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In CountryQ&A with Blake Butler '97
By Lisa Asher
Baylor sports have always been important to Blake Butler--he helped start the campus's first ultimate Frisbee team while a
 Baylor student, and he is actively involved in the Baylor alumni softball and flag football teams in Washington, D.C. In fact, he met his wife, Sara Smith Butler '02, at a viewing party when the Lady Bears basketball team won the national championship in 2005. Here they are pictured on the day of their wedding, which took place on the Baylor campus.
Now, Baylor sports are more important to him than ever because they symbolize a link to his home. Since January 2008, Butler has been serving in Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserves as commander of a Tactical Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Detachment, which influences enemy and local civilian populations toward activity that supports coalition objectives.
Here, Butler gives his impressions of Iraq, what he misses about home, and what he wants Baylor alumni to know about his life in country.
BETWEEN THE LINES: What is your day-to-day life like in Iraq?
BLAKE BUTLER: My day typically includes a run or workout, a couple of briefs or planning meetings, and coordination of our detachment's PSYOP efforts. I am generally out on mission once per week in contrast to my teams, who daily manage the elements of combat. In attempts to stay connected with life in the States, most days I am able to catch a little news or sports in the chow hall. I've noticed that though we are at times a part of the news, we often lose track of news back home; however, it is hard to miss the big stories of the earthquake in China, the tremendous flooding in upper Midwest, our current presidential race, and of course the Super Bowl and March Madness college basketball.
I was very excited earlier this year while following the Baylor men's basketball team en route to their first NCAA tournament bid in decades. What a great success for the program and the university! I wished I could have joined my wife and our friends in attendance at Baylor's tourney game in D.C.
BTL: What have your impressions been of the Iraqi people--their culture, society, etc.?
BB: My impressions have largely been positive, though as in most cultures there are elements whose interests are destructive to their lives and societal development. It doesn't help that the country has been in conflict for years and that its citizens were either supported by the previous regime or altogether neglected. Most Iraqis I have engaged place high value on family and tribal benefit and are less concerned with nationalism and civic pride. This has made it difficult at times to generate widespread support for government and national progress.
 Unfortunately my perceptions of Iraqis and their culture have been made during a time of war. I would like to return one day to a peaceful Iraq to enjoy more of the history and culture the country has to offer. Regardless of their thoughts on the current state of Iraq or the past five years of coalition presence, everyone I have spoken with wants opportunities for their families and future generations. They long for continued security in Iraq and are realizing with self-determination comes much personal responsibility.
BTL: It must be hard for your wife, Sara, for you to be gone now, especially since you've only been married a little more than a year.
BB: Sara and I have worked hard to manage the separation and get through our year apart. We have tried a variety of ways to stay connected and communicate with each other--handwritten letters, care packages and flowers, e-mails, and occasional talks through a web-cam. Each format possesses its own unique benefits as well as challenges, and patience is something we continue to learn daily. All in all, it is our personal relationships with Christ that provide us the faith and strength to focus one day at a time.
Sara moved to D.C. shortly after her graduation in 2002, so she has an established network of friends and colleagues for support. She maintains fellowship in our church, plays in competitive soccer leagues, and is also helping to coordinate my unit's Family Readiness Group, which focuses on supporting all the families of soldiers currently deployed with the company. And she probably logs a few extra hours at her job in the United States Senate.
BTL: What was your job in D.C. before you deployed to Iraq?
BB: For six years prior to my move, I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where I earned master's degrees in healthcare administration and business administration while working in the healthcare field. I then moved to D.C. to work as a financial analyst. Currently I'm with a Presidential Travel Support for the U.S. Department of State. Federal service has definitely been a departure from private industry healthcare.
BTL: What were you involved in while at Baylor?
BB: When I came to Baylor from my hometown of Fort Worth, I attempted to walk on to the tennis team and was eventually beaten out by a talent who would later become a roommate and one of my closest friends. During my "first" senior year, I joined the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and began serving the university during one of the most unique and rewarding experiences of my life.
BTL: I know you encourage people to send care packages to the men and women serving. Give us a few tips on what to send and what not to send. And feel free to put a request in for Baylor-related stuff!
BB: Snacks, hygiene products, and magazines are among the favorites. If you have a specific soldier you want to support, it is good to send things that maintain connection back home--for example, photos of family, friends, and pets; headlines of interest from the local paper; little gifts; and any of their favorites from the previously mentioned list of items. I also make the recommendation to mix things up with a few unique or regionally specific items such as a new flavor of beef jerky or homemade saltwater taffy.
I really appreciated the BU flag the D.C. alumni coordinator sent. It still hangs in the dining facility here on base. The bottom line is that soldiers like anything. We enjoy hearing from friends and family back home, and receiving snacks, food, and other essentials really makes the days go by. Any care and encouragement is sure to be well received by soldiers deployed away from home.
Blake Butler can be reached at bebutler22@yahoo.com.
If you would like to respond to this story, send an e-mail to Between the Lines Editor.
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