On February 5, 2025, Sergeant Brett Burton, USMC (Zeta Nu–North Florida ’15) was awarded the Purple Heart. The oldest military award in the United States, the Purple Heart, was created by General George Washington in 1782 and is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are wounded or killed in action.
In 2011, while conducting combat operations in one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan, Brett and his platoon were under attack, and Brett was injured by an enemy IED.
After serving in the U.S. Marines, Brett attended UNF on the G.I. Bill. He pledged KA and served his chapter as Number II. A political science major, Brett interned in the Summer of 2017 with Meyers & Associates, LLC in the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation’s E. Fleming Mason Memorial Internship Program in Washington, D.C. Brett and his wife, Megan, live in Jacksonville, Florida, and have two daughters. He remains involved with KA by serving as an advisor for the Zeta Nu Chapter and as a member of the KAOEF’s Crimson & Gold Society.
Photos courtesy of Ariel Rose Photography.
