Burke enlisted in the United States Army Reserves on March 31, 1988, at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He received his Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as an Infantryman at Fort Benning, Georgia, during the summers of 1988 and 1989. From 1988 through 1992 he served with C Company, 1/410th Battalion, 205th Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division in Waterloo, Iowa. During this time, Burke also participated in the Simultaneous Membership Program through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Northern Iowa. From 1992 through 1993 he served with A Company, 1/147 Infantry Battalion of the Ohio National Guard in Cincinnati, Ohio.
This unit was activated from April 19-23, 1993, and served at Lucasville, Ohio, to assist the Ohio State Patrol in controlling the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility prison riot emergency, which lasted from April 11-22, 1993. From 1993 to 1997, Burke served with the Wyoming National Guard as a Unit Supply Specialist with Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 49th Field Artillery Regiment and Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery Regiment at Lander, Wyoming.

Burke received his honorable discharge in 1999 with the rank of Specialist.