RealtorÂź Dee Strom, of Florida Executive Realtyâs office in Tampa Palms, helps clients like Dr. Alex Lteif (below right) and the Moyer family (below left) find their dream homes. (All photos provided by Dee Strom)Â
When Dee Strom transitioned from the hospitality industry many years ago (see below) into real estate, she never imagined how deeply she would fall in love with her new career. Encouraged by her husband Michael, she took the leap and quickly realized that being a RealtorÂź wasnât just a job for her â it was her passion.
Since joining Florida Executive Realty (FER), Dee has made a name for herself as one of the top-performing agents in the area. Now with more than a decade in the business, she consistently sells more than $20 million in real estate annually, placing her in the top 1% of Realtors nationwide.
Her dedication and expertise have earned her multiple awards. She was named FERâs âAgent of the Yearâ company-wide (for 2023 & 2024) and for the New Tampa office (for 2019- 22). She has consistently ranked among the top producers at the company over the past several years and remains a top-three agent company-wide. She shares with gratitude that none of her success would be possible without the unwavering love and support of her husband and their two daughters, Sloane and Stella, who keep her grounded and motivated.
âI am all about my clients,â Dee says, âand about this wonderful business that I love. The awards show my commitment to this industry but, more important, to the people I work with and represent.â
For Dee, success in real estate is about more than just sales.
âBuilding a solid relationship with your clients is key in the real estate business,â she explains. âBoth buyers and sellers should collaborate with a Realtor they genuinely connect with, like and trust.â Dee understands that every clientâs time is valuable, which is why she works strategically around their schedules to ensure a smooth and personalized experience. Real estate is not just her job, itâs her full-time commitment.
Among the things that sets Dee apart are her deep-rooted relationships with builders. When it comes to new construction, Dee brings more than just market knowledge, she brings relationships. She often has established connections not only with the on-site sales agents but also with the builderâs management.
Understanding their preferences, processes, and flexibility allows her to negotiate strategically and confidently for her clients. âMy job is to advocate for you, and the best way to do that is by being informed, prepared and well-connected,â she says.
Deeâs extensive marketing reach is another factor. As a member of âLeading Real Estate Companies of the Worldâ (LeadingRE), she ensures that her listings are marketed both locally and globally. âThere are people in other places looking to relocate, and they can see the listings through LeadingRE,â she says. âIt is seen on over 700 websites throughout the country.â
Dee also prides herself on her ability to truly listen to her clients. âFor me, itâs about more than just real estate, itâs about people,â Dee shares. âI want to learn about my clients, their families, their lifestyles and what truly matters to them. The better I understand their stories, the better I can guide them and help them achieve their goals in a meaningful way.â
For example, some families might not immediately think about community amenities that would benefit their children. Others, with hectic work schedules, may need a home where the landscaping is taken care of by the HOA. Dee emphasizes the importance of being well-versed in various neighborhoods, the available inventory within a community, as well as understanding what builders or sellers may be willing to negotiate. Equally important, she says, is knowing each of her clientsâ specific needs and priorities to align the right opportunities with the right people.
As a child, Dee says she was shy, and those who know her now find that shocking. Her time working from a young age to then working in the hospitality industry helped her break out of her shell. She was a hospitality manager for bars and clubs in South Tampa and was part of the opening team in 2008 for Aja in Channelside. Aja further expanded, opening another club that was located in the Shops at Wiregrass where Dee was part of the management team. When the Wiregrass location closed in 2012, Dee then worked for Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant, overseeing the companyâs books and accounting for all of its locations.Â
âThat foundation in customer service has truly shaped the way I serve my clients,â Dee says. âItâs one of my greatest strengths as a Realtor. I believe customer service is a very important part of what I do, because real estate is a customer service industry. People sometimes forget that. We are here to satisfy the needs of those looking to sell or purchase a home.â
The residential real estate market is constantly changing, and Dee understands the importance of staying informed. She says she uses social media to network, but also actively networks with top agents in the area as well as builders and industry professionals to stay informed about market trends and opportunities. Equally important to Dee is staying sharp on market knowledge and current trends. She doesnât just rely on outdated statistics or general assumptions, she actively tracks historical data and, more critically, the real-time shifts happening in todayâs market. âI study the numbers that most agents have never even seen,â Dee explains. âItâs not just about what happened last yearâitâs about whatâs happening right now.â This depth of knowledge allows Dee to advise her clients with precision, confidence and relevance. Whether sheâs pricing a home for sale or guiding a buyer through a competitive offer, her insight into up-to-the-minute market conditions sets her clients up for success â especially in a market as unique and fast-changing as the one weâre in now.Â
Dee is passionate about earning her clientsâ trust, and she believes that chemistry is vital. She has an impressive 5-star Zillow track record, 141 Realtor.com recommendations, and a 4.9-star overall rating on Google. The majority of the reviewers say they love Dee and how she went above and beyond to help them. But, she says that 4.9 overall rating comes from a single one-star review â from a seller on the other side of a transaction. âI was advocating so well for my client that the seller left me a one-star review,â she says. At first, she was devastated, but then she realized it was a testament to her commitment.
