Our Story
Boots for the Brave was born out of an idea that brought together Lucchese Bootmaker, US Army Veteran and amputee, Ferris Butler, and philanthropist, Loralee West. This story begins in 2006 when CPT Ferris Butler USA (Ret.) was deployed to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division. He sustained bilateral lower leg amputations requiring him to discover new ways to adapt to his injuries. After regularly traveling to Texas to visit Loralee’s ranch with fellow veterans, he embarked on a personal quest to have a pair of cowboy boots augmented to work with his prosthesis.
After receiving feedback from other veterans that this boot design was a much-needed option in an otherwise non-existent market, he started working on expanding this mission. It became abundantly clear that simply adding a zipper to the boot shaft so the prosthetic could fit would not be sufficient; rather the boots had to function ergonomically with damaged limbs and prosthetic devices. And thus, Boots for the Brave was born.
Ferris and Loralee, working as co-founders of Boots for the Brave, have collaborated on countless non-profit initiatives focused on bettering the lives of veterans affected by our Nation’s longest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a proud Texas ranch owner, Loralee envisioned a path forward that would embrace the hospitality and culture of Texas. Seeing the immediate desire of so many amputees, they set out with one goal – to create ‘American-made Boots for American Heroes.’
With Lucchese Bootmaker’s history of American military support, founding their business in 1883 supplying boots to the US Army’s Cavalry soldiers, they were the perfect partner for this project. Lucchese has grown to be the premier custom bootmaker in the nation with their in-house resources, specialized tools, and well over a century of expertise — and their amazingly-talented team jumped on the opportunity to collaborate on such a meaningful project.
The partnership has been extremely symbiotic between the team at Boots for the Brave and Lucchese Bootmaker. Ferris & Loralee select the veterans and organize the annual sponsors to cover logistical and boot production expenses, while Lucchese handles all aspects of research and development, hosts the veterans for their personalized boot fitting each year, and places all boots through their 100-individual step manufacturing process. This creates a meticulously designed boot that functions in perfect harmony with the veteran’s individual needs.
The intent of this project is quite simple — create a pair of highly functional, custom boots for every paralyzed or amputee veteran that desires to have them. But this project also aims to go beyond the boots.
Our Founders
CPT Ferris Butler
USA (Ret.)
Loralee West
Philanthropist
“This experience was top notch and very much conveyed the love and care of the host for veterans. Once in a lifetime describes the whole opportunity and this one was made up of a few once in a lifetimes from hunting on an incredible ranch to putting on custom fit boots from the top boot maker in the world to sharing the experience with fellow veterans. Can’t express enough my appreciation for the opportunity to participate.”
– CPT Ryan C. Kules, USA (Ret.)
Thank you to our supporters:
San Rafael Ranch is a picturesque 20,000-acre ranch in South Texas. The ranch is privately owned by Loralee West and her husband, Al West, and they are both thrilled to offer it as the perfect spot for our annual event — hosting veterans from across the country for a weekend of relaxation, fun, camaraderie, southern hospitality, and of course, custom boots!
Lucchese Bootmakers is a Texas-based boot designer and manufacturer. With their history of American military support — founding their business in 1883 supplying boots to the US Army’s Cavalry soldiers — they were the perfect partner for this project. They are the nation’s premier custom bootmaker, and one of the few remaining American manufacturers who still make all of their boots in-house and by hand, using their one-of-a-kind 100-step manufacturing process.
Without NetJets support, the seamless and top-notch transportation we’re able to provide our veterans each year wouldn’t be possible. NetJets is a world-class aviation carrier, and since our project’s inception, they have generously provided their air service for each of our annual events. This allows for an unmatched travel experience for our disabled participants to and from the Lucchese manufacturing plant in El Paso, TX.
