Testimonial of SSG Chester A. Austin 

          My name is Staff Sergeant Chester A. Austin.  I am a recruiter with the Texas Army National Guard and I currently live in Burkburnett, TX. 

          I moved to Burkburnett in March of 2007 and have very much enjoyed living here.  It is one of the most military friendly towns I have lived in.  Burkburnett seems to be a very close nit town with a lot of history behind it.  Seeing how I have only been in the town for about 8 months, I still have a lot to learn about it.

          One of the reasons that my wife and I chose Burkburnett over the surrounding areas is because of the great atmosphere that you experience when you go into the town.  On my first visit to Burkburnett, the realtor and I stopped at the corner store in town and the people were extremely friendly and welcoming.  This made me feel good seeing how I have 2 small children.

          Any time that I have had to deal with any of the town officials, they have been extremely helpful in anyway that they were able to be.  When we first purchased our house, there were a couple of different groups that came by to greet us and welcome us to the community.

          I have since become part of the Community Action Network in the town.  This group is dedicated to making Burkburnett a better place to live which I feel is a great thing.  Not all towns will go out of their way to try to make things better.  This is a non profit group of volunteers that live in Burkburnett and love the town.

          If anyone out there is looking for a good place to live in a great town, Burkburnett is the place for you.  I am sure that you would realize this on your first visit to the town.

                                                                            //S//

                                                                   CHESTER A. AUSTIN

                                                                   SSG, TXARNG

                                                                   Recruiting and Retention NCO

WHY WE LIVE IN BURKBURNETT

By Dave Saville

1 Mar 2008

Being active duty Air Force for over 20 years, our family has lived in many places, as far East as Germany and as far West as Hawai’i, and in five States in between.  We learned to enjoy each place because of friends, church, local cuisine, and fun differences in local culture.  But when we moved to Burkburnett and the Wichita Falls area, we knew this was going to be our new home town.  Like many military families before us, we are planning our retirement from active duty in the Air Force so we can stay here and grow roots. 

What made us move to Burkburnett and decide to stay?  Several things come to mind…here are a few.  The small town feel of Burk immediately drew us in when we arrived and started looking for a place to live.  The BISD was the first thing we investigated, like any normal relocated parents, and we were pleased and remained pleased by the philosophy and quality of the schools.  Everywhere we went we heard that Burk was a great place to raise kids.  Then we looked closer at the neighborhoods and found a place to live.  With those things in place, we settled in and stayed busy with work and church activities.  That’s when we began to uncover the true joys of living here.

We quickly learned that for a small fee to the right charity organization, we could have a big American flag posted in front of our house on all the right holidays…joining an incredible show of patriotism up and down our neighborhood.  The sight was breathtaking to someone who has been around the world…and to be a part of it was special.     Learning of Project Graduation showed us that Burk’s citizens were not only concerned, but also creative and committed to the right goals.  Seeing the parades proved this small city had heart.  I could go on, but you get the idea:  we soon discovered there was a lot to like about this place.

Then we got to meet some of Burk’s people, and we were truly hooked.  Everywhere we went we met people that warmly received us into the town as members…as neighbors.  Local businessmen and women showed integrity, kindness, reasonable pricing, and a commitment to quality.  My current position at Sheppard AFB has afforded me the opportunity to get to know some of Burk’s government and business leaders, and it has been a real delight.    No where else we’ve lived are the people this enjoyable and trustworthy!

As a testament to how much we now identify with Burkburnett, our family has adopted a new name.  To avoid confusion between us and my brother’s family in Ft Worth (who used to be referred to as the “Texas Saville’s”), we proudly embrace the label “Boomtown Saville’s” and my brother settles for “Cowtown Saville’s”!

I agree with the freshly repainted water tower on Kramer Road.  The motto “You’re home now” seemed like something designed for just me and my family, but I know it’s true for everyone living here, and many others yet to come.