An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | May 18, 2022

Deployed Guard unit honors Tuskegee Airman on 100th birthday

By Capt. Joshua Sik, 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Sgt. Victor Butler, one of the last known surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, celebrates his 100th birthday May 21. His only request was for birthday cards, and the Alabama National Guard’s 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command responded.

The 135th ESC, deployed to Kuwait as part of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, sent “135 individually signed birthday cards from the Soldiers of the 135th ESC,” said Brig. Gen. Vickers, the unit’s commanding general. “We are indebted to [Butler] and all the Tuskegee Airmen.”

Butler was a mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen and one of the many Black military pilots and Airmen who made history while fighting in World War II. On top of those sacrifices, the unit broke barriers and contributed to desegregating the U.S. military.

Soldiers of the 135th ESC were eager to be a part of celebrating Butler’s sacrifices and accomplishments.

“He paved the way,” said Sgt. 1st Class Willie Vandiver, one of the 135 Soldiers who sent cards. “If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

While individual Soldiers of the 135th ESC wrote their special messages, others outside the unit were also eager to help. The American Red Cross of Camp Arifjan donated over 100 cards. And David Flietstra, a civilian working in Kuwait for the Defense Logistics Agency, asked to pay for the package when he heard what the 135th ESC was doing.

Butler said he intends to read every card. If you would like to send a birthday card to him, you can mail it to the following address:

Victor W. Butler
C/O Gary Butler
P.O. Box 3523
Cranston, RI 02910

The 135th ESC is serving as the operational command post for the 1st TSC in its support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield.

 

 

Related Articles
The Alabama National Guard won the overall team championship at the 2025 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships at Fort Benning, Georgia March 9-15, 2025. Team members (second from left to right): Sgt. Maj. Stephen Murchison (captain), Master Sgt. Joseph Spradlin, Sgt. Gavin Blackwood and Spc. Cameron Drake.
National Guard is Marksmanship Champ for 10th Straight Year
By Capt. Janice Rintz, | March 19, 2025
FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Alabama National Guard’s Alabama Alpha team outscored 45 other teams to claim the 2025 U.S. Army Small Arms Championships held March 9-15 at Fort Benning.After firing more than 500 rounds across 11...

Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, left, the 30th chief of the National Guard Bureau, hosts a change of responsibility ceremony for the senior enlisted advisor to the chief, NGB, Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 8, 2024. Incoming SEA John T. Raines, assumed the duties and responsibilities as the seventh senior enlisted advisor to the chief and the first Army leader to wear the distinctive rank insignia of the SEA.
Raines Assumes Role as National Guard’s Top Enlisted Leader
By Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Pena, | Nov. 8, 2024
ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard bid farewell to its top enlisted leader, Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, after 42 years of military service and welcomed SEA John T. Raines III as the new senior enlisted advisor to...

Soldiers with the Florida Army National Guard’s 1-111th General Support Aviation Regiment worked alongside members of the Texas A&M Task Force 1 Search and Rescue Team to conduct emergency response operations after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida.
National Guard Rescues Hundreds of People in Wake of Hurricane
By National Guard Bureau | Oct. 3, 2024
ARLINGTON, Va. - More than 6,300 National Guard members from a dozen states rescued hundreds of people and cleared roads across the Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene.As of Sunday, Guardsmen in 18 states are responding...