Burton Patrick Juengel
Tech Sergeant, United States Air Force
May 21, 1991 – November 30, 2022
Age – 31
Berlin Township, MI
151st Air Refueling Wing, Roland White
Utah National Guard Base, Salt Lake City, Utah
Passed away of a medical emergency while on deployment in Guam
A routine deployment to Guam ended in tragedy for a Utah Air National Guard Airman, who suffered a medical emergency and later died. Despite ongoing treatments and continued efforts of hospital staff, Juengel passed away on Tuesday. Tech. Sgt. Burton Patrick Juengel, who was assigned to the 151st Air Refueling Wing, was transported to an emergency room after the medical issue, where doctors worked to diagnose his condition, according to a statement from the Utah National Guard. His health declined in the following days, and Juengel died Nov. 30.
He is survived by his wife, Kaylee, who is also a member of the Utah Air National Guard, and their daughter and an unborn child. Juengel is described as having lived by the Air Force values: “Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” Air National Guard officials say he was a trained professional who sacrificed everything to support the mission he was called to perform.
Burton attended and graduated from Almont Schools, and passionately played several sports including baseball, bowling, and golf. Upon graduation Burton went onto college and earned an apprenticeship in tool and die. He worked in this trade until 2011 when he joined the Air National Guard.
He proudly served at Selfridge in Michigan until he transferred to Roland R. Wright in Salt Lake City, Utah where he met Kaylee who was also in the National Guard. They were married in 2020 and began their family with Vera Marie. Fatherhood deeply touched him and he was excitedly anticipating the birth of Eva Mae, which sadly he did not get to experience.
Throughout Burtons life he was passionate about fishing and all forms of wild game hunting, especially bear in Michigan’s upper Peninsula where he loved spending time at the family cabin. Burton also loved to build and race figure eight cars. He was a member of the Armanda Lions Club and volunteered countless hours helping others. Burton loved sports and was a huge Michigan State University Spartans fan. He was always willing to help anyone in need. He would do anything for a laugh, even if it was at his expense, and he had a personality bigger than his stature.
“We are devastated by the tragic loss of an outstanding Airman and express our heartfelt condolences to his wife, children, and family,” according to Brig. Gen. Daniel Boyack, commander of the Utah Air National Guard.
“This is a tremendous tragedy for all of us deployed on this mission,” said Lt. Col. Philip Schembri, unit commander for the deployment. “Tech Sgt. Juengel was an outstanding Airman and performed his job with enthusiasm and a positivity that motivated those around him.”