âI canât make everyone happy, and my priority is always my client,â she says. âIn that case, the person I needed to make happy was my client, and I did my job.â
Her most recent raving fan, the Meisters, say, âFrom the very beginning, [Deeâs] knowledge, friendly manner, patience and attention to detail was evident as she guided us through a difficult decision process to help us find the perfect home. Simply put, Dee Strom is as good as it gets in real estate, and we will happily recommend her to others looking to buy or sell property. We also will not hesitate to use her services again, when and if ever the need arises.â
Dee takes pride in handling all aspects of a transaction for her clients, allowing them to focus on their move without stress.
She adds that there are other Realtors out there, âwithout the proper contract and market knowledge and education to know how to professionally operate, which can be a detriment to the client. I have had sellers come to me to switch [to me], whether for better service and/or market knowledge to get their home sold.â Dee says one of the biggest problems in home pricing and value is that some Realtors, âsimply look at homes they believe are comparable based on square footage or bedroom and bathroom count to determine a homeâs value, but knowing the homeâs history, builder, community and current market activity is critical, too.â
Dee also says, âExperience is not how many years you have been doing the job but how many homes you have actually sold.â She firmly believes that experience plays a crucial role in doing the job right, but that the experience comes from transaction volume, constantly negotiating and the consistency in the business. âItâs about having faced all types of real estate challenges multiple times,â she says.
Dee and her husband Michael, with daughters Sloane (left) and Stella.
When discussing the local market, Dee explains that some areas are currently built out but remain stable and there is no crash happening here. The Wesley Chapel area is still booming with new construction and âoffers great affordability for buyers, whether youâre a first time home buyer, looking for more space, or downsizing and need maintenance-free living.â As an expert in the area, she helps clients navigate builder incentives and contract negotiations.
âFor my clients who are selling, new construction can create competition,â she says, âbut with the right marketing strategy, I can position their listings to stand out and sell for top dollar.â
Dee utilizes professional photography, video tours, social media and targeted outreach to attract the right buyers. âEvery home has a story,â she says, âand I make sure that story is told in a way that captivates potential buyers.â
To Dee Strom, real estate is about strategic marketing, dedicated advocacy and building lasting relationships. Her passion for her clients and her deep knowledge of the industry makes her a Realtor unlike any other.
And that âŠis âThe Dee Difference.â
RealtorÂź Dee Strom is based at Florida Executive Realtyâs Tampa Palms office at 15802 Amberly Dr. For more information, visit DStrom.floridaexecutiverealty.com. You also can find her @DeeStromRealtor on Facebook and Instagram or by calling (813) 525-7851.
We previously told you about the new Clean Freak Car Wash that opened its first Florida location, at 32359 Overpass Rd., behind the new Chick-fil-A, on May 1. Well, on June 5, Clean Freak opened its second Florida â and Wesley Chapel â location, at 31373 S.R. 54, adjacent to a new Circle K, also with an NTBC ribbon-cutting event. As we told you last issue, Clean Freakâs parent company was purchased by Circle Kâs parent company, so the car wash locations are often paired with a Circle K gas station & convenience store. For info, call (813) 701-9884 or visit CleanFreakCarWash.com.Â
Deep Roots Dental & Facial Aesthetics
Then, on June 25, Deep Roots Dental & Facial Aesthetics, the office of cosmetic & sedation dentist Marnie Bauer, D.M.D. (with scissors in photo) celebrated the Grand Opening of her second office (the other is in South Tampa) with an NTBC ribbon-cutting event.
