Col Debbie Butler-Case
Col Debbie Butler-Case, WV Wing Commander
Colonel Debbie Butler-Case serves as the Commander of the West Virginia Wing Civil Air Patrol, America’s premier public service organization for carrying out emergency services and disaster relief missions nationwide. As a Total Force partner and auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol is there to search for and find the lost, provide comfort in times of disaster, and work to keep the homeland safe.
As Commander, Colonel Butler-Case serves as the senior officer in West Virginia. She and her staff provide guidance and support to all units in West Virginia to ensure that all objectives, policies, and operational directives are effectively and safely executed. The West Virginia Wing has over 550 members and consists of 14 squadrons located in Beckley, Danville, Grantsville, Charleston, Bridgeport, Elkins, Lewisburg, Martinsburg, Princeton, Barboursville/Ona, Morgantown, Parkersburg, Petersburg, and Wheeling.
Colonel Butler-Case joined the Civil Air Patrol in October 1997, as a member of the Charleston Cadet Squadron. She began her tenure in Civil Air Patrol as the unit Public Affairs Officer, Testing Officer, and Emergency Services Officer, and then in August 2008, she became Deputy Commander for her unit. In November 2003, Colonel Butler-Case joined the WV Wing Staff as Director of Cadet Programs and Assistant Emergency Services Officer.
Colonel Butler-Case’s emergency services qualifications include ground team leader, ground branch director, mission radio operator, liaison officer, public information officer, planning section chief, urban directing finding team, domestic operations awareness and assessment response tool operator, and incident commander. As Assistant Emergency Services Officer, Colonel Butler-Case received the Meritorious Service Award in 2005 for creating and implementing the Ground Pounder Challenge, a two-part ground search and rescue training event to qualify ground team members to aid in the readiness of the Wing to serve in search and rescue missions.
In 2015, Colonel Butler-Case was awarded the West Virginia Wing Colonel (Bud) Payton Public Affairs Officer of the Year for outstanding duty performance.
In 2016, Colonel Butler-Case was selected to be the Commander of the then Charleston Cadet Squadron (MAR-WV-013). In that capacity, she implemented specific strategies that resulted in membership growth, reorganization of the unit into a composite squadron, and adding an operations section to more fully support CAP’s Strategic Plan and Wing Goals. With this initiative, the unit grew, the cadet program thrived, and partnerships were built with Capital Jet Center, West Virginia International Yeager Airport, WV Air National Guard’s 130th Airlift Wing, Kanawha County Schools, Jackson County Schools, West Virginia Emergency Management’s SAR Training Officer, and many more.
During her term as squadron commander, her team earned four Quality Cadet Unit Awards, three Squadron of Merit Awards, two Aerospace Education Achievement Awards, and four Aerospace Education Excellence Awards. Additionally, her unit boasts zero discrepancies with several commendable ratings on two separate subordinate unit inspections in 2018 and 2020. While serving as squadron commander, she successfully maintained additional duties at Wing Headquarters as Director of Cadet Programs and Assistant Emergency Services Officer.
Additional awards Colonel Butler-Case has earned over the years are West Virginia Wing Senior Member of the Year in 2022, three Meritorious Service Awards (2004, 2014, and 2019), nine Wing Commander’s Commendation Awards, two Achievement Awards (2010 & 2013), the Gill Robb Wilson Award (2023), Brig Gen Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager (1999), and an Encampment Ribbon (2006).
Colonel Butler-Case has a master rating in the cadet programs and emergency services specialty tracks. She is senior rated in command and public affairs and is a graduate of the North Central Region Staff College (2020), Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) Search and Rescue Management Course (2009), Unit Commander’s Course (2017), Training Leaders of Cadets, and has attended three Civil Air Patrol Youth Development Conferences in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Colonel Butler-Case is a native of St. Albans, West Virginia, where she currently lives with her husband Chuck, and her furry friend, Duke. Her son, Richard Samuel Boggs went through the cadet program earning his Eaker Award and is currently an Army National Guard Black Hawk pilot and flight instructor. Colonel Butler-Case is currently a legal assistant with the Flaherty law firm in Charleston.
