Butler city officials are attempting to cement the city's place in World War II heritage history.

Butler council voted Thursday to submit a letter of support for the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau in nominating the city as a World War II Heritage City with the National Park Service.

Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said the city's impact on WWII comes from the invention of the Jeep.

“It absolutely mechanized the Army, and it helped them get around,” Cohen said of the Jeep. “Before it, they had to get around on horse-drawn buggies.”

According to the NPS' website, the highest locally elected official must nominate their community by submitting a cover letter detailing a city's contribution to WWII efforts. A municipality must also have efforts in place preserving its WWII history, the website criteria says.

Cohen referenced the words of President Dwight Eisenhower, who said the Jeep was one of the main tools that helped the Allies win the war. He said a designation like this would be an achievement for Butler.

“When we heard about it, we had our writers put something together,” Cohen said. “How could we not be proud of the Jeep?”

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