Honor Dr. Burnett's Service

Senate Resolution No. 2948 BY: Senator KENNEDY COMMENDING Dr. George J. Burnett upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York, who have served so valiantly and honorably in wars in which this country's freedom was at stake, as well as in the preservation of peace in peacetime, deserve a special salute from this Legislative Body; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend Dr. George J. Burnett upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate; and WHEREAS, The New York State Senate Liberty Medal was established by Resolution and is awarded to individuals who have merited special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, Born on December 18, 1969, Dr. George J. Burnett proudly served his country as a member of the United States Army, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; later, he continued his military service as a member of the New York Army National Guard (NYANG); and WHEREAS, Dr. George J. Burnett began his long and distinguished career in psychiatry as the Director for the Buffalo Psychiatric Center at the Buffalo VA Hospital; he then went to work for the New York State Office of Mental Health, where he continues to be employed today; and WHEREAS, After the deadly terrorist attacks in New York City on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Dr. George J. Burnett was activated for duty with the Co C (-) Medical, 342 Forward Support Battalion, NYARNG, and performed his assigned duties at Ground Zero for two months; and WHEREAS, Upon the completion of his assignment, Dr. George J. Burnett chose to stay onsite to provide much needed psychiatric care to both soldiers and civilians; and WHEREAS, Dr. George J. Burnett worked tirelessly day and night to help anyone he could, whether it was in the burning pit, triage stations, or the surrounding streets in the triage zone; and WHEREAS, During this time, Dr. George J. Burnett refused to accept his military checks for what he called his duty to help his fellow Americans; and WHEREAS, In the days and years following this horrific event, Dr. George J. Burnett always made himself available to help those individuals as they dealt with the devastating emotional aspects of the events of 9/11; and WHEREAS, In the faithful performance of his duties and volunteer efforts, Dr. George J. Burnett's commendable endeavors truly contributed to bettering the quality of life for those who were deeply affected by the cowardly acts of terrorists; and WHEREAS, Having exhibited his patriotism both at home and abroad, Dr. George J. Burnett demonstrated his love for his country and merits forevermore the highest respect of his State and Nation; and WHEREAS, Our Nation's veterans deserve to be recognized, commended and thanked by the people of the State of New York for their service and for their dedication to their communities, their State and their Nation; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commend Dr. George J. Burnett upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of a Liberty Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Dr. George J. Burnett.