Add Content
First Name
Phillip
Middle Name
N.
Last Name
Butler
Birthdate
Hometown
Tulsa, OK
Rank
Captain
Service Branch
Navy
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Phil Butler was born in 1938 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was commissioned through the U.S. Naval Academy on June 7, 1961, and then reported to NAS Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. Butler trained at Pensacola, NAS Meridian, Mississippi, and NAS Kingsville, Texas, and was designated a Naval Aviator in November 1962. His first assignment was to NAS Lemoore, California, for replacement air group training, then to Attack Squadron 22 in May 1963, where he served as an A-4C Skyhawk pilot. He began flying combat missions in Southeast Asia in April 1964, off the USS Midway, and was shot down over North Vietnam while serving on his second West Pac cruise on April 20, 1965. He was immediately captured and taken as a Prisoner of War.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Lieutenant Commander Butler was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized at Balboa Hospital in San Diego, California, and then attended refresher instrument flight training. Commander Butler was then given an assignment to attend graduate school at the University of California, San Diego, and then served as an HRM team leader with HRMC San Diego from June 1976 to June 1979. Captain Butler's final assignment was as a faculty member with the Navy Postgraduate School, where he served from June 1979 until his retirement from the Navy on June 30, 1981. Although his highest rank held was Captain, he reverted to Commander at retirement. Phil Butler’s nearly eight years of captivity are detailed in the autobiography entitled Three Lives of A Warrior.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Silver Star (2)
- Legion of Merit (2)
- Bronze Star (2)
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release