Russell Adam Burnham
Russell Adam Burnham (born September 6, 1979), is an American business owner and U.S. Army veteran. He is the great-grandson of Frederick Russell Burnham (1861–1947), recipient of the Distinguished Service Order, and famous American scout and world-traveling adventurer who helped inspire the founding of the international Scouting Movement. Burnham was recognized as the 2003 U.S. Army Soldier of the Year,[2][3] 2007 U.S. Army Medical Corps NCO of the Year,[4] and is an Eagle Scout.[5]
Russell Adam Burnham | |
|---|---|
 Then Staff Sgt Russell Adam Burnham, U.S. Army Medical Corps NCO of the Year (2007) | |
| Born | September 6, 1979 Tucson, Arizona |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 2001–present |
| Rank |  Captain[1] |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards |
|
Military career
Burnham is an active duty Army officer currently serving as a Physician Assistant in an Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (AH-64D/E) at Fort Hood. As a prior enlisted Soldier, he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant before receiving a commission in the Army Medical Specialist Corps
U.S. Army Soldier of the Year
Burnham was serving as an Evacuation Specialist with HHC, 1/5 Infantry Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington, when he decided to compete in the preliminary competitions for the 2003 Soldier of the Year. After winning his battalion's honor, he went on to win the competition for 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, and later for I Corps and Fort Lewis. He then competed in, and won, the U.S. Army Forces Command Soldier of the Year competition, which afforded him the opportunity to represent the largest command in the Army at the Soldier of the Year competition. Burnham won the competition, consisting of several grueling mental and physical tasks, and was reassigned to Washington, DC to serve as an ambassador for the Army.[6] For the next year, Burnham was stationed at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and he represented the Army at events such as: the Association of the United States Army National Convention, the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, the NASCAR Daytona 500, and a Washington Redskins football game. He also joined comedian, now Senator, Al Franken on a USO tour of Iraq and Afghanistan in December 2003.
Medical Command Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
In 2005 Burnham was promoted to Sergeant and reassigned to Fort Sam Houston. In 2007 Staff Sergeant Burnham won the title of NCO of the Year for the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Representing MEDCOM, he competed against NCOs from all 13 major commands in the U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition,[4][7] but was unable to duplicate his victory from 2003.[8]
Physician Assistant
Based on the board results from summer 2007 and after completing prerequisite courses at San Antonio College, Burnham attended the Interservice Physician Assistant Program at Fort Sam Houston beginning in April 2009, and graduated in Hawaii at Tripler Army Medical Center in 2011.[1] Then he received his captain's commission, moving to Fort Drum and assuming his first physician assistant role with 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Awards and decorations
Burnham's decorations and badges include the following:
| U.S. military decorations | |
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Bronze Star |
  |
Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster) |
  |
Army Commendation Medal (with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
 |
Army Achievement Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters) |
| U.S. unit awards | |
 |
Army Meritorious Unit Commendation |
| Service awards | |
  |
Army Good Conduct Medal |
| U.S. service (campaign) medals and service and training ribbons | |
 |
National Defense Service Medal |
 |
Afghanistan Campaign Medal |
 |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
 |
Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon (Award numeral 2) |
 |
Army Service Ribbon |
 |
Army Overseas Service Ribbon |
| U.S. badges, patches and tabs | |
 |
Expert Field Medical Badge |
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Air Assault Badge |
 |
10th Mountain Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
worn as his Combat Service Identification Badge |
 |
1 Overseas Service Bars |
Other awards
- 1995 Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
- 2003 U.S. Army Soldier of the Year
- American Legion 2004 Military Spirit of Service award for his work with the Boy Scouts while stationed at Fort Belvoir.[9]
- 2007 U.S. Army Medical Command NCO of the Year
- Sergeant Audie Murphy Award
- Ditch Medicine Award (2014)[1]
Lineage
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Burnham is a descendant of Thomas Burnham (1617–1688) of Hartford, Connecticut, the first American ancestor of a large number of Burnhams.[10] The descendants of Thomas Burnham have been noted in every American war, including the French and Indian war.[11]
- Frederick Russell Burnham (Great-grandfather) - A highly decorated British Army scout, fought in the First Matabele War, Second Matabele War, and the Second Boer War; taught scouting to Robert Baden-Powell, becoming one of the inspirations for the founding of the international Scouting Movement; named an Honorary Scout by the Boy Scouts of America. Mount Burnham is named after this man.[12]
- Roderick Deane Burnham (Grandfather - paternal) - U.S. Army infantry in World War I, fought in France.
- Dresden Gordon "Red" Taylor (Grandfather - maternal) - U.S. Army engineer in World War II; landed in a glider on Utah Beach during D-Day and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
- Frederick Russell Burnham II (Father) - U.S. Army communications, fought in Vietnam; served as a troop leader in the Boy Scouts of America.
Business Owner
Burnham is the Founder and President of Front Line Mobile Health, a Texas based health care business providing services to fire departments nation-wide.[13] Additionally, he is the co-founder of Fit 4 Duty, which provides organizational needs assessments and mental health screenings for businesses and public safety departments.[14]
Personal life
A native of Tucson, Arizona, Burnham has earned an associate degree from Rio Salado College and Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is a Boy Scouts of America volunteer and is married with seven children.
Footnotes
- Ghiringhelli, Steve (Feb 13, 2014). "10th Mountain medical officer receives inaugural 'Ditch' award". U.S. Army. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- Preston, Kenneth O. (2003). "Sgt Major, US Army". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 2006-04-19. Retrieved 2006-04-22.
- "U.S. Army Best Warrior Competition". U.S. Army. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- "United States Army Best Warrior Competition". U.S. Army. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- "Frederick Russell Burnham". White Eagle District. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
- Fort Lewis specialist is named Army Soldier of the Year, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Phuong Cat Le, October 3, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-07-09.
- "MEDCOM bio burnham". U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 2007-12-03. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- Staff Sgt. Seifert, Spc. Seeker Named Army's Best Warriors, US Army website, Beth Reece, October 8, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-07-08.
- Strasser, Mike. "Best Warrior Continues Tradition of Military Excellence". U.S. Army. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- Bradford, Mary E; Richard H Bradford (1993). An American family on the African frontier: the Burnham family letters, 1893–1896. Niwot, Colorado: Roberts Rinehart Publishers. ISBN 1-879373-66-1.
- Press Reference Library: Notables of the West. New York: International News Service. 1915. OCLC 5532411.
- "Great Canadian Heritage Discoveries". Biographical sketch. The Canadian Anglo-Boer War Museum. 200. Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
- FRONT LINE MOBILE HEALTH. Retrieved on 2018-04-01.
- Fit 4 Duty. Retrieved on 2018-04-01.
