Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Burnard (right), outgoing hospital command sergeant major,...... read more read more
FORT IRWIN, Calif. – From joining the Army in 2002 as a 33-year-old private to becoming the command sergeant major of the Army’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum hospital, Command Sgt. Maj. Craig Burnard insists, “I was never supposed to make it this far.”
He shared the same sentiment in back-to-back ceremonies when Burnard relinquished responsibility of Weed Army Community Hospital to 1st Sgt. Rosalina Browning and then retired July 20, here.
Burnard, a Fullerton, Calif., native, said he joined the Army because of 9/11 and his brother, who also served in the military.
“I thought, if I don’t [join the Army] now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” Burnard recalled.
Before he left for basic combat training, Burnard saw a glimpse of what the Army was about when a recruiter ran with him every weekend for three months in order to help Burnard get in shape for basic combat training.
“In my mind, that’s what the Army was,” Burnard said. “He showed me what the Army was by taking care of people.”
Throughout his career, Burnard took advantage of any opportunity he could to become a better Soldier, he said.
At his first assignment with 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Burnard immediately deployed and later became the Soldier of the year for his unit as a 35-year-old specialist, he said.
He went on to attend numerous military schools, including some where he was the only combat medic in attendance, such as the joint firepower course, he said.
“I’m not better, I’m not smarter, I’m not faster, I’m not bigger, I’m not any of that,” Burnard said. “I’m determined.”
Burnard also took advantage of civilian education opportunities during his time in the Army.
When he joined the Army, Burnard had no college credits, and now he has four degrees, he said.
Burnard said the Army changed him as a person.
“It took the Army to show me that it’s your people that make you succeed,” Burnard said. “Teach your people to succeed, and you have to succeed.”
Col. Michael Story, the Weed ACH commander, worked alongside Burnard since Story took command in July 2022, only six months after Burnard assumed responsibility of the hospital.
“You will find no one more passionate about operational medicine than Command Sgt. Maj. Burnard and what a journey it’s been,” Story said during the retirement ceremony. “Throughout his journey, what Command Sgt. Maj. Burnard understood is that true, authentic leadership is about servanthood.”
One of the things Burnard is proudest of is never saying no if a qualified Soldier who had their supervisor's approval wanted to go to a school, since many people join the Army because they want to be better than they were, he said.
“One of the things I ask of my Soldiers is I don’t need you to be the best, I just need you better than yesterday,” Burnard said. “You prove that by giving them opportunities [and] there’s nothing like seeing a Soldier realize who they really are in the military under your guidance.”
Burnard said one of his philosophies throughout his military career included training your replacement.
“It’s our job to teach junior level people how to be senior level people," he said. "If we aren’t training them to be us, then there’s not going to be an us, and you’ll get what you get."
Burnard said he pushed the philosophy that he was going to teach his Soldiers everything he knew to get them to where he was and then help them further themselves.
It may be no coincidence then that several Soldiers who used to work for him are currently command sergeants major or in the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.
“The fact that there are that many who are still in the Army and … positively influencing the rest of the Army,” Burnard said. “I just think you can’t ask for better than that.”
Story spoke about Burnard’s influence during Burnard’s retirement ceremony.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Burnard, you have absolutely made a difference in the lives of many because of your commitment to serve others and you’ve influenced generations of Soldiers and family,” Story said.
Burnard plans to retire to Florida with his wife, Kim, and spend time with his grandchildren.
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2023 15:58 |
| Story ID: | 450866 |
| Location: | FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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