to combat 
wildfires, respond to natural disasters, and ensure law and order in 
our communities. Under his leadership, they have performed at an 
absolutely remarkable and, indeed, exceptional caliber.
  When the 100,000-soldier surge in Afghanistan ended in 2012, General 
Burton was also responsible for overseeing the needs of the soldiers 
returning home from war. He rose to the challenge, tending to both the 
physical and emotional needs of those warriors and their families with 
the utmost care. As he himself has once said, ``May we make a silent 
promise to keep the faith with our battle buddies and wingmen. . . . 
May we be strong for one another, and unashamedly rush to the aid of 
those in need. May we remember those who have suffered grievous 
physical wounds in the defense of liberty, and may we never forget 
those who have given the ultimate sacrifice within our formations so 
that we might live in freedom.''
  General Burton has lived by these words over his long and dedicated 
career. Every day he keeps a note tucked in the band of his hat. That 
note contains the list of the soldiers who were killed in combat or 
during 9/11 under his command. He has led by example, never asking of 
his soldiers something that he himself has not done. He has led in 
order to serve, striving always to protect the welfare of his command, 
of our country, of the U.S. Constitution, and of the freedoms it 
protects.
  So it is only fitting that we honor him today. On behalf of our 
Nation and all Utahns, I thank MG Jeff Burton for the sacrifices he and 
his family have made to secure the freedoms we hold dear. I 
congratulate him on this occasion and wish him many happy years ahead 
with his wife, Charn, and their children.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.