Green Bay Packers Honors Solder Who Saved Lives on Multiple Deployments

Soldier whose work saves lives in Lambeau spotlight tonight
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
By Meg Jones
December 8, 2014

Family photo
Lt. Col. Patrick Stamm (center) is seen in Iraq in 2009. He’ll attend Monday night's Packers game at Lambeau Field through Operation Fan Mail.

Green Bay — Lt. Col. Patrick Stamm was an Air Force brat who spent his four years of high school in four different schools as his fighter pilot father moved the family from base to base.

One of those stops was Markesan High School, west of Fond du Lac, where he spent his sophomore year.

His father, who was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Markesan, instilled in him a love for America and the Green Bay Packers. Stamm remembers watching the Packers play at Milwaukee's County Stadium and catching a game in San Diego.

Most Operation Fan Mail recipients are nominated by family or friends.

Stamm, however, was nominated by his battalion commander in Afghanistan. Col. Patrick Kelly, who became a lifelong Packers fan after watching the Ice Bowl on television from the Bronx as a 7-year-old, had attended a game in 2012 through Operation Fan Mail. He wanted to pass the thrill on to Stamm.
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Soldier killed in Afghanistan on Third Tour

Family remembers soldier killed in Afghanistan
TBO.com staff
Published: August 27, 2014

Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett, 39, died during combat in Kabul on Aug. 20.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett, 39, died during combat in Kabul on Aug. 20.

The family of an Army paratrooper who was killed in action in Afghanistan last week has released a statement.

The Department of Defense said Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett died during combat in Kabul on Aug. 20. The 39-year-old was assigned to the headquarters battalion of the 18th Airborne Corps.

Leggett enlisted in the Army in May 1995 and had been based at Fort Bragg since 2012. He served three combat tours and was the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including a Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster and a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat.

His mother, Thea Marie Kurtz, is from Ruskin.
Here is the family's statement:

“LET'S GET IT ON” was Matthew's favorite saying when he was on motorcycle rides with his brother Ben or participating in online racing forums. Matthew (Matt) was born in Wabasha, Minnesota on October 13, 1974 to Thea Kurz, of Port Edwards, Wisconsin and Thomas Leggett of Nekoosa, Wisconsin. He has two brothers, Roderick and Benjamin, as well as two nieces and a nephew. He was raised with his brothers in Pepin, Wisconsin. He spent his early childhood and early teenage summers fishing and paddling around the Mississippi river on various watercrafts.

Matt completed two previous combat tours in Iraq and was on his third combat tour in Afghanistan. He was set to retire from the United States Army in the summer of 2015. read more here

Wisconsin Iraq Veteran Hero Firefighter Killed in Car Crash

Eagle firefighter, veteran killed in crash
WISN.Com
By Mike Anderson
July 24, 2014

WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. —Two communities are mourning an Iraq veteran and an Eagle Fire Department hero.

The Eagle Fire Department is draped with black and purple bunting, and its flags are lowered to half staff. It's a symbol of mourning for the family of Lt. Jed Ellenson who died Tuesday night.

"Jed was hired in 2009. It was shortly after he got out of the U. S. Marine Corps. He served two tours in Iraq, and he really found his niche and his calling once he joined our organization," Eagle Fire Department Chief Justin Heim said.

Ellenson was on the job about a year when the town was hit by a 125-130 mph tornado. His Iraq training was a lifesaver in the community.

"He was out there helping folks and doing what needed to be done and even since then," Heim said.

Ellenson's pickup truck slammed into a tree in his hometown of Mukwonago.
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Veteran works to get homeless off streets because he was one of them

Former homeless veteran now helps others who struggle with the same issues he did
WKOW ABC News
By Gordon Severson
Posted: Jul 14, 2014

MADISON (WKOW)-- After years of conflict, the situations in the Middle East are starting to wind down as thousands of service men and women are sent back home. Veteran support specialists say an increasing number of vets returning home find themselves homeless and unemployed.

"They're coming back to not having a job and they're hitting homelessness much quicker than ever before," Veteran Affairs Homeless Program Coordinator Marybeth Urbin says. "We're seeing current vets and also vets from the Vietnam era. Both need a lot of help."

