Russell Adam Burnham

Captain Russell Adam Burnham (born September 6, 1979), U.S. Army Physician Assistant, is the great-grandson of Frederick Russell Burnham (1861–1947), D.S.O., the 2003 U.S. Army Soldier of the Year, 2007 U.S. Army Medical Corps NCO of the Year, and an Eagle Scout.

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. 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, but was unable to duplicate his victory from 2003.

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 at Tripler Army Medical Center in May 2011.

Awards and decorations

 * 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.
 * 2007 U.S. Army Medical Command NCO of the Year
 * Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Oak leaf cluster)
 * Army Commendation Medal (with 4 Oak leaf clusters)
 * Army Achievement Medal (with 2 Oak leaf cluster)
 * Good Conduct Medal (2nd Award)
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
 * Non-Commissioned Officer Development Ribbon (Numeral 2)
 * Army Service Ribbon
 * Expert Field Medical Badge
 * Air Assault Badge
 * Sergeant Audie Murphy Award

Lineage
Burnham is a descendent of Thomas Burnham (1617–1688) of Hartford, Connecticut, the first American ancestor of a large number of Burnhams. The descendents of Thomas Burnham have been noted in every American war, including the French and Indian war.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Personal
A native of Tucson, Arizona, Burnham has earned an Associates 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 five children.