John Moore

Butler — U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Moore of Summit Township has been named the Butler County Veteran of the Year.

Moore, who will participate in the Veterans Day parade in Butler, also will be honored at the Butler County Military Veterans Committee’s 36th annual Veterans Day Luncheon at noon Nov. 15 at American Legion Post 778 in Lyndora.

John Cyprian, committee chairman, said Moore’s resume was chosen in a blind vote.

“There’s no names allowed in the resumes,” Cyprian said. “They just vote on the resume and what a person has given back to the community after service.”

Moore joined the Marine Corps when he graduated Butler High School in 1958. He attended boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., then advanced infantry training at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

At Camp Pendleton, Calif., Moore trained as a machine-gunner, which took him to Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan.

“I guess I could shoot fairly well,” Moore said. “When you go in the Marine Corps you really don’t have a whole lot to say about where you go. They just kind of give you their different tests and then they end up putting you where you’re needed at that time.”

Moore served active duty from 1958 to his discharge in 1964, touring throughout Asia.

“I don’t know what stood out,” Moore said of his resume for Veteran of the Year.

“It’s kind of almost overwhelming to tell you the truth. I never expected anything like this to happen.”

He said he submitted his resume at the urging of multiple friends and acquaintances.

Moore and his wife, Audrey, volunteer at the VA Butler Healthcare with the Bantam Marines as often as they can.

Moore became a charter member of the group in 1990, serving six terms as the Detachment Commandant. In 2007, he was named the Bantam Marine Detachment’s Marine of the Year.

“We used to wrap gifts for the residents and their families for Christmas,” Moore said. “We still have a monthly bingo game for them, and we chaperone them around whenever they need taken someplace.”

Moore also plays a key role in the Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots program and scholarship programs. He helped bring the Missing in America burial program to Butler County to find and inter unclaimed veteran ashes with honor.

“All I know is what I did and just continue to do around Butler County,” Moore said.

Cyprian said Moore’s tireless service to his county made him a fitting candidate for Veteran of the Year.

According to his resume, Moore, a member of the St. Peter’s Catholic Church, is also an active member of the VFW, American Legion, East Butler Fire Company and the American Legion Riders.

“In the veteran community, we have a motto that we never stop serving,” Cyprian said.

“John’s a prime example of that, just always giving back. He’s always volunteering.”

Cyprian said the public is invited to attend the luncheon for $10 per person.