'Be All-In' Jeff and Charn Burton's Words of Advice

'BE ALL-IN'

JEFF AND CHARN BURTON'S WORDS TO THE RISING GENERATION

by Hank McIntire

for valor magazine

In November 2019, Maj. Gen. Jefferson S. Burton completed seven years of service as adjutant general of the Utah National Guard and nearly 38 years in an Army uniform. Brigadier Gen. Michael J. Turley took the reins from Burton and assumed command of the 7,000 soldiers and airmen who serve the citizens of Utah and the nation.

The timing of the change was Burton’s decision. He had spent much of his career training and preparing the next generation of soldiers and leaders to carry on after him.

“I felt it was time for somebody else,” said Burton, “and I felt good about the bench we had built. We worked many years to build a culture we could be proud of and the quality of leaders you want your children to go to war with.”

Burton recommended Turley and a few others to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert as possible candidates to replace him as adjutant general. Burton explained that each was interviewed by Herbert and Turley came out on top.

“I watched over Mike as he came up through the ranks,” said Burton. “He was one of my operations officers when I commanded the 1457th Engineers in Iraq. He is someone who will take good care of our troops and their families, and that’s what mattered to me.”

Over the years, Turley and dozens of others—including this writer—were on the receiving end of Burton’s mentoring as they received increasing responsibility in the Utah National Guard.

“I always did the best I could to train people so that they could be the right kind of person in a difficult environment,” said Burton of his efforts to groom the leaders under his influence during his military career.

'THAT’S THE KIND OF GUY YOU WANT TO BE'

Burton is quick to recognize that he himself was also a product of others’ examples from his earliest years. “All give us pleasure— some by coming and some by going,” he mused. While he had many role models worth emulating, he also “had many who were the antithesis of mentoring.”

As a boy, Jeff Burton stood, transfixed, as he watched the same gray-haired soldier in Army green march smartly past him, carrying the American flag in the Payson, Utah, parade each Fourth of July.

He learned later that the perennial flag bearer was John Arthur Davis, a World War II veteran and prisoner of war. “He was so engaging with kids—and one of the nicest, kindest men I have ever known,” recalled Burton. “Most adults are too busy; he was not.”

Davis was a survivor of the Bataan Death March, where Japanese captors forced American and Filipino prisoners to walk more than 70 miles over six days to the nearest POW camp. Captives were given only one meal of rice during the entire trek, and tens of thousands died from exposure and atrocities.

“When I got older and learned more about him, I was blown away at what he had been through,” said Burton. “His wife told me he would wake up screaming many nights. You never saw that in his interactions. He had tremendous personal capacity.”

“At a young age, I thought to myself—” Burton’s voice trailed off, as emotion took the place of words. “’That’s the kind of guy you want to be.’”

EARLY INFLUENCES AND EXPERIENCES

Others in Burton’s early years also instilled in him a love of country and the obligation to give back. His father, Joseph Burton,

(ABOVE) SALEM, Utah. June 2020. Charn and Jeff Burton at

home sharing stories from their nearly 38 years in the US

Armed Forces. photo by hank mcintire (RIGHT) CAMP WILLIAMS,

Utah. September 2012. Maj. Gen. Jefferson S. Burton and his wife Charn during the adjutant general change of command at the Utah National Guard's annual Governor's Day.

courtesy of utah national guard (BELOW) As a young married couple early in Burton's military career. courtesy burton family

grew up living in a tent in a mining camp and served on the front lines as a combat medic in Korea, where his two uncles also served. The three, Burton said, “taught me how to be a man.”

Burton gives equal credit to his mother Helen and his wife Charn for helping him become who he is. “I was always surrounded by women who were limitless and who could do anything. My mother was a very strong woman,” he reflected. “She was successful in her career as a labor-and-delivery nurse.”

“Charn is super strong and super capable—and there’s no drama,” Burton continued. “I’ve never had to worry about what was going on at home.”

At Payson High School, Burton’s musical and athletic abilities taught him about teamwork and discipline. He played trombone in the jazz band and lettered in track, cross-country and wrestling.

After serving a mission in central Canada for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he met and married Charn. They discussed Jeff’s career options, taking into account his penchant for service. “I wanted to serve and I knew I was needed,” he said.

Two of the choices they considered were being a police officer or serving in the military. Charn wasn’t thrilled about either one but was particularly clear about avoiding the badge, based on previous experience in her own family.

