Mason Burkhart, a former Battle Mountain High School (BMHS) student, recently graduated from Army Basic Training to work in the National Guard. Burkhart has dedicated his life to serving those around him.
On Dec. 8, Burkhart was selected as an honor graduate at Fort Sill Oklahoma before being bused to Fort Sam in Houston, Texas, to train as an Army Medic. Burkhart graduated from BMHS in 2013 and served as a lifeguard at the pool in town since he was a freshman. He was the 2013 Class Student Body President and an officer all four years at BMHS. He graduated third in his class and was the only honor graduate in 2013.
Burkhart became a world traveler after visiting the African country of Ghana twice with a church group to help teach children how to learn English.
“Mason is a very driven young man and wants to be a surgeon someday,” stated Mason’s father Stephen Burkhart, “You ask what prompted Mason to join the service. I believe he has been serving most of his young life and was always driven to serve in one way or another.”
After his graduation, Burkhart immediately traveled to California to attend an Emergency Medical Training (EMT) boot camp. He would later join the Battle Mountain Ambulance crew and worked as an EMT in town. Burkhart was hired by Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) in Reno in 2014. He earned the title of a paramedic in 2016 while also attending medical classes at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) after work.
During this past summer, Burkhardt returned to help on the ambulance crew here in Battle Mountain. Although he is still employed by REMSA, Burkhart decided to join the Nevada Army National Guard to become a flight medic out of Stead Air Base in Reno. Burkhart is the son of Lisa and Stephen Burkhart, two parents who are very proud of what their son has already accomplished.
