John Edward Butts (August 4, 1922 – June 23, 1944) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

second lieutenant and rifle platoon leader who received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

posthumously for his actions above and beyond the call of duty during the

Normandy Campaign Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Butts was one of five brothers to serve in the war and the only one to be killed in action.

Biography

Butts was born on August 4, 1920 in

Medina, New York Medina is a village in the Towns of Shelby and Ridgeway in Orleans County, New York, United States. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,065 at the 2010 census, making it the county's most populous ...

. He was one of six sons of Jerry and Anna (Hogan) Butts. He attended Medina High School where he played football. He joined the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

in Medina at age 17, in 1939. He began National Guard training at

Fort McClellan Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a decommissioned United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million tr ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

in October 1940. After training, he was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion,

108th Infantry The 108th Infantry were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment traces their origins to 1768, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion, Bombay Sepoys. The regiments first action was during the Mysore Campaign in the Thi ...

. In February 1942, he was sent to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. He returned to the United States in November to attend

Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on November 29, at age 19. He requested overseas duty and participated in the North Africa Campaign. Afterwards, he was part of the

invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

where he was decorated for bravery. During these campaigns and the Normandy Campaign in June 1944, he was a platoon leader of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division. Butts was wounded on June 14 near Orglandes, France. He was wounded again on June 16 as his unit crossed the

Douve River The Douve () or Ouve is a river, in length, which rises in the commune of Tollevast, near Cherbourg in the department of Manche. ''Ouve'' is considered its old name (''Unva'' in ancient texts): Ouve appears to have been misspelled over the cour ...

. On June 23, he was fatally wounded by

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

fire while attacking a well defended enemy held hill. For his heroic actions and leadership under enemy fire on June 14, 16, and 23, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His body was buried in the United States Military Cemetery at Normandy. In 1948, his remains were removed and re-interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Medina.

Military Awards

Lt. Butts' medals and memorabilia are on display at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, NY. His military decorations and awards include:

Medal of Honor citation

Lt. Butts' Medal of Honor citation reads: Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Co. E, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Normandy, France, 14, 16, and June 23, 1944.
Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Birth: Medina, N.Y.
G.O. No.: 58, July 19, 1944. Armymoh

::for service as set forth in the following ::CITATION:

Lieutenant Butts heroically led his platoon against the enemy in Normandy, France, on 14, 16, and 23 June 1944. Despite being painfully wounded on the 14th near Orglandes and again on the 16th while spearheading an attack to establish a bridgehead across the Douve River, he refused medical aid and remained with his platoon. A week later, near Flottemanville Hague, he led an assault on a tactically important and stubbornly defended hill studded with tanks,
anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
s, pillboxes, and machinegun emplacements, and protected by concentrated artillery and mortar fire. As the attack was launched, Lieutenant Butts, at the head of his platoon, was critically wounded by German machinegun fire. Although weakened by his injuries, he rallied his men and directed one squad to make a flanking movement while he alone made a frontal assault to draw the hostile fire upon himself. Once more he was struck, but by grim determination and sheer courage continued to crawl ahead. When within ten yards of his objective, he was killed by direct fire. By his superb courage, unflinching valor and inspiring actions, Lieutenant Butts enabled his platoon to take a formidable strong point and contributed greatly to the success of his battalion's mission.

Legacy

Lt. Butts' received several military and public honors, including having two streets, an airfield, an

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

Post, a park, an athletic field, and an ocean going ship named after him: *

Fort Carson, Colorado Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs ...

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...

, and Fort Dix, NJ, all have roads named after Lt. Butts. * In 1946, an athletic field in

Augsburg, Germany Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

was dedicated in Lt. Butts' honor. * In 1954, the James P. Clark American Legion Post #204 in Medina, New York, changed its name to the Butts-Clark American Legion Post #204. * In 1957, the Army

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

was named the Butts Army Airfield. * In 1980, Medina dedicated a village park, the John E Butts Memorial Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butts, John E. 1923 births 1944 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army officers United States Army personnel killed in World War II People from Medina, New York World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor Battle of Normandy recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from New York (state)

Biography

Military Awards

Medal of Honor citation

Legacy

See also

References