Military Entrance Processing Station

BUTTE, MT 22 W. Park Street Butte, MT 59701 Phone: (406) 723-8883, ext. 222 Fax: (406) 782-7797

The Butte MEPS has an area of responsibility that includes the entire state of Montana and one third of Wyoming.

Butte has been the host for what was known then as the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station (AFEES) since shortly after the outbreak of WWII. The station’s first permanent home was located in the Silver Bow Block, located on Granite Street in uptown Butte.

On October 21, 1978, a fire swept through the building, forcing its occupants to relocate. The AFEES moved to a temporary location in the Naval Reserve Center. This temporary occupation lasted 2 1/2 years, until April 1981, when finally the station moved to the historic Finlen Hotel complex. On June 19, 2000, the MEPS moved to its current home in the F&W Grand Silver Building, a renovated historic building in uptown Butte.

The Butte MEPS is one of a network of 65 MEPS located nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

A separate Department of Defense (DoD) agency, USMEPCOM is comprised of two geographical sectors and staffed with personnel from all military services.

The mission of USMEPCOM and the Butte MEPS is to process individuals for enlistment or induction into the armed services, based on DoD-approved peacetime and mobilization standards.

Three primary areas are considered in determining an applicant's qualifications for enlistment:

• aptitude for military service
• physical qualification
• background evaluation screening