Butner Alumni
Box 103
Cromwell, OK 74837
E-Mail
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Military
Service
Several
Butner students served in the Korean War prior to graduation
from high school, as they were members of the Oklahoma Army
National Guard's 45 Infantry Division (Thunderbird) while
still students at the ages of 16, 17, and 18. They were called
up for the war in Korea, trained in Louisiana and other places,
and sent over to Asia to defend democracy. They later returned
and completed their high school education, graduating a couple
of years behind their peers, but with equal or greater pride.
Many Butner graduates served in WW-11, the Vietnam War, and
in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf Region. They
served with distinction, amassing great numbers of awards
for heroism and exemplary service.
Butner School, to this very day, under the leadership of Ms.
Marilyn Wesley, Business Faculty, assisted by Mr. Winford
Lemons, Butner Alumni President, Class of 1963 and local rancher,
continues to recognize Butner's veterans with special ceremonies
on or around Veterans (formerly Armistice) Day or on other
national holidays. Veterans of Butner, Excelsior, and Cromwell
were honored on November 10, 2000 in a particularly moving
ceremony. Don Martin, Class of 1959, served as guest speaker,
Terry Deer and David Demings, two Butner graduates killed
in action in Vietnam, received special recognition, and their
families were present to receive honors, with some coming
from as far away as Colorado to attend the assembly of students,
faculty, veterans, administrator, members of Oklahoma's Army
National Guard, Boy Scouts of America, and local citizens.
This latest event honoring veterans received front-page coverage
in the November 15, 2000 edition of the Wewoka Times newspaper,
The Seminole Producer covered the event as well.
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This history
was compiled, written, and edited from oral history, official
and unofficial records and reports, and articles from The Wewoka
Times and The Seminole Producer, by Winford Lemons, Class of
1963, and Don Martin, Class of 1959. A major contributor has
been Mrs. Howard (Mildred Able) Nall, a Butner High School graduate,
and current resident of Wewoka, County Seat of Seminole County.
Another contributor worthy of note was the late J. D. Butner,
Seminole County rancher and former faculty member at BHS.
Recommended changes, deletions, or additions should be e-mailed
to Don Martina at croc-6@suddenlink.net
or lemonsw@prodigy.net.
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