Join us this Friday at the Embassy Suites to welcome John Butler, Chairman Emeritus for the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association. John is a Vietnam veteran and served as the Project Manager for the Vietnam War Memorial project dedicated on October 5 in Brook Run Park. John led the process to design, fund, and build the stunning $1.2 Million memorial honoring the nearly 400,000 soldiers who gave their lives for freedom from Communism during the Vietnam War. That three-year process included combining the dreams and desires of Vietnamese Refugees (both war veterans and civilians) and Vietnam Veterans who served in all branches of the U.S. Military. More than 300 volunteers and donors participated, about half from Vietnam and half from America. Dunwoody Rotarians and the Club were proud to contribute to this project.

After graduating from college with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Computer Science in the late 60’s, John served in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Lieutenant. He served in Germany as a Field Artillery Platoon Leader, then in Vietnam as a Forward Observer for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and finally as the Battalion Fire Direction Officer for the 2nd of the 94th Heavy Artillery Battalion positioned on the Laotian border near the DMZ. In addition to other medals, he was awarded a Bronze Star for his combat service in Vietnam.

After returning from Vietnam, John worked in the computer industry as a business solutions provider for 27 years, a church consultant for 12 years, then as a healthcare consultant for senior adults and their families starting in 2009. After “officially retiring” in April, 2021, he now serves Seniors and Veterans as a volunteer in a number of ways. In addition to leading the Vietnam War Memorial Project, John serves:

• As the Board Chairman of the Atlanta Senior Care Professional Network (www.ASCNN.org) he manages a non-profit organization with 450 members who provide healthcare services to Seniors throughout Metro Atlanta.
• As the Chairman Emeritus for the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association (www.AVVBA.org), he helps lead a non-profit organization with 250 members, all of whom are fellow Vietnam Veterans, most of whom serve other veterans in countless ways.
• As a Board Member for the AVVBA Foundation, he helps provide permanent endowments, currently yielding $10,000 per year in scholarships for US Military members returning to civilian life. That group also just released an excellent 47-minute documentary providing the truth about the Vietnam War.
• As an active volunteer with United Military Care (www.unitedmilitarycare.org) to plan and execute multiple “We Care” Veteran Resource Fairs each year. The most recent one at the Cobb Civic Center on November 1 and 2 served nearly 4,000 veterans and brought the total number of veterans served over the past 3 years to 15,000.