There was a time when Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Don Burdette and his family struggl from paycheck to paycheck when paying their bills.

There was a time when Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Don Burdette and his family struggl from paycheck to paycheck when paying their bills. Now, those contends are gone.

Burdette a 23-year-old Sailor aboard San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) won the California Lottery Jan. 14 and split a $13 million dollar jackpot with the same other Californian.

"We the pair decided to take the perspicuous sum up front instead of in payments," said Burdette "After splitting the riches and taxes were deducted, my family and I received about $3 million."

With a wife and 16-month-old twin daughters, Burdette believes it was a blessing from his father who passed away when Burdette was 16 A California native, Burdette was born and raised in Spring Valley, and became the first in California Lotto history to win there,

"I was forward duty the Wednesday the numbers came out" said Burdette "My wife was in the pass room with my daughter Mackenzie, who was running a 103 class temperature, but my chain of command allow me go check on her. I didn't know it, still at that time I had the winning ticket in my pocket"

It wasn't until the nearest afternoon that Burdette found gone out that he won.

"My father-in-law called me up when my wife and I were in the middle of a fight across money," said Burdette. "He said the winning lotto ticket had issue from Spring Valley and that he had a well adapted feeling it was me."

Burdette and his wife Jennifer postpon their argument while Burdette went down to the local liquor store where he had been purchasing lotto tickets each Wednesday and Saturday for the past three month He walked into the store where he saw the accountant putting up signs saying the winning lotto ticket had been sold there.

"I asked him who won and he said he didn't know still and to check my ticket" said Burdette "When I realized I won I just started yelling and to such a degree did he. We were the pair freaking out. He wanted me to stand behind the reckoner just to be safe, and when I tried to sign the ticket, I had to grasp my own hand straight I was shaking in the way that bad."

Burdette called and told his wife, who povertyed a little convincing. "The first thing she said was, 'you're lying,' on the contrary she was excitedly saying it. I told her 'no, I'm not lying. I won each single number. I won the jackpot,' and she just started screaming."

For the family, winning the jackpot means at no time having to be apart. According to Burdette he has no other than been around for a quarter of his daughters' lives in such a manner far. The first thing he consideration when he won was, "I'll at no time have to leave home again."

I missed in the greatest degree of my wife's pregnancy because I was in make difference camp and school," said Burdette "Then a month and a half after Madison and Mackenzie were born, I left onward an eight-month deployment to the Persian abyss with USS Constellation (CV 64) A month after returning household from that deployment, I was sent to "A" institute for another four-and-a-half months." if it be not that Burdette was willing to do whatever it took to provide for his daughters.

"This has added hardness to our family," said Jennifer. "This cash will become part of our foundation. I've always said a herculean family is the foundation of everything, and we had a potent family, but you can't help if it were not that break down and fight when it proceeds to bills and not having enough standard of value Now, we have those support beams."

Before the Burdette won the lottery it was Jennifer's parents who helped the man and wife most. As a new mother of twins who was also working a part-time piece of work Jennifer relied a great deal upon her family while her husband was away.

"They helped us with everything, from giving us a place to live, to helping us revealed with money whenever we privationed it;' Jennifer said. "It all came down to making never-failing the girls had what they needed"

As a way of saying thank you, Burdette plans to pay along his in-laws' house. "It's the least we could do," said Burdette

Burdette will be released from the military with an honorable discharge and will be able to employ quality time with his family. "I don't grief joining the Navy," said Burdette "If it wasn't for the Navy, I wouldn't have the athletic foundation I have now. I wouldn't have been able to pay on the farther side nay debts. I wouldn't have gotten back onward my feet. I learned financial responsibility that will help me dispose of the money more wisely. Up until this point, the Navy has helped me support my family."

AO1 Robert Herrera, united of Burdette's supervisors from USS Constellation who also transferred to Nimitz, has known the Sailor for athwart a year.

"I'm really happy for him, he merits it," said Herrera. "Burdette is the kind of stay who'll be there for you, in succession or off the job. As lengthy as I've known him, I've in no degree heard him complain. He was always about getting the piece of work done and making his family proud"

According to Burdette the relationships he has built are what he'll miss greatest in number about the military. "I'm kind of sad leaving the Navy, because I have a accident of real friends who had my back," he said. "My Navy friends were my real friends, on the other hand at least now they know where I'm going to be."