When you see Utah flags flying at half-staff Saturday, think of Aaron Butler.
It is out of respect for his sacrifice the flags will be lowered.
Butler, a Green Beret from Monticello, died Aug. 16 in eastern Afghanistan. He was 27.
His funeral is Saturday.
A booby trap exploded as Butler his 12-member Utah National Guard team cleared a building in Nangarhar Province, a militant stronghold. The blast killed Butler and injured the other 11 Guardsmen.
Butler knew in first grade he wanted to join the military, said his parents, Randy and Laura Butler. They tried to talk him out of it, but they couldn’t. Neither could his seven siblings.
Last year he qualified for the U.S. Army Special Forces, with honors.
His fiance, Alex Seagroves, spoke at a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 23. She and Butler’s parents described him as both “fearless” and “caring.”
Gov. Gary Herbert ordered the United States and Utah flags lowered Saturday.
“It truly isn’t possible to offer adequate thanks to those who put their lives on the line day after day in the defense of freedom around the world,” Herbert said in a press release. “May God’s greatest blessings graciously fall upon those brave men and women who are dedicated to the service of their fellowmen.”
Butler was one of about 8,400 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, more than 15 years after President George W. Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom. Through 2016, the war claimed the lives of more than 2,300 American troops.
Yet as a nation, we only seem to remember the war when a president considers new troop levels, as Donald Trump did early this week, or local soldier dies.
U.S. troops in Afghanistan answered the call of duty — troops like Aaron Butler. They risk their lives on our behalf.