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Testimonials

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• Ray DeBoer, Hazardous Chemicals Preparedness & Response Program Coordinator, Bismarck, North Dakota

  "2 December 2010 Captain Burk, If I may call you my friend; I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for agreeing to be our “Keynote Speaker” at the North Dakota 2010 Hazardous Materials Conference. We received numerous compliments and praise on your presentation and the message it conveyed. You helped make the conference the success it was. I sincerely appreciate your participation and once again thank you for being a part of the conference. Ray DeBoer Hazardous Chemicals Preparedness & Response Program Coordinator ND Department of Emergency Services- Division of Homeland Security Bismarck, North Dakota "

• DC Patrick Carnahan, Deputy Chief, Dugway Fire & Rescue, Dugway, Utah

  "George, Only because you made it clear you were a Steelers fan in Dallas do I dare address you by your first name. I feel that bond alone allows for social etiquette to be case aside. It was a pleasure to hear you speak at the DOD conference and an honor to meet and talk with you afterwards. It isn’t very often that a speaker can truly touch the lives of firefighters. Your story about how you survived when so many others didn’t is something most will never have to experience. I guess that is a bond that I felt with you after your presentation. You bear both the physical and emotional scars where the majority of us only carry the burden of emotional trauma and pain of why we were spared. You are truly an inspiration and I know I am a better man for having been in your presence. I look forward to crossing paths with you again. Patrick Carnahan Deputy Chief Dugway Fire & Rescue Dugway, Utah "

• Midn1/C Brett Libby, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

  "Captain Burk, Thank you so much for taking your time to speak with us Midshipmen on Thursday, 23 Sept. As I told you after the seminar, I initially chose your seminar from a list because “Spokane, WA” was mentioned (I grew up in Coeur D’Alene). I am so grateful that my shallow reasoning led me to the most inspirational day of my life. “You are known by the words you use and the company you keep, choose them wisely.” I love that quote. God bless you for what you have achieved! Everything you spoke about hit me like a brick. I guess you understand more than anyone how fragile life is! I hope to keep in touch….I’ll be graduating on 27 may, so my address will change after that; but I’ll let you know. Thanks again. Beat Army, Brett Libby ‘11 "

• Cadet Matthew Whitley, Company H4, United States Military Academy Class of 2012

  "Capt (Ret) Burk This is Cadet Chip Reed’s cousin, Matthew Whitley, sending you an email to thank you again for speaking to the West Point Class of 2012 about overcoming adversity. Your visit made a tremendous positive impact throughout my class which does not happen often. Your speech and positive outlook on life will stay with me forever. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule to share your life experiences with us. I also enjoyed the few minutes that I had after the speech to show you some of the West Point campus with Chip. Again, thank you for your visit and my contact information is below. I hope to hear from you again. Respectfully, CDT Matthew Whitley Company H4 Scott Barracks United States Military Academy Class of 2012 "

• Kim Holtzapple, York County 911, York, PA

  "Captain Burk, I am looking forward to reading your articles. I enjoyed your seminars at the Homeland Security Conference. I gave my daughter your book I purchased for her and she started it right away. I just want you to know how important it is what you are doing. You were meant to live that day to give others hope, courage, compassion and a joy for life no matter what the circumstances are. You have such a powerful impact on all the lives you have touched. Thank you for not only serving our country in a military capacity but also in your dedication to make this county and the people in it better. Sincerely, Kim Holtzapple York County 911 York, PA"

• Shane David, CSI, CDT, President, Pikes Peak Chapter, Colorado Springs, CO

  "May 10, 2010 Captain George A. Burk, USAF (Ret) Dear Captain Burk. Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring life story and lessons learned with us at our Southwest Region CSI Conference Awards Banquet on April 30, 2010. Your address was the highlight for many of the attendees of the conference and we have received many compliments on it. One person said, “The speaker was inspiring. His unquestioning faith was refreshing. Thank you for bringing him to us.” We are grateful and appreciative of your time and effort. We are also very thankful to you for your generous gift of the several copies of your book you gave to some of the attendees. In appreciation, we have included a Honarium for you, in addition to reimbursement for your direct expenses. Please accept this as a sincere token of our thanks in recognition for your wonderful contributions to our conference. Very Respectfully, Shave David, CSI, CDT President, Pikes Peak Chapter"

• LTC Glenn A. Waters, Deputy Director for Simon Center for Professional Military Ethic (SCPME), West Point, NY

