DON BURCH, SF and NASA

Special Forces lost a family member this week. After an interesting Army career, he went on to a second career at NASA. Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid penned a very nice memorial to him - S.L.

There are so many stories from the last 23 years that I hardly know where to begin. Don joined the Army when he was 17. He lost a brother in Vietnam and ended up serving two tours there himself. He was in Signal Corps, Airborne, Special Forces, recruiting, and Hawk missile maintenance. He earned two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and turned down a third Purple Heart because that would have sent him home. (Yes, he despised John Kerry.)

He was a Master Parachute Rigger, was part of a jump demo team that went all over Europe (not the Golden Knights), and made a special parachute system for a Kermit the Frog doll. After he retired from the Army, he worked for a couple of contractors before being hired by NASA. A co-worker didn’t think he should be drawing Army retirement while working for NASA, and Don let him know right quick that he could go down to the recruiting office and get in on the action, with the comment that even as an E-8, his family qualified for food stamps and reduced price school lunches.

This guy truly was remarkable - read the rest of his incredible story HERE.

STORMBRINGER SENDS