W
HETHER LEADING TROOPS IN THE U.S. ARMY, MAKING cattle breeding decisions or serving Ameri- can Hereford Association (AHA) members
as chairman of the AHA Member Service Committee, Paul “Butch” Funk has always made serving others a priority. “A good commander rides to the sound of guns,”
Funk explains. “If someone is in trouble, I will come.” Butch has served both our country and the Here-
ford breed with this philosophy. After a distinguished 32-year career with the U.S. Army, Funk retired as a lieutenant general and returned to his second passion in life — ranching. Funk and his wife, Danny, own Spearhead Ranch near Copperas Cove. Funk served on the AHA Board from 2008 to 2012. He says being a soldier and a rancher are both
24-hour-a-day commitments. As an offi cer in the Army, he was responsible for protecting his people and their families around the clock, just as he is now as a rancher with his Hereford herd.
Early years Born and raised in Montana, Funk owned a small
herd of registered Hereford cattle while working for the ES Bar Ranch near Roundup. He went to Montana State University (MSU) and
earned a degree in animal science. During that time, he had to sell his herd to pay for his college education. While at MSU, he joined the Reserve Offi cers’ Train- ing Corps (ROTC) and had his fi rst taste of the Army. He says he did not set out to have a career in the
Army; joining the ROTC was a way to help pay for his education. “There were no career soldiers in my fam- ily until I became one,” Funk explains. After graduating from MSU, he went on active duty
for 2 years as part of his ROTC commitment. “About 6 months after I got out of the Army I knew
I had made a mistake,” Funk recalls. “I really liked the Army and I wished I had not left. I had not thought much about an Army career until I was on active duty — I was just doing my duty. I came back to duty about 16 months after I had gotten out. We immediately went to Germany and things really went quickly after that.”
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Photo Left: It was my duty to try to serve our breed. I felt like I could help; not because I was the best cattleman, but because of my other experiences. I was committed to being a steward of the Association’s assets — fi nances and people. You have to do both if you are going to have a good organization.
Photo Inset: At one time Funk was in command of 162,000 soldiers, including active military and National Guard.
tscra.org August 2015 The Cattleman 91
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