William Denton Butler was born on April 21, 1923, in Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. He was the son of Andrew Pierce Butler and Elizabeth Bertha "Lizzie" Killen Butler. He was the husband of Louise Ellen Kennedy Butler. He graduated from Gladwin High School and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. His early military training took him to Sheppard Field, Texas; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona, followed by overseas assignments in Ireland, England, and North Africa. During World War II, Butler served as a chief radio operator–mechanic and aerial gunner aboard B-24 Liberator bombers, flying combat missions from Africa and Italy.

On December 28, 1943, the aircraft was lost during combat operations in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II while flying from San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy, on a mission to destroy the marshalling yards at Vicenza. During the attack, the bomber was badly damaged after being engaged by a German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter and was ultimately shot down near Monselice in the province of Padua. The aircraft was destroyed in the encounter, resulting in the deaths of four crew members, while the remaining airmen survived the loss.

TSgt Butler parachuted to safety and was captured by German forces, becoming a prisoner of war. He was held in prison camps in Germany and later Austria, including Stalag XVII-B near Krems, where he spent approximately 18 months in captivity. Butler later recalled receiving assistance from the International Red Cross. He was liberated on May 2, 1945, by advancing American forces near Hitler’s birthplace, and endured a 283-mile march across Austria before reaching safety.

Following his return to the United States, Butler resumed his military career. He served in a variety of important assignments, including duty at St. John's, Newfoundland. Before his assignment with the Northeast Air Command in 1951, he was also placed in charge of the Army and Air Force recruiting station in Bay City, Michigan. In 1958, he was selected for transfer to Okinawa, serving as First Sergeant of the 2031st Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron. Butler retired from the U.S. Air Force on December 31, 1964, with the rank of Master Sergeant. He passed away on April 14, 1993, and is now buried in the Butman Township Cemetery, Butman, Gladwin County, Michigan, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, https://aviation-safety.net/