According to DeepRootsFlorida.com, â[Deep Roots] redefines the traditional dental experience by seamlessly blending state-of-the-art dental services with the calming ambiance of a luxury wellness center.âÂ
The new office, located at 3013 Allegra Way, in the Cypress Bend Professional Park (off Wesley Chapel Blvd.), is definitely beautiful and calming, with several exam and treatment rooms and room to add more practitioners, in addition to Dr. Bauer, who also helps those with sleep apnea who have difficulty dealing with CPAP devices.
For more info, call (813) 667-9300 or visit DeepRootsFlorida.com â and please tell Dr. Bauer and staff we sent you! â GN
Even though I havenât yet received an update on what is coming to The Hub at Lexington retail/restaurant development â which is coming along nicely, by the way â in front of the Sentosa Lexington Oaks apartments on Wesley Chapel Blvd., I was able to speak with the property owners/developers of two adjacent parcels to the south/west of The Hub.
The sign closest to The Hub (top photo) proclaims that Patel Brothers Indian Grocery Store â the largest such chain in the U.S., with more than 50 stores in 20 U.S. states, including four in Florida (with a location at 1251 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa being the closest to us) â is coming.
The sign also says that the Patel Brothers chain â which was founded in Chicago in 1974 â is celebrating its 50th anniversary of providing authentic Indian produce, spices, beverages, snacks and South Asian sweets, as well as prepared Indian foods for the nearly 5 million Asian-Indian diaspora living in our country (nearly a quarter of a million of which live in the Sunshine State).
I was told by a spokesperson for Patel Brothers that the store should be breaking ground âprobably by the end of this year,â but wouldnât elaborate further about the new locationâs size or when it is expected to open.
Lexington Oaks Crossings
I was able to get some additional information about the sign a little further to the south/ west on Wesley Chapel Blvd. (above) from David Nekouee, the CEO of Capital Design & Engineering, which is actually planning two similarly-sized retail strip centers next to Patel Brothers.Â
The first 15,000-sq.-ft. center, which Nekouee says could break ground as early as the week this issue arrives in your mailbox, is almost fully leased but may have at least one of the six spaces shown on the sign (above) still available.
The North Tampa Bay Chamber continues to provide unique opportunities for its member businesses â and even the NTBCâs nonprofit business members also get their respective moments in the sun.
At the Chamberâs Business Breakfast at Pasco Hernando State Collegeâs Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch on June 2, more than 100 attendees were treated to a roundtable featuring four NTBC-member nonprofit organizations â (seated l.-r. in top photo) The Thomas Promise Foundation (TheThomasPromise.org), the PTSD Foundation of America (PTSDUSA.org), the Wesley Chapel Theater Group (WesleyChapelTheaterGroup.org) and Pepin Academies (PepinAcademies.com).Â
The roundtable â which gave representatives from each nonprofit the chance to introduce themselves and their respective needs to the Chamber members â was hosted by NTBC Board member Chuck Sullivan (standing in top photo) of the law firm McFarland, Gould, Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan, P.A., and was the brainchild of NTBC Board chair Angelique Lenox, who promised that the Chamber will host more such events for nonprofits in the future. For more info, call (813) 994-8534 or visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com/Events. â GNÂ
The Cory Lake Isles Residentâs Storied Career Includes Being The First Black General Of The U.S. Special Forces!Â
Retired U.S. Army Special Forces Brigadier General & Cory Lake Isles resident Remo Butler (right) and his wife Mylitta celebrated the Armyâs 250th Birthday on June 14. (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
I had the honor and privilege of interviewing the first-ever Black General of the U.S. Special Forces â Brigadier (1-star) General Remo Butler â the same day the U.S. Army celebrated its 250th birthday â June 14, 2025.
Gen. Butler, who commanded honorably and admirably at every level for 29 years in the Army, was first commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1974, after graduating from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN, as the Vietnam War was winding down. He and his wife Mylitta are long-time Cory Lake Isles residents who invited photographer Charmaine George, Jannah and yours truly into their beautiful home shortly before they had to get ready to attend Tampaâs celebration of the Armyâs sestercennial anniversary in downtown Tampa.