The problems veterans face are difficult for many to understand. Often times these vets are neglected by family members and friends who can't relate to the stresses and fears of military service. That's where workers like Matt Heldman come in.

"I was homeless for six years and unemployed for ten," Heldman explains. "Now I'm helping vets that have been homeless and I understand them. I get them."

Heldman has experienced these struggles firsthand. He served as an Air Force medic for four years. His unit was trained to provide medical aid to soldiers on the front lines. The training was brutal, as personnel simulated real life scenarios in order to prep Heldman and his unit for battle.

Once his service was complete Heldman returned home to his family, but just as he was starting to get used to civilian life, he was put on standby for Desert Storm.

"It was so nerve-wracking. I literally shook the whole week I was waiting to be sent out. At the last minute they decided they didn't need another unit so we stayed home," Heldman says.

For years, Heldman suppressed his emotions and fears until it blew up inside him, costing him his house, his family, his entire way of life.

"I have medication. I have tools that I've learned to help cope with all of that, but I still struggle with it. It's still an ongoing issue."
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Dryhootch expands to help veterans heal

Dryhootch opens a second location to help area veterans
WISN.com
By Terry Sater
Jun 12, 2014

WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. —More area military veterans will be getting help transitioning to civilian life.

The expansion of the nonprofit Dryhootch in Milwaukee County came on a day when a local military veteran fatally shot himself.

"Right here is where we serve coffee to veterans who are looking for a cup of joe, just to sit back, relax and find the camaraderie, you know," Dryhootch veteran Dale Maupin said.

Maupin showed WISN 12 News around the newly expanded Dryhootch on National Avenue in West Milwaukee.

The Iraq war Marine veteran is an example of what can go right when people care enough to help. Maupin was addicted to drugs but is now sober.

"They grabbed me by the hand and said, 'Listen, you were willing to put your life on the line for this country so we're willing to put our names on the line for you,'" Maupin said.

A veteran shot himself outside the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee Thursday, right across the street from Dryhootch where they try to prevent that kind of desperation.
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Wonder woman at 4'11" saves man from jumping off bridge

Woman clings to stranger, prevents him from jumping off bridge
620 WTMJ Wisconsin Radio
By Charles Benson
CREATED APR. 28, 2014

MILWAUKEE -- Hanging on for dear life, a passer-by saves a man dangling over I-94 on the side of a Milwaukee Bridge near Miller Park.

It was an heroic team effort by police at the Veterans Administration Hospital who pulled the distraught man to safety on Sunday. But this rescue might not have been possible without the compassion and patience of a woman determined not to let the man jump.

"He was hanging on with one hand on the bar and one hand on this side," said Jill Hewitt.

Hewitt approached the man standing on a tiny ledge on the wrong side of the fence and used every ounce of energy in her four foot eleven frame to hold onto him.

"I told him I wouldn't let him go," said Hewitt. "God meant for you not to take your own life. It was not his time or choice to do that."

She estimates she talked for several minutes, told him she loved him and about the challenges she faced in her own life. But the man never said why he wanted to jump.

"His response typically was, No let me go. I want to die. I want to die!"
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People lining up to fight for Iraq Veteran

Dozens, including veterans and Republicans, urge Scott Walker to issue pardon
Wisconsin State Journal
By Dee J. Hall
11 hours ago

Doug Zwank considers the fate of Eric Pizer and thinks, “That could have been me.”

Like Pizer, Zwank is a combat veteran and former corporal in the Marine Corps. And like Pizer, he narrowly escaped death while serving his country overseas.

After returning from Vietnam, Zwank started what would become a long career in law enforcement, first as a special agent for the state Department of Justice, then later training fellow officers at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and served as mayor of Middleton for four years.

But in 1968, when he returned from combat to attend UW-Madison, Zwank was just another angry veteran, traumatized by the deaths of his friends and comrades and trying to unlearn the instincts that had kept him alive at war. He got into fights, Zwank said, but was never arrested.

