[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 19458-19459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MAJOR LANCE BURNETT

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize MAJ Lance Burnett's 
service to his country and as an Air Force fellow on my staff. Major 
Burnett joined my office through the Congressional Fellows Program. 
Over the past year, he has been an invaluable addition to my staff. He 
has demonstrated an expertise with military policy issues and built 
close relationships both within the office and on Capitol Hill.
  As a member of my staff, Major Burnett has been closely involved in a 
number of policy areas. He has assisted with the defense appropriations 
process, liaised with the Veterans Affairs Committee, and coordinated 
congressional delegations. He has served as an adviser on issues 
relating to the armed services to me and my staff, adding invaluable 
perspective. He has exemplified the Air Force values of ``Integrity 
First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do'' through his 
work. The Air Force has recognized his service through his selection 
for promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel on August 26, 2010.

[[Page 19459]]

  Major Burnett hails from Cameron, TX. He received his bachelor of 
science degree from Texas A&M University and his commission from the 
Air Force Officer and Training School. Since earning his flight wings 
in 1998, Major Burnett has become a senior navigator, completing over 
2,800 flight hours of with 613 hours of them in combat.
  Major Burnett has served as an instructor and evaluator navigator in 
both the Air Mobility Command and the Air Force Special Operations 
Command, flying support missions for Operations Southern Watch, Joint 
Forge, Joint Endeavor, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, as well as 
numerous counternarcotics missions in South America.
  Prior to being accepted into the Congressional Fellows Program, Major 
Burnett was the MC-130E/H standardization and evaluation branch chief 
at Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command where he was 
responsible for all 30 MC-130E Combat Talon and MC-130H Combat Talon II 
aircraft in the USAF inventory and their associated 390 aircrew 
members. He has been honored with the Meritorious Service Medal, the 
Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, 
the Air Force Combat Action Medal, and the 2006 General P.K. Carlton 
Award for Valor. Major Burnett and his wife Andrea have two children, 
Peyton and Andrew.
  I would like to pay a special tribute to Major Burnett's tremendous 
public service and recognize his work on behalf of Pennsylvanians.

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