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Portrait of pain: Iraq veteran and TU track athlete Josh Butts carries reminders of war in his left heel and in his mind

TU athlete Josh Butts, an Iraq war veteran with shrapnel in his heel, will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase Friday. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

 
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer
Published: 5/14/2009  2:30 AM
Last Modified: 5/14/2009  3:29 AM

 When you've been fired upon by Iraqi snipers, when you've taken shrapnel in your foot, when you've tended to wounded and dead troops, and when you've contended with post-traumatic stress disorder, the pressure of everyday civilian life doesn't seem like pressure at all.

"I was in charge of eight men in a combat setting, and I had to make life-or-death decisions," says Josh Butts, a University of Tulsa senior distance runner and a former U.S. Army sergeant. "And now you come to college, and whether you have a test or a track meet, it seems grossly unimportant. You have to find a new motivation."

Said TU track coach Steve Gulley: "What Josh experienced in the military, you can't relate to that in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You just can't."

This week, the Golden Hurricane hosts the Conference USA track and field championships. Butts usually runs in cross country, 800-meter and 1,500-meter races, but at 9 p.m. Friday he will compete for the first time this year in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which combines distance running with hurdling over barriers and water obstacles. It's a demanding event for the healthiest of athletes, but Butts is not the healthiest of athletes.

Embedded in his left heel is a sliver of mortar shrapnel — a souvenir of his one-year stay (August 2004-August 2005) in the Anbar province of Iraq. Anbar was described by an American war correspondent as "wild and lawless."

Asked why the shrapnel has not been extracted, the 27-year-old Butts explained, "(A surgeon) would have to detach my Achilles tendon, and that would totally screw me. I'll take the summer off and let the swelling go down, and then reassess my track goals from there. I'm going to help coach the Jenks America Track Club. Running is a culture that I'm deeply a part of. I'll always run, but I may not be able to run at this same level."

Butts says his post-traumatic stress disorder also may be a permanent condition.

"You're never healed, but you're always healing," he said. "You never get over something like a war. A part of me is a part of every other soldier. Any soldier would tell you that. You are the Army."

Erin Dixon, Butts' fiancée, says her boyfriend rarely sleeps more than three hours at a time.

"Initially, right when he got out of the war, I think he had nightmares," said Dixon, a Kansas native who graduated from TU and now works in the university's admissions office. "Now, it's more like he's driven by his work (as a commercial artist). He'll get up and go into his studio and work. Plus, in the Army, he was trained to function without getting much sleep.

"I think every veteran goes through a tough period, and some of them have a hard time getting past it. Josh won't let it hinder his daily life. The Army was good for him in a lot of ways. He is very disciplined, very tough and always on time. And he eats really fast, like he's in a chow hall."

Addressing his sleep deprivation, Butts said, "My mind is not at rest. Before the military, I slept like a baby."

Caring for the dead

Butts is a native of West Clarksville, N.Y. (a tiny community one hour south of Buffalo). He enlisted in the Army after high school graduation in 2000 and was stationed at Fort Sill near Lawton. When he had a free weekend, he would visit his aunt and uncle in Tulsa.

"Joining the military pre-9/11 was a good deal," Butts said. "They pay for college; we were in peace time, everybody is safe and the world is a good place. But 9/11 was a life-changing event.

"I immediately got deployed to Korea and then we were trained to fight in Iraq. I had signed up for four years, but I served five because of the war in Iraq. I had a scholarship waiting for me at TU, but I had to wait an additional year."

While in Iraq, Butts was promoted to sergeant. He was a chaplain assistant. In November 2004, he was involved in the second Battle of Fallujah, also known as Operation Phantom Fury. It was described by the U.S. military as "some of the heaviest urban combat U.S. Marines have been involved in since the Battle of Hue City in Vietnam in 1968."

"For the most part, I would help in the aid station, so I would help with the wounded and take care of the dead," Butts said. "I was in charge of an eight-man group that took care of the dead."

Butts had been able to run and train while in Korea, but during his first few months in Iraq, he was sentenced to an almost exclusively indoor existence. An outdoor run would have been tantamount to a suicide attempt. Because of the prevalence of sniper bullets, the odds of actually completing a run were not good.

"Our (troops) there have done a tremendous job," Butts said. "We saw tremendous gains just in the year that I was in Iraq. The idea was to win hearts and minds. I don't know if we did that, but I'll say this: When I first got there, I stayed in a room for a month and we got shelled every day. By the time I left, we were playing volleyball outside. It was very different."

Return to civilian life

After completing his service, Butts returned to Oklahoma. He attended Rogers State in Claremore, needing 24 credit hours to become eligible to run at TU. His transition back to civilian life was not easy. He resided in south Tulsa, "drinking and hanging out in bars."

