The memorial was lovingly landscaped and inside a whire gravel star. No one can today remember exactly when it went up, but it was in place by May 1944 when several photos were taken.
Mike Butkovich boarded the troop ship Aquatania Dec. 20, 1944 and left New York City Dec. 22nd for the week-long crossing of the Atlantic. The Aquatania was the same ship that Mike's father had sailed on in a 1928 trip to Europe.
Upon arrival, he was assigned to the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division.
Sadly, Mike Butkovich was killed in European action on Feb. 26, 1945, west of the town of Hilfarth when he entered a mine field to administer to troops who had blundered into it and he stepped on a mine. His remains were sent home and he received the Silver Star for his courage.
His wife Fran ran the bar until 1946, then Mike's brother, Joe, took it over and ran it for 50 years. His daughter Ellen Frantzen now runs it. The bar is one of those holdouts from the past and still has the original 1939 bar and wood paneling.
The monument remained until the mid-1950s, but fell into disrepair and eventually just fell apart.
It would be very fitting if, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the war, if they rebuilt it to honor Mike Butkovich and the others who served and died.
Something to Think About. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
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