Lieutenant General Eedson Louis Millard "Tommy" Burns, CC, DSO, OBE, MC, CD (June 17, 1897 – September 13, 1985) was a senior officer of the Canadian Army and a diplomat.

[3] His military career in war has, for the most part, been criticised by some historians as showing he was "simply incapable of commanding a higher formation.

He became a staff officer with the 3rd Division's 9th Brigade in March 1917, dealing with supply and personnel and saw action at the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

In addition to organising and running the signal lines, he personally laid and repaired armoured cables under very heavy fire.

[7]After receiving a commission in the Permanent Force as a captain on 1 April 1920,[8] Burns attended the School of Military Engineering, Chatham, England, for eighteen months.

[12] He was not destined to lead the division into battle, however, as, throughout January 1944, there were several changes in the higher levels in command in preparation for the Allied invasion of Normandy in the spring.

Lieutenant-General Ernest William Sansom, commanding II Canadian Corps, and under whose command Burns's 2nd Division was serving, was returned to Canada and replaced by Major-General Guy Simonds, returning to England from the Italian front where he had been GOC of the 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division.

On 17 January the division's 11th Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier George Kitching, had launched a disastrous assault over the Arieli River, which failed with heavy casualties.

General Sir Bernard Montgomery, the former commander of the British Eighth Army (under whose control I Canadian Corps fell), placed experience in battle very highly, as did his successor in command of the Eighth Army, Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, a man with whom Burns was to clash on several occasions over the following months.

Vokes [GOC 1st Division] has certainly reached his ceiling but, providing he is told very clearly what he is to do, and is guided, in his actions, from above, can be regarded as fit for the responsibilities of his appointment.

[17] Following this major setback to his career, Burns, reverting back to his permanent rank of major-general,[10] was given another chance, and he was sent to Northwestern Europe in December 1944, becoming the Chief of Canadian Section, 1st Echelon, 21st Army Group, a position he held until September 1945, by which time the war, after six long years, had finally come to an end.

As Chief of Staff in 1954, United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) was designed to maintain the General Armistice Agreements until permanent peace could be formulated.

Burns served as a Chief of Staff of the Truce Supervision Organization in Palestine (1954–56) and was thus nearby when the Suez Crisis of 1956 occurred.

Burns held the chair of Strategic Studies at the Norman Paterson School for International Affairs, Carleton University from 1969 to 1975.

A mannequin at the Royal Military College of Canada wears "Tommy" Burns's khaki army uniform jacket, covered with medals and wrapped with a Sam Browne belt.