BHS Mission Honor

On Veterans Day 2014, the BHS Veterans Project was initiated. Over the next 6 years, the Project 

* installed over 2,500 BHS Veterans in the site. (for a listing, see the Paver Location link below)

* 23 diplomas were granted to deserving BHS veterans

* 73 medals were presented to 46 veterans

* 26 additional KIA alumni were identified, bringing the known KIA total to 106 fallen BHS heroes

The BHS Veterans Project to Mission Honor

The BHS Veterans Project was a spinoff of the Hall of Honor program and the third step in capturing the storied history of Butler High School (Athletic Walk of Fame, Hall of Honor & the BHS Mission Honor Veterans Project). While Butler’s War Dead had been somewhat documented since WWI, the overall veteran’s population had not been recognized. Our War Dead were heroes when they chose to serve. All our veterans need to be recognized for their service. 

On Veterans Day, November 11, 2014, a Facebook Page was established to gauge the interest of Butler High School veterans in being honored in a monument on the BHS campus. By the end of the year, over fifty (50) submissions had been received. There was clear interest in the project. The school administration was presented with results and approved the project. A website was established on the High School site, efforts were put in place to increase veteran submissions, fundraising activities were initiated, and search for an appropriate location commenced.

It was decided two criteria would have to be met for a veteran to be installed in the BHS Veterans monument: There needed to be proof of service and attendance to the school. 

Early on, it was decided that the BHS site should be placed in a prominent location to show the importance of the monument for our BHS veterans and other schools who may wish to create such a program on their campuses. The idea of expanding to other schools was the basis for the need to brand the site as Mission Honor. A logo was developed which could be used and individualized for any high school by changing Butler’s colors to that school’s colors.

On May 20, 2016, a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the monument and the installation of 922 BHS veterans was held. 

A BHS graduate and marine veteran, Helen Micklitz, shared her archives on local veterans with the committee, which she had been compiling for many years. It was noticed that these documents held all the information needed to add additional veterans to the monument. Phase 2 was initiated.  It was clear from the sheer numbers of previously unidentified BHS veterans that the monument would have to be expanded. Phase 2 was initiated.

On October 27, 2018 another ceremony was held to celebrate the expansion and the addition of 1,415 BHS veterans in the monument. This brought the total to 2337 BHS veterans honored. Twenty-three additional BHS KIA not previously recognized were also identified. 

The Mission Honor program also took on other additional activities to honor its veterans. By the end of Phase two, Mission Honor had presented 23 diplomas and 46 medals to deserving BHS veterans. The singularly-focused BHS Veterans Project had truly evolved into multi-faceted Mission Honor Program to honor veterans.

Veterans continue to be identified and the total number of veterans installed exceeds 2,500 heroes.

View the current Paver Location Information.