Dates

• Usage: 1899 - 1924

Biographical Note

Herman Butler was born circa 1899. He was the adopted son of his uncle Curtis N. and aunt Lela A. Butler of Belleville, Washington. Curtis Butler was a partner with his two brothers in the Butler Brothers Lumber and Shingle Mill in the first part of the 20th century. Herman Butler enlisted in February 1917 and trained at the Signal Corps Aviation School at the North Island base near San Diego, California. In September he was transferred to the 135th Aero Squadron, and traveled to Garden City, New York in November. He arrived in Europe in early 1918 and for unknown reasons (possibly a training injury) was confined to a convalescent hospital in Mablethorpe, England in May 1918. He was sent to the front in France just in time to participate in the battle at St. Mihiel. He remained in Europe after the armistice to travel, returning to the United States some time around the end of 1919. He was stationed at the United States Army School of Aerial Photography at Langley Field, Virginia in 1919-1920. On February 12, 1924, Butler was killed in a logging accident in Whatcom County, Washington. Sources and further reading: Biography derived from donor notes, collection materials, and Ancestry.com. Lawrence L. Smart, The hawks that guided the guns. Privately printed, circa 1968.

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