CPT FERRIS BUTLER

Chester, MD

Project Completed on Nov. 11, 2010

 
On December 21, 2006, Army Captain Ferris Butler was deployed with the 10th Mountain Division to Iraq when he lost both legs in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in the Sunni Triangle.

While preparing to return from a mission that had taken CPT Butler and his platoon into one of the most dangerous sectors along the Euphrates River, his vehicle ran over a bomb, causing him serious injuries. Still wanting to believe he would be alright, CPT Butler continued issuing orders to secure the area, knowing that the ones responsible for the attack were most likely watching their handiwork unfold.

Transported first to the Army hospital in Ballad, CPT Butler endured what would be the first of 54 surgeries to deal with his injuries. Later airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany, and finally, to Walter Reed Medical Center, CPT Butler spent two years there enduring surgeries which included the amputation of both of his legs, and intensive rehabilitation.

Ferris enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, whom he met at Walter Reed while he was a patient and she was volunteering there. The two welcomed their first child, Finley Wade, in July 2019.

Ferris would like to express his gratitude and let those who helped to make his specially adapted custom home a reality know that the uncertainty and daunting task of trying to find accessible housing is no longer overwhelming him. He is focused now on his future, and the freedoms and comfort his accessible home offers him while he, “transitions back to normalcy“.