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Archive for November 24th, 2012

Brandon Buttry’s cheeseburger salute brings smiles in sorrow

Posted in Brandon Buttry on November 24, 2012| 9 Comments »

  1. Friday was going to be a tough day for Brandon Buttry’s family. It was the day they were supposed to greet him on his return to Fort Lewis, Wash. But he died Nov. 5 in Afghanistan. Still the family found a way to smile on this difficult day.

    My family has had an emotionally exhausting month since my nephew, Pfc Brandon Buttry died in a watch tower in Afghanistan. The Army doesn’t want troop movements mentioned publicly, so we refrained from disclosing an agonizing detail of the death: Brandon was killed 10 days before he was supposed to leave Afghanistan. His funeral in Shenandoah, Iowa, was on the day he was supposed to head home. His parents, Don and Pam, were making plans to travel to Fort Lewis for his return home, scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving.When I talked with Don on the phone Thanksgiving Day, I could tell that Friday was going to be a tough day for the family. They were planning to drive to Pella, Iowa, to spend the day with their adult daughter, Mandy, and her family. By the time they got to Pella, they had a great idea. They emailed family and friends, telling them Brandon had said he wanted to celebrate his return to Fort Lewis with a cheeseburger, an order of fries and a large Coke. They asked us to enjoy a cheeseburger, fries and a large Coke in his honor. Their daughter Missy Rock and I shared the request on Facebook and things kind of took off.

    We have more than 100 burgers photographed and mentioned here, if I count correctly, and Don tells me many more were consumed by Pam’s relatives, who weren’t asked to post them on social media.

    Let’s continue the burger salute through the weekend. Tag or message me on Facebook if you post a photo there. Or mention me (@stevebuttry) in a tweet. I’ll update with the photos posted Saturday and Sunday.

  2. Steve Buttry
    My brother, Don, and his wife, Pam, had been planning to go to Fort Lewis, Wash., today to meet Brandon on his return from Afghanistan. He was killed 10 days before his scheduled departure. He told his parents he wanted to get a cheeseburger, fries and a large Coke on his return. Don and Pam are encouraging his family and friends to remember Brandon today with a cheeseburger, fries and a large Coke (the Thanksgiving leftovers can wait till Saturday). Mimi and I will be going to Five Guys this evening (yes, quite a sacrifice) and posting a photo of our meal. If you’re joining us in the cheeseburger tribute, please post a photo and we’ll share them with Don and Pam (who aren’t on FB).

    Steve Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 10:33:54
  3. Of course, lots of Buttry family members toasted Brandon with burgers:

  4. Wishing Brandon had come home safely to enjoy a cheeseburger, fries and a coke at Fort Lewis today. I’m enjoying them in a cheeseburger salute to our fallen hero.

    Steve Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 16:09:28
  5. This is my wife, Mimi Johnson, who wishes I had cleaned off the counter behind her before snapping this photo (but the fries were getting cold).

  6. Duffy think he should have a cheeseburger in Brandon’s honor, too.

    Steve Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 16:32:06

  7. Burgers for Brandon — with Susan Burke.

    Mike Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 14:00:52

  8. Joe Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 12:30:48

  9. For Brandon.

    Tom Buttry
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:34:41
  10. We have lots more photos to come, perhaps you’d enjoy a little music as you browse through them:
  11. Jimmy Buffett – Cheeseburger In Paradise

    MusicStudio9
    Mon, Nov 30 2009 09:35:39
  12. Missy and her husband, Andrew, joined in.

  13. Love you BB! — with Steve Buttry.

    Melissa Rock
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 20:41:59

  14. Melissa Rock
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 20:40:24
  15. No one in the extended family understands what Brandon’s family is going through as well as the Devlins, who lost their son and brother Patrick (the same age as Brandon and probably each other’s closest cousin) in 2009. Kat Devlin and her parents, Carol and John, posted four photos from their cheeseburger salute, apparently spilling their Coke and winning points for the best use of ketchup.

  16. a meal dedicated to an amazing cousin

    Kat Devlin
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:09:45

  17. Dad with his meal

    Kat Devlin
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:09:42

  18. My meal (minus the cheese)

    Kat Devlin
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:09:43

  19. Diet coke and Coke

    Kat Devlin
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:09:41
  20. Our son Mike’s in-laws joined the burger salute.

  21. katie, curt, leah and i ate burgers for brandon tonight.

    Elizabeth Burke
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 16:21:44
  22. Mike and Susie’s friends hoisted burgers in Brandon’s honor.

  23. Burgers for Brandon — with Susan Burke.

    Jehn Baker
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 20:47:51

  24. Burgers for Brandon. — with Mike Buttry.

    Jay Spiegelman
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 18:52:56
  25. Trevor Cohenour, a close friend of Brandon’s from basic training, who led the Soldier’s Creed at his funeral, ate a burger for his buddy and wears Brandon’s name on his wrist.