  "Dear Mr./CPT(Ret) Burk, It was a great pleasure to meet you Friday. My apologies for not spending more time with you. I did have the pleasure to attend your lecture with the sophomore cadets from the class of 2012. You did an outstanding job. You truly had the cadets engaged throughout your lecture, which is not an easy task. Your message was upfront and honest. Thank you for your positive energy and time. God Speed and Blessing. Glenn LTC Glenn A. Waters Deputy Director for Simon Center for Professional Military Ethic (SCPME) West Point, NT 10996"

• Maj. Chad DeBos, Education Officer, West Point, NY

  "George, Just a note to say thank you and what a pleasure it was to finally meet you! Thank you for the ‘Az Buddy’ and the The Great Presentation –and the coin! I look forward to seeing you again! God Bless Maj. Chad DeBos, USA Education Officer Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic & Officership Bldg. 747 West Point, NY 10996"

• Alan Walker, ENS, USN

  "Mr. Burk, The past four years at the United Sates Naval Academy would not have made me into the man I am now without my interactions with people like you. As a member of the Great Class of ’09, I depart for blue skies and clear seas off the tropical coasts of Norfolk, VA I have been attached to the USS Normandy, CG60. I have heard rumored, in addition to being assigned schooling that I will become the Strike Warfare Officer on this fine Navy ship. As I detach from the USNA, I would like to update you with a new email address to be found below. Please pray for fair seas, smart pirates, and no more nuclear tests. May God Bless you all and thank you. Very respectfully, Alan Walker ENS, USN"

• Catherine Roberts, M.D., Associate Professor of Radiology, Associate Dean, Mayo School of Health Sciences, Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic

  "Dear Captain Burk You did such a terrific job today! I can’t tell you how much it means that you took the time to share your wisdom and experiences with us. It was a pleasure to see you again. Catherine Catherine Roberts, M.D. Associate Professor of Radiology Associate Dean, Mayo School of Health Sciences Department of Radiology Mayo Clinic Phoenix, AZ"

• Virginia M. Wright-Peterson, Operations Manager, Student Affairs, Mayo School of Health Sciences, Rochester, MN

  "September 29, 2009 Captain George Burk, USAF (Ret) Dear Captain Burk, Thank you for taking the time to share your inspirational story at our annual tri-site convocation. Your story and comments encourage personal persistence and emphasize the importance of instilling hope in patients and not ever losing it ourselves. This is a wonderful message for students who are aspiring to careers in health care. Your story is one I am sure they will remember for some time to come. We sincerely appreciate your touching and memorable contribution to our special day. Our sincere thanks for making this year’s convocation a success! Many thanks, Virginia M. Wright-Peterson Operations Manager, Student Affairs Mayo School of Health Sciences Rochester, MN "

• Rick Edinger, Division Chief, Personnel Management & Development, Chesterfield Fire & EMS

  "Captain Burk, It was both an honor and pleasure to meet you at the recent IAFC HazMat Conference. I enjoyed speaking with you at the wine reception and was certainly moved by your talking during the opening session. I serve as the chief training officer of a fire department in central Virginia as well and president of the Virginia association of hazardous materials response Specialists (VAHMRS-www.virginiahazmat.org. In both roles I have an interest in bringing you in to speak to our members. Knowing (hoping) that this economy won’t last forever, I would ask if you could provide me with a sense of what a speaking engagement would cost us. Given that information I could plan for next year and hopefully get an early start on your calendar. Again, great to meet you. Your message and experience is both fascinating and inspirational. God bless Rick, Rick Edinger Division Chief, Personnel Management & Development Chesterfield Fire & EMS Chesterfield, Virginia"

• P J. Robinson, Fire Chief, Valero Fire Department

  "Captain Burk, It is I who want to thank you your inspirational message and wisdom. You certainly have a way of taking all of life’s daily issues and struggles and putting them in their proper perspective. I did read your book this past weekend (I could not it down once I started…which is really something for me since I’m not a big reader.) I enthusiastically told my parents in Wexford, PA about my meeting you and your book and intend to send them your book so they can read it, too. I am glad that you made it home safely and wish you well during your upcoming surgery. Take care and God Bless. Pat Robinson PS: Go Steelers (and Penguins too) P J. Robinson, Fire Chief Valero Fire Department"

• Battalion Chief Ted Corporandy, (Ret) San Francisco Fire Department, Sonora, CA