“Charn didn’t want me to be a cop, so I went and talked to Todd Bennett, a recruiter at the Provo armory and joined the Guard that day,” said Burton. Later he enrolled in the ROTC program at Brigham Young University, graduating second in a class of 55 with a regular-Army commission in 1984.

“I really wanted to be an MP, so I chose Military Police as my branch,” said Burton, laughing that he became a military cop after Charn had been so against law enforcement as a career for him. “I was everything I wasn’t supposed to be,” he shrugged. “She just supported me and was great about it.”

Burton’s initial active-duty assignment was in Germany, and his first battalion commander was Robert Howard, a Medal of Honor recipient, in Burton’s words, “for acts of staggering heroism.”

“He taught me to have my act together and how to do the hard stuff,” remembered Burton. “Never lie, never make anything up, and take care of your people. That set the cement in my career early on.”

TRANSITIONS AND TRIALS

After two promotions, seven years, and several moves with his young family between Europe and the United States, Capt. Jeff Burton felt it was time to hang up his boots for good.

Believing that a return to Utah would help his oldest son who had struggled emotionally with constantly changing schools and neighborhoods, he received a job offer from a well-known local company, submitted his paperwork to resign his commission, and moved his family back home.

The position fell through, however, and Burton found himself without employment. He called the Pentagon and found that his resignation packet was still being processed. He had them tear it up, remained in the military, and found a full-time job at the Utah Guard’s Draper headquarters as a property-book officer.

Thus began Burton’s promising career with the National Guard. He continued to move up the ranks as a logistics officer, operations officer, and later as commander of the 1457th Engineers, mentoring his soldiers and officers. While his professional life was about as good as it could be, things at home were taking a different turn.

Burton speaks candidly about the emotional battles fought by—and with—their son. Jeff’s and Charn’s efforts to intervene during that difficult period took everything they had.

“The whole experience was surreal,” he said. “We did what we could to help him. I thought his outbursts were just bad behavior and that he just needed to suck it up.”

(far left) LOGAN. Nov. 3, 2012. Maj. Gen. Jeff Burton high-fiving the Utah State Aggies mascot at a community-covenant-signing ceremony. (left) HILL AIR FORCE BASE. April 2014. Burton prior to taking a ride on a two-seater F-16 with Lt. Col. Chris Robinson of the US Air Force Reserve’s 419th Fighter Wing. (above) SALT LAKE CITY. Nov. 7, 2019. Burton at change-of-command ceremony where he relinquished command of the Utah National Guard to Brig. Gen. Michael J. Turley. (right) NORTH OGDEN. Nov. 17, 2018. Burton presents the flag to Jennie Taylor, widow of Maj. Brent Taylor. courtesy of utah national guard

“He threatened to take his life on many occasions,” said Burton, explaining that his son stopped taking his medications when he turned 18. “Ultimately, he pulled the trigger at home while the rest of the family was in the next room. Everything went into slow motion. It was like the most horrible dream you can imagine.”

Charn and the children sought counseling almost immediately, but Burton wasn’t ready to let himself begin the long and difficult road to healing. And on top of it all, he received orders to lead his battalion on a deployment to Iraq in early 2003.

“I didn’t have time to grieve,” he admitted. So Burton threw himself into leading his soldiers through the mission to destroy munitions left behind by Saddam Hussein and detect and defeat improvised explosive devices. Burton and his troops lived in tents at the Baghdad airport and occasionally dodged sniper bullets while working in 148-degree heat. While deployed Burton also dealt with the haunting images of combat’s collateral damage on women and children, and he was “devastated” by the loss of his best friend, killed in nearby Karbala on Oct. 9, 2003.

REACHING OUT TO OTHERS

After completing the mission and returning home with all 443 of his soldiers, Burton continued his military career, being promoted to colonel and then to brigadier general. He was appointed assistant adjutant general in 2007.

Finally, Burton felt he could begin addressing the emotions he was carrying from his son’s death, as well as the extra baggage he picked up from serving in a combat theater.

“It was eight years after the event,” Burton observed. “And I also needed to process my Iraq experience. I decided I could let it destroy me, or I could help other people through something like this. But first I had to get through it myself.”

It was not easy for Burton to seek help, but he persisted. “Before, I had a negative view of counseling in general, but it really helped me to get some of this stuff out. After you come home from deployment things that didn’t seem like a big deal become a big deal because your mind becomes so focused on getting through the experience.”

“It also made me more forgiving and a softer, better person,” he said of his journey of healing. “As a family it made us all stronger people. My kids have an amazing capacity for compassion.”