Pizer is looking for relief from the felony conviction after he broke a man’s nose in a fight in Boscobel just days after he returned from Iraq in 2004. Pizer said the punch was a reflex that occurred after the victim came at him from the side — one he deeply regrets.

In the 10 years since he came home, Pizer has earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice with hopes of becoming a police officer. But as a felon, Pizer is prohibited from carrying a gun. He can’t be a cop. That goal is on hold while Pizer works as a piano mover and at Menards to support himself and his preschool son, Xander.
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Veteran says without his wife and caregiver, he’d be dead

Veteran says without his wife and caregiver, he’d be dead
FOX6 Milwaukee
by Chip Brewster
March 23, 2014

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – A severe injury cannot only impact the victim, but also, their friends and family members. Tim Folkers was injured while serving in Iraq, and now, his wife has become his caregiver.

“Each day is a challenge,” Cara Folkers said.

For the last six years, Cara Folkers has taken care of herself, her children and her husband Tim — but that is not where their story begins.

Tim and Cara met in August of 2004, while he was on leave from the Army.

Three months later, Tim was stationed in Germany and Cara flew out for the holidays.

“We drove to Paris and he actually proposed under the Eiffel Tower and then we — he was actually supposed to redeploy pretty quickly so we went ahead and got married in December,” Cara Folkers said.

A few weeks later, Tim was sent on his second deployment to Iraq.

As a forward observer, he encountered dozens of improvised explosive devices — or IEDs. His camps were also constantly shelled by mortars. When he finally came home — all those blasts left a lasting effect.

“He was really quick to anger. He was kind of forgetful. He would isolate a lot. He would go to work and come home and go in the backyard and drink and just not want to be around the family,” Cara Folkers said.

“I’d just gotten back and I didn’t have time to process any of it so I’m just coming back thinking being this angry is normal,” Tim Folkers said.
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2 rescued horses believed stolen from veteran’s therapy program

2 rescued horses believed stolen from veteran’s therapy program
Horses discovered missing from pasture March 14
News3
Author: Dave Delozier, Reporter
Published On: Mar 17 2014

LA VALLE, Wis.
Two rescued horses used for equine therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are believed to have been stolen.

The horses were discovered missing from a pasture on September Farm on March 14. A search of the 70-acre farm showed no signs of the two horses and there were no open gates or breaks in the fencing.

One of the horses is a yearling chestnut filly named Vicki. The other is a 3-year-old gelding palomino named Jimmy. Jimmy provides equine therapy for a soldier in the National Guard while Vicki provides therapy for a Chicago police officer.

"These horses belong to police officers and veterans, and they protect us and give us our freedom. Why would someone be so callous?" said Barbara Knopf of Veterans Equine Trail Services.
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Iraq Veteran-Police Officer died right after her twins were born

Police, family mourn loss of Wis. officer
Stacie Napoli, who served in Iraq and was a 17-year police veteran, died Monday just moments after giving birth to twins
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Jan Uebelherr
February 19, 2014

WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Stacie Napoli had rituals for every ultrasound she underwent. She held a St. Anthony medal given to her by her mother, prayed to St. Gerard and held a holy card from her grandfather's funeral.

"You've never found anyone who wanted children as much as she did," said her mother, Kerri Livermore.

Napoli, who served in Iraq and was a 17-year veteran of the West Allis Police Department, died Monday just moments after giving birth to twins.

As word spread, the department was inundated with condolences and offers of support. A special fund to help the family had already raised more than $20,000 by Tuesday evening. Many donors had never met Napoli, but were heartbroken.

Napoli, 39, died of a pulmonary embolism -- a sudden blockage of a major blood vessel in the lungs, usually by a blood clot — after giving birth by Caesarean section at West Allis Memorial Hospital, according to a medical examiner's report.

The twins, Parker and Ellie, are in intensive care but doing well, said Livermore, of Greenfield. Ellie weighed 2 pounds 4 ounces; Parker weighed 1 pound 15 ounces, she said.
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Wisconsin National Guard member spark outrage online

UPDATE

Wisconsin soldier suspended over casket photo
NBC 13 News
By Samantha Jeffreys
Posted: Feb 18, 2014

MADISON, WI (WREX)
A soldier with the Wisconsin National Guard has been suspended from funeral honors detail after a photo on a social media site depicted her and other soldiers posing in front of a flag-draped training casket.

