REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama - The "opportunity to excel" has driven one U.S. Army Security Assistance Command employee to succeed in his career field for 40 years.
Roger Buterbaugh's career began in 1976 in the ROTC program at Columbus College (now Columbus State University) in Georgia.
Buterbaugh received his commission as a second lieutenant and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. At the time, the college's ROTC program was new and he was the first cadet commissioned into the Adjutant General's Corps.
"Forty years later, my picture is still on display in the department," he said.
During his senior year, Buterbaugh completed a "dream sheet" of which branches in the Army he would prefer to serve. A slight eye problem prevented him from selecting positions in combat arms. So, from his three requests across the combat support and combat service support arms fields, the Army selected the Adjutant General's Corps for him, a position he served in until retirement as a lieutenant colonel in 1996.
"I like to tell people my rich uncle (Uncle Sam) selected my career for me."
As an adjutant general officer, or human resources officer, Buterbaugh was responsible for personnel support for Soldiers' overall welfare and well-being.
"I like taking care of people, from bringing them on board, to helping them with such things as benefits and training, and then helping them transition into retirement," he said.
Buterbaugh has worked in a variety of HR assignments at the battalion, brigade, division and installation levels. He also worked as the chief personnel officer at Human Resources Command, previously known as the Total Personnel Command, and as the recruiting policy chief in the Army's G-1 at the Pentagon.
While challenging, his favorite assignment was serving as the commander of the Army Recruiting Battalion Honolulu. Not only did Buterbaugh have the responsibility of meeting his mission, but also deactivating the battalion while he was there. However, he enjoyed the opportunity of traveling throughout his area of responsibility and experiencing the unique cultures in each area, which included the entire Pacific region from the coast of California to South Korea and from Alaska to American Samoa.
Upon retirement from the Army, he spent 13 years working in private sector human resources positions before returning to federal civil service in 2009 at the Army National Ground Intelligence Center. He joined the USASAC team at Redstone Arsenal in 2015, where he serves as the director of G-1/Human Resources.
"Every job has its unique challenges, or as I like to call them 'opportunities to excel,'" he said. "That's what makes HR work so interesting to me. It's always a learning experience."
Buterbaugh explained that with constant changes to laws, executive orders and regulations that impact human resources, professionals in the field have to stay on top of guidance to ensure they are properly implemented.
The vast experience Buterbaugh has obtained throughout his career by working in the Army, private sector and now as a federal civilian employee provides him a well-rounded perspective of human resources.
"It's a fantastic career field for anyone who likes to help people, face challenges and make a difference in someone's life," he said.
Buterbaugh said he is always open to new challenges and opportunities, and thinks the key to his long, successful career has been simply because he loves what he does.
"It gives me an especially warm feeling to help an employee with a problem and later have them thank you for helping them.
"At the NGIC, I helped an employee through a difficult situation," he said. "After I left (for my next position), I received a card from him in the mail thanking me and telling me how much my help had meant to him.
"That's what keeps me going in HR."
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U.S. Army Human Resources Specialist career
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