In 2012 Burton was appointed adjutant general of the Utah National Guard, and the visibility of his position and his openness about what his family had been through helped him and Charn to be role models for others who had similarly suffered. They shared their story frequently at military gatherings and in community and church settings.

Charn had started a support group shortly after their son died, but Jeff had concerns at the time. “He didn’t want me dwelling on suicide all the time, but I wanted to talk to other people who had been affected by it,” she said.

The support group ultimately ran for 17 years, and Charn became trained as a clinical chaplain, working with juvenile boys at Slate Canyon and with girls at Hollow Haven.

CONNECTING WITH THE RISING GENERATION

Burton’s service has put him in close contact with young up-and-comers in the military and civilian communities. “I love

the rising generation,” he said. “I’ve never seen more intelligent, capable people.”

His record of successes and hard knocks has served him well personally, and Burton tries to preserve those lessons by sharing them. “I was thin-skinned at the beginning of my career,” he acknowledged. “I took it hard when I didn’t perform to the ultimate standard, and I had to learn to value mistakes because they made me better. Perfectionism is a prison.”

“Growth doesn’t come when everything is going your way,” he continued. “When I was in intense pain—emotional or physical— that’s when the lessons were learned. And it increased my faith. I learned to trust the Creator a lot more.”

Burton says that the common thread woven throughout the ups and downs of his career is the seven Army Core Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. “In the Army we can only do what we do because of those values,” he said. “If you don’t embrace them, you won’t last long in the military. They mean everything.”

Those values also taught Burton to be all-in. “Early on I had one foot in and one foot out,” he said. “I knew I was talented, and I often worked with one hand tied behind my back. So I tell young people that whatever you choose to do, give it your all.”

DETOURS ON THE RIDE INTO THE SUNSET

And so Burton did as he wound up his military career, staying a year beyond the standard six-year term as adjutant general. He and Charn retired to Salem, a couple of years removed from Payson, where they had lived for decades, to focus on family, church and community.

Burton may have thought his career in public service was over. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, shortened his ride into the sunset, however, by inviting him to serve as acting director of the Utah Department of Health at the height of the COVID-19 scare.

Moving from a military environment to a civilian state government brought new challenges for Burton. “It’s a different mindset and culture from what I’m accustomed to,” he said. “They use a very deliberate checklist process, but there is a need to be quick and adaptable in crisis.”

He is learning much from his new colleagues, and Burton is able to help them keep things in perspective. “They’ve appreciated leadership that removes obstacles and shields subordinates,” he said. “The military brings a sense of humor. Unless someone is trying to kill you, you’re probably going to make it through the day.”

Even before his temporary term was up, Burton was eyeing the next challenge, a run for the Utah legislature to represent District 66. He won a tough fight in the primary and will take office in January 2021, running unopposed in the general election in November.

While deployed to Iraq, Burton was “devastated” by the loss of his best friend, killed in Karbala on Oct. 9, 2003. "That was a dark day for me,” he said, remembering his friend, born Greek Orthodox and who became a born-again Christian. The following day, Oct. 10, Burton found a small silver cross on the ground, glinting in the morning sun. He placed the emblem on the same chain as his dog tags in his friend’s honor, which he

still wears today. “I just don’t take it off.” photo by hank mcintire

Not everyone is happy with Burton’s performance in the Department of Health nor with his stance on the issues. “When the governor pressed me into service, I knew I would take a political hit,” he said. “When you put yourself on the front line, you’re going to have some people who aren’t happy with you.”

And both Jeff and Charn Burton know the front lines well, having seen combat on battlefields of the military, the mind, and the heart. They have worked hard as a team to heal from the past, face the present, and forge a bright future for those who follow after them.

“The military life has grown us up a lot and made me strong in a boots-on way,” said Charn. “We’ve both grown and matured, just in different areas. Jeff didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up, and I’ve watched him grow, little by little.”

“Charn has had to help me,” said Jeff. “I miss my son every day, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. It taught me to love better and to forgive more.”

As for those who carry on in the Burton's’ footsteps, “You build people to take up the mission after you leave, who will take it as seriously as you do,” he added. “You want to leave the organization in better shape than you found it. People amaze you when you give them clear guidance and then get out of the way.”

Hank McIntire served 26 years from 1988 to 2014 with the Utah Army National Guard and US Army in both Military Intelligence and Public Affairs. He is a freelance writer and communication consultant.