In a statement released Tuesday the Wisconsin National Guard said it was investigating the incident, which involves Spc. Terry Harrison and other soldiers "posing disrespectfully" in front of a training casket at a National Guard training center in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Harrison is a member of the Madison-based 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment and the photo was placed on a social media site belonging to her.
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Photos posted by Wis. National Guard member spark outrage online
Wisconsin.com
By Christina Palladino
Feb 18, 2014
MILWAUKEE —It's supposed to be a Wisconsin National Guard tradition, but what was caught on camera is now causing an internet firestorm, but now a lapse in judgment is leading to a military investigation.

Two photographs posted on social media by a member of Wisconsin's Funeral Honor Guard are causing some controversy, sparking outrage by some online.

WISN 12 News isn't identifying the soldier in the pictures because she said she's been receiving death threats after they went viral.

The Wisconsin National Guard confirmed to WISN 12 News it is launching an investigation into her social media account.

The first photo under scrutiny shows her with a folded flag in the background with the caption, "It's so damn cold out. Why have a funeral outside? Somebody's getting a jacked up flag."

The second is from her recent graduation of training for honors at funerals.

WISN 12 News has learned the casket shown in the photo was empty, but some online are upset at the caption at the bottom saying, "We put the 'fun' in funeral."
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Camp Pendleton Marine died in cold on New Year's Day

New Year's Day Death of Hayward Native, Marine
WDIO.com
By: Maarja Anderson
Created: 01/07/2014

A marine from northern Wisconsin died on New Year's Day. The local paper, the Sawyer County Record, said he was out in the elements after being dropped off near his family's Hayward home.

According to his posted obituary, Matthew Raimer, 25, was a Hayward High School graduate and a marine stationed in Camp Pendleton in California.

The Sawyer County Sheriff's Office hasn't released any information to Eyewitness News, but the Sawyer County Record reported Raimer was home for the holidays and dropped off near his family's home by a local bar's "sober bus."
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Wisconsin Governor refuses to help Iraq veteran

Lueders: Walker's no-pardon stance leaves veteran out in the cold
Iraq war vet pleads for clemency on battery charge
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
Written by
Bill Lueders
Jan. 6, 2014

A recent article on a decorated military veteran seeking a pardon from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker drew a cheap shot from an online commenter: “If he is serious (about) getting special treatment from Walker, he simply needs a lot of cash to donate.”

In fact, the Republican governor’s bold stance against any and all pardons takes this scenario off the table.

“Gov. Walker supports the court system and does not want to undermine the actions of a judge or jury,” spokeswoman Julie Lund said in an email. He has other priorities besides issuing pardons, which “is not a requirement of the job.”

Critics say pardons are an important task, not an insult to the justice system. The case involving the veteran, who served tours of duty in Kuwait and Iraq, casts this into sharp relief. (For statewide coverage, see pardoneric.com).

In September 2004, two days after returning from the Middle East, Cpl. Eric Pizer of Madison intervened in a dust-up between his friend and another man. He punched the man once, breaking his nose.

“He was trying to protect himself and others,” says Pizer’s attorney, David Relles, whose client had no prior juvenile or adult record.

The Grant County District Attorney’s Office charged Pizer with substantial battery, a felony; he pleaded no contest and served two years on probation. The conviction bars Pizer, now 32, from his dream of becoming a police officer.
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Does a felon deserve pardon from Governor Walker?

Before you make up your mind,

Two days after his return, on Sept. 18, 2004, Pizer, then 23, was out on the town in Boscobel. After some bar-hopping, he stepped into the middle of a scuffle in an alley between his friend and a jealous husband, trying to break it up.

