When he spoke recently to history students at St. Margaret’s School, however, the self-effacing Burch’s goal was not to impress his daughter’s classmates, but rather, to impress upon them the importance of public service. His government career transcended political party affiliations and spanned 22 years of Federal service, including 13 years in the Pentagon—11 of them as an Air Force officer and 2 as a civilian appointee.

“I quickly came to see that a little person like me can have a big impact on what goes on in this country,” he said. One of first experiences as a young military aide, he explained, was being asked to write a position paper on the stationing of US nuclear-capable warplanes on the Japanese island of Okinawa. His boss asked him whether this was the best work he could do, to which he replied, “Yes, sir.” The next day, he was surprised to see his words repeated by then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and quoted in media outlets worldwide.

Late twentieth-century history came alive for the American government, geography and world history classes as Burch shared additional career highlights that included serving on the Pentagon committee that planned for the successful debriefing and reassimilation of US prisoners of war when they returned from Vietnam. Later, in his role as Assistant Secretary of Defense under Caspar Weinburger, Burch supervised more than 1,200 employees and was responsible for Armed Forces radio, television and newspapers; daily press briefings; the Defense Information School; policy review and clearance; and relations with the entertainment industry. The latter included reviewing scripts for movies and meeting such superstars as Clint Eastwood.

Burch made clear, however, that the job was not about power or glamour, but about making often-difficult decisions. One of his was the determination not to allow direct media coverage of the US invasion of Grenada, which raised a public outcry.

“I thought the odds were a little peculiar there,” he said, “given that there were 600 media and 1,200 soldiers. I’d like to think that this was the genesis of today’s system of ‘embedding’ journalists with combat units.”

Burch also returned frequently to the theme of public service, telling students that many government and military jobs give employees a significant degree of responsibility. And even if they choose a different career path, he concluded, young people still have responsibilities as citizens of the world’s greatest democracy.

“Be informed. Vote,” he urged. “Don’t mess this country up!”

Following his years in public service, Burch became corporate vice-president of public relations for McDonnell Douglas. Today, he heads a small business, Nature Works, Inc., that works with homeowners and developers to recycle waste water. He and his wife, Dr. Sheri Hummel, are the parents of rising junior Michelle and serve on the school’s Parent Council.