Photo By Sgt. Devan Gowans | U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Richard Burkett, Jr. poses with Marines and veterans he has...... read more read more
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - “I’m coming to the end of my Marine Corps career, which is something that I’ve really loved, and I’m getting ready to say goodbye to it,” said U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Richard ‘Trainwreck’ Burkett Jr.
Burkett recollected the moments of his life that made him the man that he is today. He realized early on in his life that he was destined to become a Marine.
“I thought, ‘What else was there for me to do?’” He said. “As far as I was concerned, there was nothing else.”
Burkett, a New Castle, Pa., transplant, career Marine Corps aviator, and archery instructor at the 2016 Marine Corps Trials, was injured in an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crash with three other Service members in Morocco April 11, 2012, during Exercise African Lion. He was one of two who survived the crash.
The crash left Burkett’s legs severely damaged, and he was transported to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. Army hospital in Germany, for treatment.
After receiving medical care in Germany for four days, he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Md., April 17, 2012, where he began a medical rehabilitation regimen to ensure that his legs remained fully operational and did not need to be amputated.
Burkett took on months of limb salvage treatment during his time at WRNMMC. While his left leg was able to be salvaged, his right leg had to be amputated below the knee after 14 months of treatment. A major infection then developed in his left leg shortly after the amputation. The following months of additional medical treatment on his left leg saved it from amputation.
However, it is the loss of his two fellow Marines in the crash that have left the deepest scars. As Burkett moved forward in his recovery and began to deal with his physical and emotional scars, he began to look for something to excite him about post-injury life.
“As an inpatient at Walter Reed, Jenny Sullivan and Carrie Rogers, approached me and asked me if I’m into sports,” said Burkett.
He recalled his days playing for and serving as a staff member of the All-Marine Rugby Team, but knew that must have been out of the question at this point. “’I’m an archer,’ I said to them. Naturally, I began to talk some smack,” he said. “I’ll take any active duty Marine, anytime, anywhere.”
Burkett revived his old pastime of archery, which, at that point, became the key to helping him overcome the recent major challenge in his life and breaking away from the anxiety his injuries had instilled in him.
As an outpatient at Walter Reed, he participated in the hospital’s recreational therapy archery program, eventually moving on to compete in archery at Valor Games Southeast in Raleigh, N.C., in 2013. He won gold in both men’s open recurve and men’s open compound bow divisions. His performance at Valor Games Southeast led to him participating in the 2013 Endeavor Games in Oklahoma City.
“At the end of the Endeavor Games, one of the United States Archery Team members who had helped me throughout the tournament informed me that I won gold,” Burkett said, calling to mind his disbelief in that moment. “I thought she must have been from the geriatric division, but sure enough, I won gold.”
London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park soon beheld Burkett’s virtuosity of archery at the Invictus Games in September 2014 when he took gold in the open compound bow event. Mastery of the sport was instrumental to his recovery from the injuries that he sustained in 2012.
“I shot as much as I could and I encouraged others to shoot too,” he said. “It got me off base and it gave me an opportunity to focus on something other than my legs.”
Burkett’s current command, the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment, hosts the annual Marine Corps Trials where wounded, ill, and injured Marines and veterans compete in archery and other sporting events. Burkett participates in the Trials as an archery coach, assisting the athletes and offering them guidance on the sport.
“My favorite part of coaching here is that they turn to me with a big smile on their face and say, ‘Thanks, coach’,” he shared. “When I know that they are genuinely excited about their performance and knowing that I was able to help them get there is what pumps me up.”
Burkett’s plan for the future after the Marine Corps is to further his shooting, as well as continue coaching wounded, ill, and injured individuals who have taken to the sport of archery. He hopes to continue making it accessible to athletes who are doubtful in their abilities.
Although Burkett does not pilot the Ospreys that he loved to fly anymore, he was able to overcome his injuries from the crash and find solace in an old amusement. His passion for the sport of archery has also helped other athletes find consolation with their “new normal.”
Burkett recalled back to his rehabilitation stage at WRNMMC, as he began to contemplate what his future will hold for him. ”I remember hearing my own voice saying, ‘God’s plan has changed for you. You can fight it or embrace it, but either way, it’s changed.”
While it’s been difficult for Burkett to come to terms with the deviations in his path, he thinks back on his old mentors in the Marine Corps and the lessons of leadership that they have left him with. The importance of being a true leader comes from building others up as individuals, he shared.
“It’s all about embracing the change and giving back what I can, as I can.”
| Date Taken: | 03.09.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.09.2016 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 191704 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,989 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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