âThe Army is more than a year older than our country (the U.S. wonât celebrate its 250th birthday until July 4, 2026),â Gen. Butler says, âand it was an honor for me to serve. When people ask me if I miss being in the Army (he retired in 2004 as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in South Tampa), I always say that my body, especially my knees, donât miss it at all. But, I do miss the great people I got to serve with. It wasnât really my first choice of a career, but I donât regret a minute of it. I took pride in everything I did.â
Dealing With Racism
Although Gen. Butler, now age 73, was always able to move up the ranks in the Army, he says he still encountered racism along the way.
âI know Iâm a role model for Black men and women in the military because many people have told me that in the years since I retired,â he says.
In fact, according to an article published in 2010 on the website ResearchGate.net, âOver the past two decades, U.S. War College students have written several papers touching on the experiences of black officers as they relate to representation, promotions, influence, and culture. Interestingly, only Gen. Remo Butlerâs paper (1997), which was one of the first to be written, has received any widespread attention. Butler found that, âBlack officers are falling behind their white counterparts in promotions at and above the rank of lieutenant colonel at a disconcerting rate.â Specifically, Butler suggested that Black officers were failing in two areas: (1) promotion to the ranks of lieutenant colonel and higher, and (2) selection for battalion and brigade command.ââÂ
Gen. Butler says he is particularly proud of that nearly-30-year-old essay. âWhere a lot of the other War College graduates were writing about the future of the military on Mars or in the Andromeda Galaxy, I wanted to help future Black officers to understand that to succeed, you have to bring pride and integrity to everything you do.â
Getting Started
âTwo years into college, Iâm looking at some of my friends who had graduated,â Gen. Butler recalls. âSome had Masterâs degrees, some just had regular degrees, and they werenât doing well because there was a recession going on. So, these guys were having a hard time finding jobs.
I went to Sears one day, and there was my high school chemistry teacher selling shoes and Iâm like, âWow, that is not what I wanna do.â
So, one day, he runs into someone who was in ROTC, âAnd this guy said, âYou know, by doing ROTC, youâre gonna have a job. Youâll be an officer in the Army.â My father was in the Army, so I decided to look into it. But, I really wasnât excited about it, because during those days I wanted to have the big Afro and kind of do what I wanted.â
He adds, âBut, common sense took over and I said to myself, âHey, do you wanna eat?â So, I joined ROTC. And, some of the instructors didnât like me and I didnât like them either. When it was time to go to summer camp, the PMS (Professor of Military Science) calls me in because he really didnât like me and he said, âListen, weâre gonna send you to summer camp, against my better judgment. But, if you donât maintain at least a âBâ average, youâre out of here.â So, summer camp ends and I came back with a straight-âAâ average, so he was stuck.â
Butler started looking down the road and thought, âI might wanna do this for a while. Iâll go in [to the military] for two or three years, put it on my resume, get a little experience, and then go do something else. And, when I went in, I did a couple of years, went to a few places Iâd never been, went to Korea and Panama, and, I said, âOK, this is not so bad. So I stayed a while, got promoted, came back to the advanced course in Fort Benning, (Georgia) and ran into some really good people. One of them, who turned out to be a lifelong mentor for me, was Sidney Shachnow, a retired Major (2-star) General who passed away (in 2018 at age 83). He was a Holocaust survivor who had spent two years in a concentration camp, but he made it out, came to the U.S. and joined the Army. He was a great man who was the first real mentor I ever had. And I had enjoyed Special Forces.â
He adds, âSo one day â at that time he was Colonel Shachnow â he tells me, âYour command is going to be here at Fort Benning, but Iâm going back to Fort Bragg (in North Carolina). I have some issues here, but if you can take care of this one issue here for me, Iâll get you to Fort Bragg with me.â I said, âDone deal. I took care of his issue and about a year and a half later, I got orders to go to Fort Bragg and I was back in Special Forces.â
(Note-Gen. Butler explained that every military branch has its own Special Force. The Navy has the Seals. The Air Force has its Special Operations Command, the Army has Special Forces and Army Rangers, Marines have Marine Raiders and Force Reconnaissance units, and the Coast Guard has Deployable Specialized Forces.)
