Burke Speed is a 1992 graduate of Mississippi State University. After graduating from MSU he was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. He served as an F-16 instructor pilot, flight examiner and a squadron commander during his 26-year career. He is now a retired Colonel with more than 2,900 flying hours, including 101 combat flights. Burke and his wife, Carroll, have been married for over twenty years and have three children.