Charles Butler
Charles Butler, the last of the soldiers in this series, was an enigma for quite a while. He was born in Michigan, was on the 1900 and 1910 censuses with his parents in Minnesota, lived in Defiance for a short time, and enlisted in Ohio and then joined the National Army in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Charles was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, on November 15, 1889, the son of Charles Carroll Butler, Sr. and his wife, Alice M. Parmalee. Charles, the soldier, was actually a junior to his father, but he never used his middle initial or the junior on the documents for the military. His parents were born in Wisconsin, adding to their travel journey. From at least 1900 until their son's death, the family lived in Virginia, St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Why Charles was in Defiance, Ohio in 1917 when he enlisted is a mystery, but the book, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, placed him there, living at 814 Clinton Street. He seemed to claim Defiance as is residence in all things military. Nothing could be found on his life in Defiance.
After enlisting on November 23, 1917, into the National Army at 28 years old, he was placed in Company A, 304th Engineers where he stayed until January 7, 1918. By occupation, Charles had trained as a civil engineer at the University of Wisconsin, and on the 1910 census was employed by the city of Virginia, Minnesota as such. He was last assigned in the Army to Company A, 301st Battalion TC (Tank Corps).
On March 28, 1918, Charles departed New York City on the ship Olympic, headed for France. His contact person was his mother, Alice P (Parmalee) Butler. He was with the 65th Engineers, Company A, Heavy Tank Section. (It is unknown if his father was alive at this time.)
He moved up the ranks quickly from his first assignment as a Private until he was promoted to Captain on February 25, 1918, and finally, Sergeant on March 3, 1918. He was part of the Somme Second Offensive, often called one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
At first, Charles was reported as Missing in Action during the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, but later that was changed to Killed in Action. He was declared dead on September 28, 1918. His name rests on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Somme American Cemetery, Bony, Aisne, France.
His body, if found later, was memorialized in the Somme American Cemetery. For his bravery, he was awarded a Purple Heart and a World War I Victory Medal with one bronze service star, posthumously. No obituary or photograph of him could be found.
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