Burkett moved to Arcade, New York during the third grade when his father started a new job in the area. The Buffalo area soon became home.
Growing up watching Buffalo Bills greats from the 80’s and 90’s, Burkett fondly remembers watching football legends Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith, and others battling it out on the gridiron. His appreciation for the team has only grown over the years.
“It was awesome to watch the team last year, and I am excited about what the new year will bring,” said Burkett.
His love for the Bills was reflected in athletic ambitions. Burkett may not have been slinging touchdowns like NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, but his knack for leading others in the face of stiff competition was apparent. As captain of his high school golf, basketball, and baseball teams, Burkett’s ability to lead was exemplary.
The skills he developed leading his high school peers in sports as a multi-sport team captain helped prepare him to lead Sailors as a Naval Officer and command a Navy war ship.
By the time Burkett got to high school, he knew the Navy was the path for him -- to serve his country and see the world. Following high school, he enrolled at the University of Rochester where studied history and graduated in 2001. He then joined the Navy and went on to be a surface warfare officer.
Having served on multiple ships all over the world, Burkett has too many sea stories to pick a favorite.
“I have been able to travel the world and see what it has to offer,” Burkett recalled. “Even when I wasn’t at sea, I have had incredible opportunities in the Navy working at both the Pentagon and the State Department.”
Over the course of his 20-year career, thousands of nautical miles on deployment, and even some land-based tours, Cmdr. Burkett has come full circle in his Naval career. Although not stationed locally, he does share a hometown tie with his beloved Western New York community. Burkett is the commanding officer of USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) and her crew of nearly 300 Sailors, homeported at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.
“I ask everyone onboard this ship to do impossibly hard things on a regular basis, and even more so in the last year,” said Burkett. “It has been incredibly rewarding to see everyone work together and pick each other up to get through it.”
While most surface warfare officers aspire to take command of a warship, The Sullivans holds special meaning to Burkett. The original ship bearing the name USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is a Fletcher-class destroyer. After a remarkable career, which included action in World War II, the Korean War, and the Cuban Missile crisis, she was decommissioned in 1965. The ship was later sent to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park for display and was redesignated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
In his youth, Cmdr. Burkett often visited the original namesake, and it has led to reflection on his role of the current namesake. In 1987, The Sullivans passed her famous name and heritage on to a new Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer, USS The Sullivans.
“This ship has a unique, and enduring legacy that goes back to the five Sullivan brothers and their sacrifice,” said Burkett. “It is our privilege to be the stewards of that legacy. It is incredible to me that I grew up around the original USS The Sullivans in the Naval Park, and now I command USS The Sullivans.”
Both ships bear the name of the five Sullivan brothers who enlisted in the Navy on the condition they serve together. Their ship, the USS Juneau (CL-52), was severely damaged by a submarine in the Battle of Guadalcanal. A second torpedo hit as the ship was leaving the fight, ultimately resulting in the deaths of all five brothers and many other Sailors.
The Sullivans crew carries on the legacy of the brothers and their dedication to the country while currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea to participate in HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) Strike Group 21. While deployed with the strike group, Burkett and his crew will spend time in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia. The U.K.-led deployment is a demonstration of interoperability among NATO partners.
“Cmdr. Burkett and his sailors are wonderful ambassadors for their country, representing all that is great about the United States,” said Royal Navy Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander of the carrier strike group. “Our experience working alongside them for the past few months bodes well for the remainder of this deployment, and for the continuing naval partnership between the U.K. and U.S.”
As Burkett and his crew set sail with a multi-national strike group to other continents, he finds himself among crews who share a similar loyalty displayed by the Sullivan brothers. A lesson he learned about as a Western New York kid.
“The world is a big place,” Burkett reflected. “It is important to have friends that will stand by your side who are ready and willing to protect our shared interests and those of our partners and allies around the world.”
Half the world away, Cmdr. Burkett carries the legacy of the Sullivan brothers and a little piece of home with him everywhere he sails.