About Butz-Jobe Post 370

Bertram Butz was born June 2, 1917.  His family resided in the 2000 block of Lebanon Avenue, Belleville, IL.  He was a devoted student, and his class was one of the early graduating classes as St. Teresa School opened its doors on September 8, 1926.  He graduated in 1931.

During his military service in the U.S. Army, he was a Technician Level 5 (Sergeant) in Headquarters Company, 17th Tank Battalion, 7th Armored Division.  He was killed in action on October 28, 1944, near Meijel, Netherlands.  He is buried in Greenmount Catholic Cemetery in Belleville, IL.

Robert Jobe was born on November 23, 1921.  The Jobe family lived in the 1100 block of North Church Street, Belleville, IL. He was a friend to his classmates and his neighbors.

Robert served in the US Army Air Corps with the 368th Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomber Group.  His plane, a B17G, was shot down over Dermbach, Germany on February 22, 1944. He received the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart.  He is buried in the Netherlands American Military Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.

Bertram and Robert are two of the 16 million men and women who served in the U.S. military during World War II (due to material shortages during the war, only about 1 in 4 men were in uniform).

During the war, Monsignor William Hoff paid the Catholic War Veterans membership dues for every man who served in the military from St. Teresa Parish.  Each of the six parishes in the city of Belleville at that time hosted a Catholic War Veterans Post.

Just before the war ended on August 8, 1945, the 6 posts from the city combined to form one post. The new entity would be named after the first Catholic heroes to die during the war.  The new post was named Catholic War Veterans Post Butz-Jobe 370. Fifteen men from St. Teresa parish were charter members of this distinguished post. Sadly, all of them have passed. 

Today, many Belleville, Freeburg, O’Fallon, and Smithton parishioners and veterans (men and women), are members of Butz-Jobe Post 370, now 80 years proud.

Butz-Jobe Post 370 is located at 3535 State Route 159. Perhaps you will come and enjoy a delicious fish, chicken or pizza dinner any Wednesday to Sunday evening. You may also enjoy playing Queen of Hearts on a Thursday night. There are many opportunities to meet and get to know veterans either at the post or at the nearby Veterans Hospitals located a Jefferson Barracks, John J. Cochran or even at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois.

The next time you pass the post on Route 159, notice the statue of Our Lady of the Highways, and the statue of St. Sebastian, martyr, the patron saint of CWV.  Say a prayer for Bertram Butz and Robert Jobe and all military men and women who have shed their blood for the freedom we enjoy.

Our Catholic War Veterans continue to serve our community, our country and their fellow veterans.  Don’t forget to thank every veteran and active military man and women for their service to our great country.  God Bless the USA!

 To promote service to God, Country, and to fellow man through the understanding of Christian values, recognized by the Catholic Church; and to support local veterans, youth, and community organizations and strengthen our Catholic faith