  26. My burger for Brandon Buttry

    Trevor Cohenour
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 16:16:03

  27. Trevor Cohenour
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 17:42:58
  28. Mimi’s family also joined.

  29. Thinking of Brandon Buttry and sending love to his friends and family. — with Mary Jim Head.

    Meg Winter
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 13:53:53

  30. Thinking of Brandon Buttry and sending love to his friends and family.

    Meg Winter
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 13:54:16

  31. Enjoying the simple things and remembering Brandon — with Mary Jim Head.

    Meg Winter
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 12:05:29

  32. Here is to Brandon, I simple pleasure we will no longer take for granted.

    Kelly Head De
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 13:38:18

  33. Here is to Brandon, I simple pleasure we will no longer take for granted.

    Kelly Head De
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 13:38:08

  34. A little late and probably not the burger Brandon would have picked, but definitely eaten with him in mind.

    David Winter
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 15:12:25

  35. Sending love to the family of Brandon Buttry! — with Lauren Johnson.

    Kim Johnson
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 14:32:28

  36. Cheeseburgers & fries in honor of Brandon Buttry! — with John Johnson and Lauren Johnson.

    Kim Johnson
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 14:29:23

  37. For your service & sacrifice, the employees say thank you. Wendy’s, Toledo, OH. — with John Johnson and Lauren Johnson.

    Kim Johnson
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 14:36:04

  38. ‎Mimi‘s sister, Carol Mcnamara, her husband, Mike, and Mike’s sister, Cathy Hersom, join the cheeseburger salute to Brandon.

    Steve Buttry
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 12:01:52
  39. Cousins of Brandon and Don saluted as well.

  40. These are for you Brandon Buttry

    Janelle Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 14:30:39

  41. Empty Wendy’s sack. In memory of Brandon Buttry, my cousin’s son who was killed on duty in Afganistan a couple of weeks ago. He was due to be home about now, and wat he wanted most of all was a cheeseburger and fries. The family had r…equested family/friends to have cheeseburger and fries for supper tonight in his memory. Sorry, all you get is a picture of the empty sack–we couldn’t wait! My friend and I also prayed for his family.See More

    Louise Eddington
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 15:58:12

  42. Yesterday’s the day my cousin’s son was supposed to return from Afghanistan. All he’d been telling his family was how much he wanted a cheeseburger and fried so yesterday family and friends all over the country had just that.

    Frank Yunk-Arnold
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 17:34:20
  43. Even a 95-year-old great aunt joined the salute from her nursing home.
  44. Louise Eddington
    Adding to the cheeseburger salutes, mom was able to have a cheeseburger for lunch at her residence dining, but no fries or coke on the menu But she was very happy to be able to have a cheeseburger for Brandon.

    Louise Eddington
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 15:41:26
  45. This is one of the coolest cheeseburger salutes, a whole grill in Brandon’s honor from a journalist friend and the in-laws he was visiting in Georgia (be sure to click through the full album, nine photos in all.

  46. Burgers on the grill. This was our little tribute to PFC Brandon Buttry, nephew of a friend of mine who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.

    Charles Apple
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 17:09:51
  47. Other journalist friends joined the burger salute:

  48. Here’s to Brandon Buttry and his family, a black and bleu burger from Goldberg’s in Omaha. — with Steve Buttry.

    Christopher Burbach
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 18:57:20

  49. Thinking of your nephew and your family over a burger and fries in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prayers for you all.

    Sue Burzynski Bullard
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 17:32:59

  50. Friend and new media writing guru Steve Buttry lost a nephew in Afghanistan 10 days ago. His nephew was supposed to return home for the holiday and was looking forward to a cheeseburger. Steve asked us eat a cheeseburger in Brandon’s honor and post it on FB. Here’s mine, the Spiced and Smoky Burger from the Rosewood Grille in Hudson, Ohio. Feel free to share or eat a cheeseburger yourself.

    Stuart Warner
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 17:03:28

  51. Steve Buttry, a colleague who works for the American Press Institute, asked folks to honor his nephew Brandon by enjoying a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke today. Brandon was a U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan earlier this fall, jus…t 10 days before he was to head home. He expected to meet his parents today and said he wanted a cheeseburger, fries and a large Coke. This is for Brandon and other service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.See More

    Dan Davis
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 16:58:44
  52. A slight correction to Dan’s post: I used to work at API but now work for Digital First Media.

  54. For @stevebuttry and @mimijohnson.

    Elliot Kort
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:58:05

  55. In memory of Brandon Buttry and in greatest sympathy for two great friends, Steve Buttry and Mimi Johnson

    Ted Schnell
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 13:10:57

  56. So here I am at lunch today at Excuses Pizza Pasta & Burgers in Jefferson IA, paying tribute to a fallen hero. Pfc. Brandon Buttry, 19, a native of my hometown of Shenandoah IA, was killed in service in Afghanistan a couple weeks ago. His… funeral was in Shenandoah about a week ago. This is the weekend he was to be out of combat and back at his home station at Fort Lewis WA. He had told his family that what he really wanted when he got back was “a cheeseburger, fries and a big Coke.” So this weekend, across the nation and probably by now around the world, there are people joining in the “cheeseburger salute” to the service, courage and sacrifice of Pfc. Buttry. I asked the server at Excuses in Jefferson to take this picture of me; it isn’t a very good photo, but it was a great cheeseburger. Not only that, but the server, after hearing the story, said, “That’s really something. I’m going to go fix a cheeseburger for myself and salute him, too.”See More

    Chuck Offenburger
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 11:39:10

  57. More tribute burgers for Brandon because it’s never too late to say thank you for the sacrifice he and his family made.

