|
|
Forrest O’Brien Butler
US Army, Europe Forrest O'Brien Butler was killed in action on 17 July 1944 in northern Italy. He was a member of the 88th Infantry Division, which was attacking a hill held by the German Army. When one of his buddies was wounded by a German machine gun, Forrest went over to help him back to an aid station. On the way down the hill, the German machine gun fired on them. Forrest was hit and killed instantly. In a letter to Forrest’s mother, his company sergeant, Fields H. Church, wrote: “It is with deep regret that we lost Forrest for he was one of the finest and best liked men in the Company. We will long remember the heroic death he died and the high standards he set in the Company. I personally wish I had a whole Company of men just like him.” Forrest’s personal effects were returned to his family in Scottsville. Among them were Forrest’s New Testament and cigarette lighter, which he carried throughout the War; these items are on display with his burial flag at Scottsville Museum. Forrest was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously and is buried at Scottsville Cemetery.
Fields H. Church, a sergeant in the company, wrote the following letter to
Forrest's mother, Mrs. Sam Butler, on 14 February 1945:  |
|
