Award Recipients:
Cadet Ryker Sentgeorge
2006
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Some leaders stand atop an ideology - some fame or
fortune. Capt. Dion J. Burmaz transcended these, capturing
respect from people around him. It was not just his
charisma, but qualities he honed and polished as he,
himself grew and learned. Respect for his Soldiers was
the hallmark of his leadership and in turn his Soldiers
loved him as their leader. In his short time with us,
Dion mastered the profession of arms and exemplified
the Army's Values and warrior ethos, a legacy he now
leaves for others to aspire.
Born in Fullerton CA, in 1976 Capt. Dion J. Burmaz
was blessed with his parents Darko and Piedad Burmaz
who nurtured his growing leadership and now want to
impart these same qualities in other promising University
of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) Army ROTC students
through this scholarship award.
Dion started perfecting his leadership skills early,
heading his scout troupe, captaining his water polo
team at Sunny Hills High School and rising to president
of his fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha while attending UCSB.
His love, however, was always toward the military and
while he had offers to attend military academic institutions,
he chose ROTC at UCSB. Of course, he excelled as a UCSB
ROTC cadet and a student in the university's Law and
Society program. His achievements earned him his top
branch choice, Aviation, where his passion for flying
became a reality.
After his flight training at Fort Rucker, Dion was
assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment
Attack at Fort Bragg where he served as an attack helicopter
platoon leader and pilot. He later served as the Commander
of Delta Company, First Battalion, Second Aviation Regiment
Attack in Korea. In charge of managing multi-million
dollars worth of equipment, Dion captured the admiration
and respect of his superiors and troops alike. His achievements
as a leader in the maintenance company would earn him
a coveted second command with Alpha Company, a unit
comprised of elite Apache Longbow helicopters supporting
the Army's Special Operations Forces in the region.
It was in pursuit of excellence during this command
and his love for flying that Dion paid the ultimate
price when flying a mission over the Korean Peninsula.
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His influence continues to live through his family,
friends and Soldiers who through his example, established
a scholarship in his memory. The scholarship is intended
to inspire other UCSB ROTC cadets to attain high standards,
live by the Army values and warrior ethos as Dion
did.
The UCSB ROTC Department, in consultation with Dion's
family, will award the annual scholarship in his memory
to an academically aligned and contracted Junior-year
cadet who has demonstrated excellence academically,
volunteered in community service or on-campus activities,
participated in ROTC extracurricular activities, and
adhered to the Army's seven values of Loyalty, Duty,
Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal
Courage. The department may require applicants to
include an essay as part of the selection criteria.
If you are interested in finding out more information
about the fund, and the scholarship it will provide,
contact Development at (805) 893-2460. To make a donation
to the fund, please make your check payable to:
CPT Dion J. Burmaz Memorial Fund. The mailing address
is Development Office, ATTN: Gift Processing, University
of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-2013.
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