    Deb Shanahan
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 16:12:58

  58. As someone who came into this world at Ft. Lewis, a cheeseburger for #Brandon.
    Lockerz
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 18:00:49

  60. Proud to offer a “cheeseburger salute” to Steve Buttry‘s nephew, Pfc Brandon Buttry, who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month. Brandon, 19, was supposed to return home this weekend and had told his family wanted to celebrate his ret…urn with a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. His family is asking friends to honor Brandon by enjoying that same meal in his honor. More than 80 people around the country have taken part in the cheeseburger salute so far, as Steve has chronicled on Storify – http://storify.com/stevebuttry/brandon-buttry-s-cheeseburger-salute-brings-smilesSee More

    Jake Batsell
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 10:50:52
  62. And other friends joined in.

  63. Whit Andrews
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 09:27:36
  65. My Washington, D.C., friends bought some awesome burgers in Brandon’s honor:
  72. This cheeseburger salute came from a former co-worker of Brandon’s at — appropriately — the McDonald’s where they met and worked together.

  73. Our contribution to the “cheeseburger salute” for our former co-worker Brandon Buttry at the McDonald’s where we worked with him. He was supposed to come home from Afghanistan last Friday. He was excited to come home and have a cheeseburger, a large fry and a coke. So his family had this meal for him, in honor of him, on Friday ~ when he was supposed to have returned home. They got such a great response of others wanting to “salute” him also, they extended it throughout the weekend and asked others to join in, to “salute” Brandon. So, here’s to you, Brandon. We just wish you could have made it home so we could have enjoyed it together.

    Shari Rivett Russell
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 14:35:02
  74. Other family friends joined, and some people who just heard about the cheeseburger and wanted to salute a fallen soldier who didn’t get home to enjoy his own burger.

  75. Had a burger tonight in honor of Pfc Brandon Buttry. We honor and remember you today. — with Melissa Rock.

    Carli Franks
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 00:18:26

  76. Thinking of the Buttry family this evening

    Brianne Schoonover
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 20:51:03
  77. Allison Junker
    We had cheeseburgers & fries last night too. I hope Brandon doesn’t mind though – Sarah opted for the chicken nuggets 🙂

    Allison Junker
    Sat, Nov 24 2012 05:51:46
  78. Patty Bradshaw Ramsay
    Couldn’t eat one in Dallas but did in NY in his honor.

    Patty Bradshaw Ramsay
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 13:29:02

  79. Brandon Buttry died Nov. 5 in Afghanistan serving this country, 10 days before he was supposed to return home to Ft. Lewis. He planned to celebrate his return with a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. Since he couldn’t I tried to honor and salute him by eating it for him. RIP Brandon, good friend, good man, good soldier.

    Jason TheTrap Jones
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 11:13:01

  80. My friend Taylor, showing his loving!

    Kat Devlin
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 15:39:40

  81. In Honor of my brother in arms PFC Brandon Buttry. From SSg (ret) John Sciara

    John Sciara
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 16:51:42
  82. Many of these Facebook photos have lots of good comments, so I encourage Brandon’s family and friends to click on the photos and read the comments. But I wanted to highlight this comment by the man who posted the photo above:
  83. John Sciara
    The salt packet reminds us of the countless fallen tears of families as they wait.

    John Sciara
    Sun, Nov 25 2012 17:03:13
  84. The salute got a bit of notice from Brandon’s hometown media.

  85. Family faces holiday without soldier | News | KMA Radio

    KMAland.com brings you news, weather, sports, agriculture news, and more. Listen Now to broadcasts, Dean and Don, Chuck and Don, E-Shop, …
    Kmaland
  86. And, of course, in Pella, Brandon’s huge family enjoyed a lot of burgers.

  87. It takes a lot of cheeseburgers and fries to feed Brandon’s family.

    Steve Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 20:03:05
  88. On a day that was difficult for Brandon’s family, eating cheeseburgers in his honor brought smiles through sorrow.

  89. Brandon’s family enjoys cheeseburgers in his honor and thanks all who joined in this remembrance today.

    Steve Buttry
    Fri, Nov 23 2012 19:59:59
  90. Maybe I missed your photo (or tweet or update noting your participation in the salute). Or maybe you’ll join us today. Either way, if you’re participating in the cheeseburger salute, let me know and I’ll add you in an update. Brandon had a great smile (below, with his cousin Patrick) and he loved a good cheeseburger. So we’re remembering him with a cheeseburger and a smile.

  91. 2roadsdiverged
    Tue, Nov 06 2012 06:55:30
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