Stephanie Butler: Service around the world

Stephanie Butler has been all around the world. In the last 15 years, she has lived in Korea, Japan, Portugal, England, Florida, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Even though she’s lived in many countries, she has devoted her life to serving one: the United States of America.

When Butler was 21, she joined the U.S. Air Force. Since then, she has served with Military Police and in flightline security for 15 years.

“I was 21 when I joined, so that was a lot for me. I think it would be a lot for anybody,” Butler said. “They broke you down from a civilian to a military person.”

As of May 2023, Butler is a noncommissioned officer in charge, or NCOIC, for USU’s Air Force ROTC program.

Since being on campus, she has experienced culture shock.

“This is a new experience for me, being on a campus,” Butler said. “The last 15 years of my life, I’ve lived on bases.”

Butler is one of the first of her kind, as the Air Force has newly added NCOIC into their special duty assignments. In the past, the only people that could have the job were personnels and admin, according to Butler.

“I’m kind of glad to be one of the first groups of people to actually have this job,” Butler said. “Enlisted members have the experience to give the future officers and Air Force that we need today.”

As an NCOIC, Butler is able to teach classes and work with the ROTC scholarship and stipend program. She is also an Air Force training instructor and teaches leadership courses.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, so I am super excited about being here,” Butler said.

According to Butler, her dream to be a part of the military began when she was much younger. As a 14-year-old, she watched the tragedy of 9/11 and knew she wanted to help serve her country.

Her uncle and brother were in the military, and they became role models in her life.

A trip to Virginia’s Arlington Cemetery to visit The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was another memorable moment for Butler.

“At that point right there, I was like, ‘You know what, I do want to serve my country,’” she said.

In an email to The Utah Statesman, DeAngela Butler, Stephanie’s younger sister, said Stephanie is always willing to help.

“I know that she puts herself in her job to the fullest extent to make sure everyone is taken care of,” DeAngela wrote. “My sister choosing the military was the absolute best decision for her.”

According to Stephanie, her deployments were tough. She worked three days in a row with one day off, and each shift was 12-14 hours. The emotional toll was just as significant as the physical one, she said.

“Even when you’re at a good deployment, I felt like you always had little things that take you away from your job,” Stephanie said. “Each one had a hurdle to it, but somehow I managed to work through it. I was a really resilient person.”

As Stephanie worked through each deployment, she learned a lot of life lessons, including to seek help and not let things fester.

“People are always there to talk to you. Always seek help for anything that’s going on,” she said.

Before joining the military, Stephanie said she was a shy kid, but her job has taught her to not be afraid to be a leader.

“Growing up closely together, she always was adventurous, but she was also very quiet,” DeAngela wrote. “The time she has served has brought out the best in her.”

When Stephanie was in Turkey, she said she learned to be genuine. During the pandemic, she was deployed in Saudi Arabia, and she learned the importance of “knowing your why.”

“I saw my country being torn apart, and it was hard for me to do my job,” Stephanie said. “The only thing I kept thinking about was everything everybody had done for me, I was going to keep doing for you. I am an American. I’m faithful to a proud heritage. The only thing that kept me going because I love my country.”