MONTICELLO, Utah (AP) - The parents of a Utah guardsman who was killed in action in Afghanistan said their 27-year-old son died doing what he always wanted to do.
Although he did not come from a military family, Aaron Butler knew he wanted to serve in the military since he was in first grade and stuck to his career path even when his parents and their seven other children tried to talk him out of it, said his parents, Randy and Laura Butler. He was able to join the Utah National Guard before he graduated from Monticello High School.
Aaron Butler was killed in an explosion on Aug. 16 at a booby-trapped building in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Eleven others were injured in the incident.
The staff sergeant’s parents and his fiancee Alex Seagroves described the Monticello man as “fearless” and “caring” at a news conference on Wednesday, a day before his 28th birthday and when his body would return home.
The last time the Butlers saw their son was in April, when he and members of his Utah Forces team stopped by the family’s business on their way to Texas.
“I was so thrilled,” Laura Butler said. “We got to meet these men - the caliber of these young men? You feel it coming out of them.”
Since Aaron Butler’s death, the family said they have been receiving support from friends and neighbors in Monticello. Many have come to their home to check in on them, offer condolences or to decorate their front lawn with American flags.
The family did not touch on President Donald Trump’s statement last week calling for a troop increase in Afghanistan, but did release a statement saying that their son would have supported any strategy change if military leaders thought it would “increase the efficiency of U.S. operations in Afghanistan.”
“Our loss is painful and agonizing, but it will be even worse for the nation if we don’t stand up and take steps to stop the spread of terrorism,” the family’s statement said.
Aaron Butler’s funeral is set for Saturday.
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