Moving Up The Ladder
âBut anyway, I was already getting promoted. And the best thing, though, was that I met a lot of great people and just enjoyed working with them. When I got in, it was still Vietnam, which was ending, so they werenât sending many of us there by â74…and I kept sticking around.â
He completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in 1977 and was assigned as a detachment commander in Company C, and later as executive officer of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Panama. In 1980, he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced course and later commanded Company C, Infantry Training Group, in Fort Benning. He returned to Fort Bragg and Special Forces in February 1984 and served as company executive officer and Battalion S-3 before assuming command of Company C, 2/7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Then, after completing the Armed Forces Staff College, Butler was assigned in 1988 to Special Operations Command South, Panama, as director J3 and as a special operations plans officer. He was also a participant in âOperation Just Cause,â to liberate Panama from the never-elected dictator General Manuel Noriega.
Gen. Butler left Panama in July 1991 to become an instructor at the Armed Forces Staff College until December 1992. He then returned to Fort Bragg to command the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from 1993-95. He then was assigned as deputy chief of staff to U.S. Army Special Forces Command until his departure to the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania.
After completing the War College, he was assigned as chief, Special Operations Coordination Element, XVIII Airborne Corps. Gen. Butler commanded the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne), U.S. Army Special Warfare Center & School, from 1997 through 1999. He was reassigned as the deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg 1999-2000. His most recent assignment was as the commanding general, Special Operations Command South, from June 2000 to July 2003.
âSo, one day I in 2001, I was in Fort Bragg, and I was working out with a friend of mine who was a Brigadier General, and he said, âIâm going someplace else and youâre going to be taking my place here.â And Iâm like, âNo, you obviously got something wrong. You got it confused.â But, a few days later, it turned out that I was going to be taking his place. And, at that time, you gotta figure that after 29 years of carrying heavy ruck sacks and jumping out of airplanes, my body was revolting,. We used to do a monthly run, and it was only about a three- or four-mile run. But, at the end of that run for the next two or three days, I had to ice down my knees and try to rest.â
He added, âBut, to me, a leader leads from the front and I was still leading from the front, but it was getting harder and harder. So, I retired in 2004 and went to work for some great companies, and Iâve never looked back.â
Sometimes Unspoken Racism
As for the racial difficulties he encountered, Gen. Butler says, âWhen I was a Second Lieutenant, I got stationed in Korea and there were a lot of racial problems going on in the military, and the first unit I was assigned to had just had an Inspector General (IG) inspection.
âAnd, even though I had just gotten there and the inspection was before I got there, the company XO (Executive Officer) kept pointing out things in the report, saying, âLieutenant Butler, you messed up real bad on this. This [problem] here is yours,â but I was clueless as to what he was talking about. I decided to educate myself on physical block security, which was a big thing, because we were going to be reinspected. And by educating myself, I became the battalionâs de facto expert in these fields.â
He added, âIn any unit, thereâs a hierarchy and everybody knows whoâs at the top and whoâs at the bottom. And, among the Lieutenants, this Lieutenant named Mark, who was a great guy, and I became good friends because we were Lieutenants #1 and #2, depending on what day it was. But, it was a very friendly rivalry with no animosity between us. We used to hang out together and drink together, even though he graduated from West Point and I didnât.
âSo, in those days, you got a 60-day OER (Officer Evaluation Report) and I knew what I had done, and everybody knew what I had done. We all knew what everybody had done because we were a small unit. So, we all got our 60-day OERs back in the mail at about the same time. Mark opened his first and he got what he deserved. Another guy opened his and he was in the middle of the group and then this other guy opened his and it wasnât a real good report, but it was what he deserved and we all knew that. And then, I opened mine and I only got one point above what this lowest guy got.
âSo, Mark says, âHey, somethingâs wrong here. You need to go talk to the old man ([he XO, our Captain]. So, I knock on the door and he says, âHey, Lieutenant, how you doing? What can I do for you?â
âI said, âI want to talk to you about the OERs. I took a lot of time working on that OER for you but sir, you only gave me one point higher than so-and-so and 10 or 15 points less than so-and-so.â
âHe said, âHow do you know that?â and I said, âBecause we all went around and looked at all our results.â He looked at me and said, âLieutenant, those scores are a private, personal thing. You donât share them with anyone. You need to understand that. But, you should know that I did not give you that score because youâre Black.â
âAnd, even though bells and alarms went off in my head, I just said, âOK,â and I walked out.
âI was still new there. I didnât know jack. But I was concerned about the conversation and I didnât know what to do.
