SYLVESTER — Navy veteran M.E. “Mike” Butler has published a memoir, “Waypoints in My Life,” about his time in the Navy and growing up in the south, according to a press release.

Butler’s life story began in rural Mississippi on the doorsteps of the Great Depression. He lost his father at three and bonded with his grandfather, who instilled in him honesty, integrity, a strong work ethic and a deep sense of family.

His boyhood years were devoted to farm work, fat pine stumping, sawmill work and hunting wild game, which he sold to locals for lunch money.

Upon his high school graduation in 1947, Butler joined the Navy and spent the next nine years as a signal man on a destroyer and two aircraft carriers.

His two hitches in the Navy included directing artillery fire in the Korean War, duty stations in the South Pacific, and liberty in ports of call throughout Europe, according to the release. Butler survived two disastrous ship explosions, personal ship-to-ship transfers, and freezing temperatures in the Arctic, the release states.

As a civilian, Butler sought the love of his life, found her and raised four children. They will soon celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary.

Copies of his book, “Waypoints in My Life” is available now on Amazon.com. An e-book will soon be available.

Signed copies can be purchased for $14.95 plus 7 percent Georgia sales tax and return shipping from M.E. Butler at 304 Francis Street, Sylvester, GA 31791.