  "George What pleasure and an honor to finally meet you at the Golden Gate Breakfast Club. You are truly a great man and I feel blessed to call you friend. By the way, I am glad I bought a second copy of your book. I had it on the counter and my fiancé saw it, picked it up, and she is already almost finished. She is very moved by it, as I knew she would. George, God put you here for a reason and you are fulfilling Hs plan for you. I, along with many people across this land are thankful for that. God Bless you brother. Ted Battalion Chief Ted Corporandy, (Ret) San Francisco Fire Department Sonora, CA www.firenuggets.com"

• Barbara Aube, Head of Human Resources, City of Waterford, CT

"Dear Captain Burk, We had our first Quality Assurance meeting since your December 12 visit, and we wanted to pass along some of the terrific feedback about your presentation! Words like courage and inspiration were in the forefront of everyone’s thoughts. People could take what you said and feel good, feel inspired. How important it really is to not let the little things bother you. What a help it was to others that you could share your story. And one of the final thoughts: What implications were of everyone’s part in exceeding expectations! Thank you again, Captain Burk, for your thought provoking words to all of us! All the best for 2009—and beyond—from Waterford’s Quality Assurance Team! Barbara Aube, Head, Human Resources City of Waterford, CT

• Josph J. Leonard, JR, LCDR, USGC, Chief, Planning & Readiness Sector Houston-Galveston

"CAPT Burk, It is us who should thank YOU. Thank you once again for one of the most moving presentations I’ve listened to in over 28 years in uniform. I look forward to reading you book (starting tonight!) along with anything else you send my way. You have made an impression and have found many friends in the Houston area. God Bless you and the United States! JOSPH J. LEONARD, JR LCDR, USCG Chief, Planning & Readiness Sector Houston-Galveston"

• David Windsor, PGA, Executive Director, Adaptive Golf Foundation of America

"December 17, 2007 Dear Capt. Burk, On behalf of Florida Adaptive Golf, Inc., I would like to sincerely thank you for all your support, efforts and valuable time to make the launch of American Veterans Adaptive Golf such a great success. Your presentation at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital Friday, November 9, 2007 was truly an honor for all of us. It marked the true beginning of an emotional and memorable weekend for many. As I am sure you have done in the past, you set the tone for everyone in the room that morning that anything and everything is attainable with support and hard work. The result, many injured and disabled veterans who never thought about giving golf a try came out to the golf course the following day due to your inspiring, motivating message. The love and dedication you have for sharing your message to help others believe they can do something today to make a difference tomorrow was apparent from what we experienced and the compliments we received on your behalf. It is truly an honor and pleasure to have you as part of our mission and we look forward to the next opportunity to have your support. Sincerely, David Windsor, PGA Executive Director Adaptive Golf Foundation of America Sarasota, FL"

• John Craine, President, VADM, USN (Ret)

"Dear George, Thank you very much for speaking to our regimental students again this year! Your remarks are the highlight for each class and serve them well in all future challenges. I regret I was away Saturday night, but have heard your remarks were well received! On behalf of SUNY Maritime College and our Regimental Staff, I extend our sincere thanks and appreciation. Sincerely, John Craine, president VADM, USN (Ret) State University of New York Maritime College Throgs Neck, New York"

• David Cockbain, Australia

  "Thanks George, I look forward to receiving your articles and reflecting on them in my quiet time. Just lately I have been part of the behind the scenes crew in the lengthy extrication of two trapped miners in Tasmania and carried with me the "coach them to commit" article which I used to great success. Keep up the good work. David Cockbain."

• Mark S. Held, Colonel, Commander. US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, GA.

  "Dear Captain Burk: On behalf of the Savannah District Corps of Engineers, I would like to thank you for the highly motivational speech that you presented during our first ever "Serious about Safety Conference." Your remarks were extremely well received and your participation contributed significantly to the success of the Conference. Thank you for sharing your time and experiences with us. We look forward to other opportunities to welcome you to Savannah and hope you enjoyed your visit as much as we did."

• S. Dean Broek, Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, Anchorage, Alaska

  "September 21, 2006 We used George as our guest speaker at last year’s Celebrate Safety banquet. He is a powerful speaker. One thing sticks out in my mind during his speech. After we were done recognizing the contractors for their safety performance, he took the stage. He congratulated them all and said your hard work over the past year has paid off. But, then he said “Now what?” Now that you’ve achieved this, what are you going to do? He went on to challenge all the leaders of these companies to achieve even higher accomplishments and to never give up, which tied into his speech about how he never gave up. He speech was spiritual, motivational and sprinkled with humor. He received a standing ovation. After the banquet, I had numerous contractor and government folks tell me that his speech was the best Celebrate Safety banquet held so far, and in large part, due to George’s powerful speech. S. Dean Broek Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District Anchorage, Alaska"