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An Interview with Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Burns

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Kevin Cerovich
Washington, D.C. --  As the only current member of The U.S. Air Force Band to have served in a regional and both premier bands* in the Air Force, Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Burns shares his unique insight in this interview from August 2014.

"A typical freelancing musician promotes himself. This is not about me. It's about something people trust that's way bigger than me: the U.S. Air Force," said Burns of his 21 plus years of service. He is currently the split lead trumpet player for the Airmen of Note.

Born in Cleveland, Tennessee, Burns played trumpet professionally while completing a master's degree in business at Oral Roberts University. "I was interviewing for a job as a bank loan officer when my friend joined the U.S. Air Force Band of the West (Lackland Air Force Base.) This made me think hard about my path." After careful consideration, Burns made the jump from bank officer to noncommissioned officer and auditioned for the band at Lackland.

After a time, the U.S. Air Force Academy Band's Falconaires jazz band opened up auditions for their lead trumpet chair, which Burns won handily. This marked his jump from regional to premier band status. While in Colorado, he played for the arrival of the first C-17 cargo plane, flown by then Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman. "We get to usher in, literally and figuratively, some of the most important moments in the Air Force with some of our top brass," Burns said.

Burns' legacy of service continued in 2002, when he joined The U.S. Air Force Band's Airmen of Note in Washington, D.C. "I had heard the band (Airmen of Note) in high school, and it left a huge impact on me."

Aside from the excellence that is present in all of his duties, both musical and administrative, Burns values the core value of integrity above all else in his service. "How is the Air Force being perceived through me?" said Burns.  "We're not only instilling patriotism and recruiting when we play; people look at us and see the Air Force."

Burns told one story that he considers the summation of the impact of his service. One night after a concert a woman approached him and didn't mention music at all. She just said, "I feel so safe seeing you guys up there in uniform!" This is why he does what he does.

*Since 2010, The United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., is the U.S. Air Force's only band to carry the "premier" appellation.