"I spent a lot of time in a ditch after the war," Butts said. "It could have turned into a problem pretty quickly. I found that it's not OK for me to be mediocre. I wanted to make something of myself, and I did."

Last week, Butts graduated from TU with a degree in graphic design. He has launched a Tulsa illustration company called JB Creative (joshbuttscreative.com). He does sketches, murals, caricatures and graphic designs. He plans to have an art exhibit within the next year, showing his extremely detailed charcoal sketches of other war veterans.

On June 20, Butts and Dixon will be married in a TU chapel. But before that, on Friday, he will represent the Golden Hurricane in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

"Coach Gulley has done me a tremendous service by allowing me to run here," Butts said. "My goal for this meet is to finish with integrity. Integrity is stressed in the military a great deal.

"I have quite a bit of pain in my heel, and the steeplechase is a difficult race when your heel is tore up. But I want to set an example for future athletes at the University of Tulsa. You can train through pain."

C-USA Track and Field Championships

Thursday to Saturday University of Tulsa Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium 6th and Delaware

Schedule of events

Thursday: Hammer throw (men), 10 a.m.; hammer throw (women), 12:30 p.m.; decathlon, 2:30; heptathlon, 3; 10,000 meters (men), 8:15; 10,000 meters (women), 9.

Friday: Decathlon, 10 a.m.; heptathlon, 11:10; discus (women), 1:45 p.m.; long jump (women), 3; discus (men), 4:30; high jump (women), 6; pole vault (men), 7; 1,500 meters (men), 5:30; 1,500 meters (women), 5:45; 110 hurdles (men), 6; 100 hurdles (women), 6:15; 400 meters (men), 6:30; 400 meters (women), 6:45; 100 meters (men), 7; 100 meters (women), 7:15; 800 meters (men), 7:30; 800 meters (women), 7:45; 400 intermediate hurdles (men), 8; 400 intermediate hurdles (women), 8:15; 200 meters (men), 8:30; 200 meters (women), 8:45; 3,000 steeplechase (men), 9; 3,000 steeplechase (women), 9:20.

Saturday: Javelin (men), noon; javelin (women), 2 p.m.; triple jump (men), 3; shot put (men), 4; pole vault (women), 5; shot put (women), 5:30; high jump (men), 6; triple jump (women), 6:30; 4x100 relay (men), 5; 4x100 relay (women), 5:10; 1,500 meters (men), 5:20; 1,500 meters (women), 5:30; 110 hurdles (men), 5:40; 100 hurdles (women), 5:50; 400 meters (men), 6; 400 meters (women), 6:10; 100 meters (men), 6:20; 100 meters (women), 6:30; 800 meters (men), 6:40; 800 meters (women), 6:50; 400 hurdles (men), 7; 400 hurdles (women), 7:10; 200 meters (men), 7:20; 200 meters (women), 7:30; 5,000 meters (men), 7:40; 5,000 meters (women), 8:05; 4x400 relay (men), 8:30; 4x400 relay (women), 8:40; awards presentation, 8:55.

Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer

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Report Comment
GoldenDriller1, Out of State (5/14/2009 7:35:07 AM)
Great story - outstanding citizen.
Report Comment
imahick, tulsa (5/14/2009 7:45:54 AM)
i've met josh and done business with him and he is a wonderful person with a great story!!
nice story bill!!
Report Comment
eddieo, Tulsa (5/14/2009 8:54:57 AM)
An incredible young man!
Report Comment
Oh My, Around Tulsa (5/14/2009 10:08:26 AM)
His eyes say it all.

God bless you, young man.

May your and your bride have many years of happiness.

You have earned a happy life.
Report Comment
Lucille, W. Clarksville (5/14/2009 10:46:52 AM)
I want to congratulate Josh Butts on all of his accomplishments!! His family back in W. Clarksville, NY is very, very proud of him. He has always been a special and gifted young man. We here in your hometown are thrilled that you have graduated -- with honors!!
Report Comment
Golden Girl, (5/14/2009 11:19:37 AM)
Thank you and best wishes!
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nunyerbisness, Tulsa (5/14/2009 11:31:55 AM)
Josh let us know where you exhibit please. As a vet and and artist. I would love to see more of your work.

Good luck brother check out IAVA plenty of great resources.
Report Comment
dannybutts1, (5/14/2009 11:47:40 AM)
Josh is the most motivated and caring person I've ever known. I've always looked up to him. Your, Big Brother, Dan.
Report Comment
lynniesearl, warrenville (5/14/2009 3:11:45 PM)
Josh, I am so proud of you. Great article on a great kid. Oh, that's right. You're a man now! How time flies.
Report Comment
morey14786, (5/14/2009 6:54:38 PM)
Josh Butts is my beloved son . He is a inspiration
to all that know him . I could not be more proud of him. I love you son. dad
 

 
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