âAnd, because of all the racial issues back then, there was an office called Equal Opportunity, where you could make a complaint. But I didnât know how to do it. So, I talked to another Lieutenant who said, âGo talk to this guy. Heâs a Black Captain. And, this Captain said, âI was waiting for you come see me. I knew what was gonna happen to you because I know him.â
âHe said, âIf I was evaluating you, this is what I would have given you.â But, he couldnât give me a lot of help, because, you know, he didnât want to get himself in trouble. So, this other Special Forces Captain, who was a battalion commander, he calls me and says, âLet me tell you what you need to do.â He laid it out step by step and one of my commanderâs friends saw me and said, âLook, you know, Iâm not in this, but Iâm just telling you that so-and-so stuck it to you. So, what are you doing about it?â And I said, âIâm writing to the XO.ââÂ
But, as it turned out, Butler says, âThe IG inspection was good for me because everything that we flunked really badly [before] that he gave to me was re-inspected and I had only two minor deficiencies out of everything, which was good. Plus, I became the battalionâs resident expert in certain things, so the units would call me and say, âHey, can you come help us do this?ââ
After that, Gen. Butler says he went to see his commander, a Colonel, âwho wanted to talk to me about what was going on. I tell him and he says, âWell, Iâve talked to some people here and most everyone has a high opinion of you. So, Iâm going to get you out of here because I need to protect you.â
âI said, âNumber One, Iâm not running. I donât run from anybody and Iâm not gonna start now. I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I donât need protection. Iâll take care of it myself.ââ
But, the Colonel knew that the XO was going to, âlook for some way to ambush me. Some of the other Captains there who knew this guy came to me on the side and said, âListen, be careful, because heâs gonna try to get youâ and these were that XOâs friends telling me this.â
âSo, one day [the XO] calls me in about my next OER. It was ten times better than the first one but it still wasnât what I thought I deserved. And, the XO says, âI just wanna make sure youâre happy. Lieutenant.â And, Iâm looking at this piece of crap and I said, âOK.â But, when my appeal came back, the XO lied and said, âI just made a mistake.â So, even though it didnât hurt me, as you can tell, it did sour me a lot on the Army. But, one of the reasons I was in Special Forces, was because of those two captains who helped me. Both of them were great Special Forces guys who walked me through how to do things.â
He says that when he went to Special Forces school, âIt was one of the hardest things Iâve ever done in my life. But, I graduated and, at that time, there were very few Black officers in the Army and almost none in Special Forces, although there were some Black enlisted men. Then, when I went to Panama, there were two black officers, and later, there were three.
âAnd, back then, some folks would throw the âNâ word around, which was the quickest way to get my fist in your mouth. But, because it was a different time, even a guy and his wife who ended up being my youngest daughterâs godparents once said to me and my wife, âBlack people should marry Black people and White people should marry White people.â But, we became an inseparable group anyway.. Those are the kinds of relationships you establish in Special Forces.â
Another time, when Gen. Butler was a Colonel who was commanding a training group, he says, âMy secretary came in, and had this crazy look on her face, and went back out. I didnât know what was going on. Anyway, this guy comes in and looks around, and I heard her say to the guy, âNo, sir, heâs in there. I told you thatâs Colonel Butler,â but the guy, I guess, wasnât expecting someone Black to be a Colonel.â
He added, âI tell folks all the time, people have expectations of what you should be. I push my own son and tell him âYou have to look the part and talk the part. If you canât speak [proper] English, people are going to downplay you.â
Another time, Gen. Butler says he went for a job interview in West Virginia.
âI went up there and it was a big table, and they had about 20 people sitting around this table, with one Black guy at the table. One of the guys said, âI want you to tell me why we should put you in this position.â I looked at him and I said, âWell, Iâve been sitting here [telling you] for over two hours, so if you canât figure it out, I donât need to work for you.ââ
The guy responded, âOh, wait a minute. Thatâs not what I meant.â Then, the guy who recommended me [for the job] was taking me back to the airport. And he said âYou know, General. I just never knew you were that articulate.â
âI said, âI feels like I knows what you guys talks about.â And, he understood what I was saying. But, a lot of people look at you and they expect certain things and I try never to give you what you expect.â
âSo, the guy says, âIâm sorry, sir. But, Iâve talked to a lot of people about you, and nobody ever told me you were Black.â But at some point, people will stop looking at you as the Black officer, and just look at you as the officer.â
When I asked about the Armyâs 250th birthday, Gen. Butler said, âIt signifies to me that 250 years ago, our military was formed, and has been serving the United States and the government for 250 years.â
He noted, however, that even during the Revolutionary War against England, âThere were many Blacks who fought on both sides. The first man who was killed during the War, Crispus Attucks, was Black. Some of the slave owners told their slaves , âIf you fight for us against the British, I will set you free. The British did the same thing by sending their people out to talk slaves into fighting for them to earn their freedom.â
Gen. Butler also knows that there were no Black officers in the U.S. military until after the Civil War, when Henry Ossian Flipper graduated from West Point in 1877.
