Butt Is Veteran Of The MonthA Syracuse man who was drafted into the Vietnam War is the October 2020 Veteran of the Month for Kosciusko County.
Kenny Butt was born on March 15, 1947, in Goshen, to Dale and Decima Butt. He grew up in Syracuse, graduating from Syracuse High School in 1965.
He was drafted on March 11, 1968, according to Kosciusko County Veterans Affairs Officer Rich Maron, who prepared and read Butt’s biography at the County Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
Butt went to boot camp at Fort Campbell, Ky., and went to Ford Ord, Calif., for advanced infantry training. From there, he went to Fort Riley, Kansas, with the Big Red 1 for tank trails and testing.
In April 1969, he was transferred to Company E 3rd Battalion 8th Infantry 4th Infantry Division, where he was a gunner on a 4.2-inch mortar in the central highlands of Vietnam. He was promoted to sergeant on Dec. 15, 1969, receiving the Bronze Star with V at landing zone Penny.
The combat infantryman badge, along with the DD 214 discharge, are his pride and joys, Maron said.
On March 2, 1970, Butt returned to Fort Lewis, Washington, for honorable discharge at the rank of sergeant E5.
Maron said Butt remembers sitting “out on guard duty at LZ Mile High with everything I had wrapped around me and shaking like crazy because of the cold.” It was 84 degrees.
After Butt’s discharge, on March 10, 1973, he married Sally Jo Hodgson. They had three sons: Sean, Tracy and Neil. Unfortunately, after 38 years, he lost his wife Sally to multiple sclerosis on July 10, 2012.
He has five granddaughters, one grandson and one great-grandson.
Upon returning home, he went to work with his father at Wawasee Boat, where he stayed for 14 years. After that, he would use his skills repairing boats and motors in the local area, which ended with 15 years at Rinker Boats.
Now retired, Butt loves to share his passion for racing go-karts with his sons.
Butt told Maron, “There’s nothing more enjoyable. I love shaking up the young guys when, at 73 years old, I pass them on my way to the finish line.”
