By John Montesano
The Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club named Thomas Butler the December Veteran of the Month.
The son of Jim Butler, one of our previous veterans of the month and Aurora resident, Tom was born December 17, 1964 in Philadelphia, Pa.. He grew up in Chicago and Carpentersville. He was graduated from Barrington High School in 1982.
In April 1983, he joined the Marines. With the 5th Battalion 11th Marines, an Artillery Battalion, Tom deployed to Saudi Arabia from August 1990 to March 1991 and participated in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. His unit provided security and handled prisoners. In 1992, he earned an associates degree in political science at Chapman University, in Orange, Calif. and was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in April 1993.
When he was living in Arizona, in 1993, he worked for a hotel and casino chain as a security officer. In 1994, he was given the opportunity to become a police officer and served in law enforcement for approximately seven years. He moved to Idaho to be closer to his wife’s family in 2000 and continued to work in the police profession in the GEM County Idaho Sheriff’s Department. He worked for the Albertson’s Grocery chain where he became manager. Shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he became interested in resuming his military service and in 2002 enlisted in the Idaho National Guard. Tom had the opportunity to serve his country when his unit was deployed in November 2004 to Iraq.
Attached to the Army 1st Infantry Division, his unit was assigned to northern Iraq. As tank commander, his unit would perform escorts and scout recon, primarily in and around Kirkuk. In June 2005, Tom was severely wounded by an IED (improvised explosive device). He was in recovery until September 2006 at which time he returned to the Idaho National Guard. He went back to school and obtained a bachelor of science in business administration and management. He was made a full-time recruiter for the Army National Guard (ARNG). The Army wanted him as a recruiter due to his positive and motivating return after being wounded. Tom estimates that he has recruited 350 individuals into the ARNG.
Tom is a family man, with four boys and two girls. He had the opportunity to serve his country with five of his children in the National Guard. Sadly, one of his sons fell victim to the national problem of veteran suicide. His son, Phillip James Butler, deployed to Iraq in 2010, but returned with PTSD. Phillip took his life in 2018. May he rest in peace.
August 31, 2020, Tom retired from the ARNG at the rank of 1st Sergeant. His military career brought many awards and citations; Army: Purple Heart; Combat Action badge; Idaho Cross medal; Army and Marines: 13 medals for his active duty and deployments; 40 commendations, good conduct, leadership, and various achievement medals. He certainly continued the family military tradition with a father, two uncles, a brother, and five children having served in the military.
During his time as a resident of Idaho, he is proud of his involvement in his community and served in several civilian and veteran organizations. “I have been fortunate to start and own a few businesses in my community and I look forward to the future. Upon retirement, I look forward to continue serving my community as a member of our city and State legislature.”