âI tell my son, hat if people do not know and understand their history, they will not last long. So, I always wanted to know our history. And I want him to know our history.â
He is proud to have studied our history and he and Mylitta also are proud to be New Tampa residents. âAfter I came back from working for Halliburton in Iraq after I retired, we were looking for a house [in the Tampa Bay area]. We were riding around, and came across [Cory Lake Isles]. And, back in those days, there were still a lot of trees everywhere and you could drive to Wesley Chapel and look at farms and cows. And I said, âYou know, this looks like a nice area. And, this house just happened to be the San Remo model, and I was like, whoa, I like this! And weâve been very happy here ever since.â
About âWhy Black Officers Failâ
Despite his many other accomplishments, Gen. Butler says that his article âWhy Black Officers Failâ is one of his greatest achievements.
âI didnât want to write about esoteric things, like war in outer space in the year 5250,â he says. âI wanted to write something real. And, I still get emails and texts from people saying, âThank you for writing that article. You helped save my career.â
He adds, âIn War College, when I was still a Colonel, we had active-duty faculty members who would help with each class. But, after three or four of them told me they couldnât help me,I went to see Dr. Nagami, a Japanese American, who said, âAre you sure this is what you want to write about?â I said, âYes,â and she said, âIâm going to tell you a story. Two years ago, a Black MP (Military Police) officer wrote something similar and after he got out of War College, the military was downsizing and he was one of the ones to go.â
âBut I said, my record speaks for itself, so I donât think they could do that to me.â So, Dr. Nagami helped me and we wrote it and it was a very good paper. Everybody who was Black in the War College loved it. A big percentage of the white guys loved it. I had a lot of guys ready to lead a brigade ask me, âHow do you suggest I bring the Black guys into the fold? How do you recommend I make my Black officers to feel a part of it?â These were serious questions, which was good.
But, even so, he says, there was still a spectre of racism hanging over the essay.
âThe day of our graduation ceremony from War College, they were giving out writing awards and everybody Black just knew I was going to get a writing award. Dr. Nagami just knew I was getting a writing award. But, at the end of the day, I didnât get an award. Nor was I expecting on because [the article] was controversial. So, Dr. Nagami went and asked why I didnât get an award and one of the guys said, âWell, you know, it wasnât that well written.â She said, âWait a minute. I was in the meeting and you guys were all talking about how well written it was.â I told her, âDonât worry about it.â But the thing for me is that almost 30 years later, people are still reading it, but I guarantee theyâre not reading the papers about wars on Mars. Iâll always be proud of that.â
As if to prove his point, the ResearchGate. com article from 2010 I found online said, âThis paper is an extension of Butlerâs paper in that it seeks to determine what, if anything, has changed in the years since Butler published his paper, using Butlerâs original research methods. The authorâs working hypothesis for the paper is that little has changed and that African Americans are âstillâ failing in todayâs Army. The findings overall suggest that Black officers are getting promoted to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel and Colonel at higher levels than in 1996. Furthermore, Blacks are being selected for both battalion and brigade levels command at higher rates than 1996. However, Blacks are stilling failing to rise to the strategic decision-making levels of the Army. In trying to come to grips with this, the author has found that there are some limitations to this paper. The first is that this study does not employ a rigorous methodological approach to understanding senior officer perceptions. Instead it relies on anecdotal evidence, like Butlerâs thesis, to support the contentions herein. Also, like Butlerâs paper, this paper takes a myopic black-white approach to understanding why black officers [still] fail.â
Thank you so much for your service, General Butler, and for sharing a few minutes of the Armyâs big 250th birthday with me.