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2011 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 550
Celebrating the life of Harry William Butler, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 14, 2011
Agreed to by the Senate, January 20, 2011

 

WHEREAS, Harry William Butler, Jr., Serial number 33 - 539 – 939, passed away on June 28, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Harry “Bill” Butler, raised in Winchester and graduated from John Handley High School, served in the European Theatre as a sergeant, was assigned to the Ammunition and Pioneer Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division and was a platoon leader during the infamous Battle of the Bulge in December 1944; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Butler was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service for his action December 21 - 24, 1944, for “protecting the left flank, and, by his alertness, aided greatly in holding the enemy off”; and

WHEREAS, Bill Butler returned to his home in Winchester to marry Rose Ellen Ramsburg on October 22, 1945, and raise a family; and

WHEREAS, Bill Butler was involved in the apple industry and real estate in Winchester; he served on the Democratic Committee and for 20 years was a member of the Winchester City Council; and

WHEREAS, known as “Mr. VFW” in Winchester, Bill Butler held the position of VFW Post Commander and for 20 years was chairman of the Veteran’s Council, where he was responsible for raising $45,000 for a permanent veterans memorial and meeting place in Shenandoah Memorial Park; he also served one term on the Virginia Board of Veteran’s Affairs; and

WHEREAS, on Veterans Day 2003, Bill Butler was recognized by the City of Winchester for his continued work in raising awareness of Memorial Day and Veterans Day in a declaration of “Harry William Butler, Jr. Day”; and

WHEREAS, in 2000 Bill Butler, along with his son and grandsons, returned to the Ardennes to retrace his steps in the snow at the site of the Battle of the Bulge and revisit a churchyard where he was wounded and for which he received a Purple Heart; and

WHEREAS, in March 2010, Bill Butler went to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., along with 22 other veterans, where they were ushered into the Legion of Honor by the French Ambassador; and

WHEREAS, Bill Butler will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and veterans he so strongly advocated for and especially those at a local eatery where they only had to worry about the price of coffee going up; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of Harry William Butler, Jr., as a true hero of the “Greatest Generation,” a son of the Commonwealth, and a Virginia gentleman; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Harry William Butler, Jr., as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly, the citizens of Winchester, and the Commonwealth of Virginia.