From Bunker Hill to Desert Storm, our family has been in the fight. We have not always been the best or the bravest, but we have been in most every conflict.
I am convinced that our ancestors play a part in not only our physical makeup, but also our emotional fabric. With ancestors that have names like RAGNHILDIS, SOMERLED, OLAU, ANGUS, THURLOUGH and ETACH it is no wonder that I have a strong warrior sense of self.
Viking blood and Normandy
My ancestors contain a mix of cultures with the predominant ones being Normans and Celts. The surname BURNELL comes from Normandy around the 10th century. This was at the time when William the conqueror was raiding many lands including what we now know as England. I have been to Normandy many times because of my heritage and of course the Normandy invasion of WWII. In Caen the largest Viking (Norman = Norse Man) castle is still standing. This was the headquarters of King William and the staging area for his raids and conquests. Norman blood would soon be mingled with the English as the Normans would conquer the island beginning is 1066 and the Battle of Hastings.
As walked the land of Normandy it was a very comfortable feeling, a feeling of belonging. In a very spiritual way I felt like this ancient land held some connection to me personally. Through family research I would later find that our name was mingled with Knights and those of “lesser ranks”. We would fight for a Duke in exchange for lands. Noteworthy was the fact that the Burnell crest has a blue boarder signifying they went across the channel to England and were part of the invasion and the eventual conquering of England. These people mixed with other tribes became the England we know today.
My Mothers side of the family holds the surname MacDonald. Our family is from the highlands where the feuding between clans was in full swing. I have been to the highlands and walked the lands of my forefathers. As I walked the mountainous landscape I was impressed by the shear strength the people had to possess to not only survive in the climate and terrain, but dominate. One legend is told where the Viking invaded the highlands with 400 ships. After the MacDonald’s had finished with them there were only a beaten and discouraged boat load left.
My great grandfather is named Fred Newton Scofield. In 1880 at the age of 22 years old he moved to Tombstone, Arizona. He was active in politics in the days when a public figure had to be “quick on the draw”. He was a friend of Wyatt Earp and went into business with him on several mining ventures. He was the best man at Wyatt Earps wedding to Josie. He was very wealthy in his later years. He was active in the National Guard which is where he got his nickname was Captain Scofield. He is an influential character in our family and set the pace for three generations to follow. Also my brother looks just like him in his photos.
The Horse Soldier and Pancho Villa
His son (my grandfather Fred Eugene Burnell) became a horse soldier at the turn on the century and chased Poncho Villa on the boarder of Mexico under the command of General Pershing. Later Pershing would become the commander of American forces in Europe during World War I (WWI). Prior to WWI my grandfather would be injured while riding a motorcycle as a dispatch rider. This would prevent him from going to France.
He would visit us when I was a boy and always pay such devoted attention to me. One time he brought me a replica Calvary canteen and said;”This is like the one we used when I was in the Calvary”. I played with that canteen for years. He was and is still a legend to me.
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) - METRO
His son and my Father Robert Burnell would enlist in the National Guard during Korea and rise to the rank of Master Sergeant within 7 years. He would later join the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and graduate near my birthday in 1961.
As a 24 year veteran of LAPD he was a plank owner of METRO, the elite no bull division where SWAT would be formed. He was involved with SWAT, the Watts riots, VICE, Narcotics, Warrants, Homicides, and many other key events and duties. One major highlight of his distinguished career was when he and his partner caught the number one bad guy. He was captured by my dad, a shotgun and tenacity. For this action he was awarded a bottle of Champaign. Since we did not drink alcohol, that bottle sat proudly on our bookshelf all growing up.
My Dad has always exemplified the warrior. I had the incredible opportunity to take him back to the land of his fore fathers in Normandy. Outside the Viking castle at Caen I asked my Dad “what is it like for you to be standing next to a place that has your DNA tied to it?” he reflected and didn’t say much, but I could tell that the realization was taking shape of who he was at a whole new level. He was literally from a warrior culture. One so powerful it shaped the continent we were now standing on.
We visited WWII and WWI sites and bathed in rich and ancient history. He was touched by the beaches of Normandy, the Battle of Bastogne, the concentration camp at Dachau, Berlin, East Germany, Poland and many other places, people and events. I got to watch my Warrior Father who had served under extreme stress for nearly three decades in uniform pay homage to other warriors under many flags and from other times.
To me it is ironic that true warriors rarely call attention to their deeds, but respect, study and emulate the deeds of others from a different time and place as if they had done something incomprehensible.
It was with my Father on this trip that I realized he is just like the men he honors. There are no differences other than time, location and opportunity. Just as he looks at others and their amazing feats and deeds, we look at him in that very light and with the same respect and awe.
Warriors do not always choose their battles, enemies or causes, but when there are real threats and safety needs to be preserved, it is that person willing to step forward from any generation and protect the weak and secure the borders that defines weather they are a true warrior. They harness fear and do the deeds that are hard. While DNA may contribute, the character, heart and values of a man or women are what ultimately compel them to step forward into the unknown fray of battle.
While birthright and nobility do not always equal positive action, they can once we comprehend our historical context on earth propel us into the fray with a sense of belonging and a complete understanding that might, while it does not always make right – is the catalyst of freedom and safety. If our forefathers saw this and took action, then certainly it is appropriate for us.
In my case I did not become acutely aware of my ancestors and their exploits until I had already tasted the sting of trauma. I was then interested in their lives and in search mode for perhaps a validation of the things I had seen and done.
From my experiences growing up in the Los Angeles area I came to understand that everyone had a gun or a knife but me. Later when I went in the military I was extremely grateful for the fact Uncle Sam not only gave me a weapon but my friends too! I was conditioned in my youth to manage fear and physical threats. Sometimes that meant running away, others it meant trying to fight my way to safety.