Joseph Butler III remembered as Aberdeen Proving Ground’s ‘face of the security guards’
Harford County, Maryland May 18,2023
Joseph Butler III was known for his kindness, his courtesy, his humor and his professionalism. And for greeting his friends with the recognizable: “Money!”
“He is Aberdeen Proving Ground,” said APG Garrison Commander Col. Johnny Casiano.
Butler, a longtime security guard at Aberdeen Proving Ground, died April 12 after battling an illness for several years. He was 67. A memorial service was held for him at Aberdeen Proving Ground on May 4.
At the memorial, Casiano asked the audience to take in the crowd of people gathered to remember Butler. Around 250 people attended the memorial inside the Post Theater, and approximately 300 watched a livestream of the service, according to an Army obituary.
“Joseph could make anybody laugh,” he said. “He could also make anybody feel safe. … He led by example and took charge when needed.”
According to the Army obituary, Butler was born to Evelyn Tillman in North Carolina on February 28, 1956. “There he was raised in the Baptist faith and became a true lover of God,” the obituary said. Butler moved to New York to live with his grandmother and eventually to California, where he enlisted in the Army.
He served 18 years in the Army and began working as a security guard at Aberdeen Proving Ground following his retirement.
Butler received military awards such as the Army Commendation Medal and the Good Conduct Medal, and civilian awards, such as the Civilian Service Achievement Medal
Notably, Butler wasthe first person at Aberdeen Proving Ground to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January 2021.
People arriving at the military base were known to seek Butler out exclusively at whatever gate he was stationed, hoping to receive one of his friendly welcoming quips, such as a “Always nice seeing ya,” “Good morning, sir/ma’am,” or “Team APG!”
Joseph H. Williams Jr., the admin lieutenant for the security guards, said that everyone would always ask him who was the guard at the gate that would wake you up every morning.
“His favorite thing would be hollering at you,” Williams recalled at the memorial service. “You could be two lanes over, and he’s still yelling at you.”
Guard Chief Travis Budnick said Butler could turn a bad day into a good day.
“Butler [was] just very positive,” Budnick said. “Never had a bad moment. Even if he was angry, you’d never see it.”
Guard Sgt. Michael Langston was Butler’s supervisor for several years and they grew to be good friends. Langston said they’d talk about everything from sports to music to politics.
“I was on one spectrum, he was on the other,” Langston said, “but we could always come together in the middle and walk away as friends … and sometimes change each other’s minds.”
Butler was remembered as a huge fan of the Ravens and the Orioles, and an avid gym-goer.
He lost his wife, Su Ok Butler, in 2021. Friends said he had no close family and after his wife’s death, Butler told them that all he had left was his APG family, according to the memorial program. Langston represented as Butler’s family during the service.
“There will not be another person like Joseph Butler,” Budnick said. “But we can strive to be like Joseph Butler.”