“(They were) poking me in the chest, chest-bumping me, getting in my face ... When (the husband) came at me from my peripheral vision, my side, he said he was going to kill me "

“And I just instinctively reacted ‘cause I couldn’t see his hands. It was a very dark night behind a garage in an alleyway. I couldn’t see if he had something in his hands to stab me with, shoot me with, bash me with. So I just instinctively gave him a right jab.”

This happened only two days after he returned from this.

“In fact, in order to go on a second tour of duty, Eric had to extend his enlistment by two months. No one asked him to do it. He did it for one reason: Eric had four new Marines under his command who had never been in combat or to the Middle East before ... he knew that staying with his team gave them the best chance for their safe return home.”

Read more of Combat veteran seeks relief from felony conviction; Scott Walker is not issuing pardons

Veterans charity fundraising: Buddy can you spare a dime?

Veterans charity fundraising
Where does money donated over the phone go?
FOX 11
By Robert Hornacek
November 27, 2013

They can be annoying and intrusive, but often, telemarketing calls are a pretty successful way to raise money.

The money you pledge doesn't always help the cause as much as you might like. Case in point: the Veterans Assistance Foundation, based in Tomah. The charity hires a company called Xentel to raise money over the phone and by mail to help homeless veterans. But documents we uncovered show that for every dollar raised by Xentel under that contract, approximately 10 cents goes to the charity.

We're not talking chump change here. FOX 11 Investigates reviewed the charity's tax returns from 2009 through 2012. In just four years, the professional fundraising company raised $4.7 million dollars in the name of homeless veterans. But just $463,373 went to the charity. The company raising the money raked nearly $4.3 million.

"Is this the best way? No. I wouldn't say it is. I know it isn't. But it's the best I can do right now,” Veterans Assistance Foundation founder and CEO Bob Piaro said.

The Veterans Assistance Foundation offers programs for homeless veterans at the VA Clinic in Tomah and the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King. It also operates homes in Madison and Tomah. You might not think you're donating any money to the Veterans Assistance Foundation, but you are. Most of the group's funding comes from taxpayers in the form of federal grants. In fact, the Veterans Assistance Foundation receives about $1 million a year from the government. Thanks to taxpayers, the organization was able to expand last month. It now offers services in 34 counties, including Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago.

But Piaro says the grants don't cover everything. So the foundation still needs to raise money.
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Veterans reach out and run for others coming home

Childhood friends reunite, run to support veterans returning home
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
Written by
Nathan Vine
Stevens Point Journal Media
November 15, 2013

Brett Foley, left, and David Chrisinger, childhood friends from Rhinelander, recently completed a 50-mile ultra marathon in Door County to raise money
Contributed photo

STEVENS POINT — Sitting at his computer early one morning in 2010, Brett Foley connected with an old friend and began rebuilding a life shattered by post-traumatic stress disorder after his service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Foley, who served in the Marines for five years, from 2005 to 2010, with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, found support in his struggle with David Chrisinger, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point alumni who grew up with Foley in Rhinelander. The two bonded over running, and they decided to use that connection to help some of the estimated 1 million service members who will have transitioned back into the civilian workforce through 2016 as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down.

The friends, both now 26 years old, paired about a year ago with The Mission Continues, a national service organization that helps veterans transition from the military to service and leadership programs that allow them to continue to serve in their communities.
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Army Reservist shocks daughter and gets cheered by 80,000 football fans

Soldier talks about surprising daughter in front of 80,000 football fans in Madison (with video)
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
Written by
Katie Hoffman
September 27, 2013

Decked out in red and white, Bella Lund stood next to Bucky Badger in the middle of Camp Randall, surrounded by more than 80,000 screaming, cheering football fans.

She couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the crowd. But when Bella turned around, everyone around her immediately disappeared.

Her mom was home after six months serving in Afghanistan with the Army Reserve, and she was standing just yards away.

“I just kinda saw the uniform, and I was like, ‘That’s my mom.’ I just knew,” she said. “I don’t think I could’ve asked for anything better than that.”

Bella’s mom, Army Capt. Jane Renee “J.R.” Lund, 36, is a 1995 D.C. Everest Senior High School graduate who joined the Army Reserve four years ago. She began a six-month deployment in April as a veterinarian with the 719th medical detachment in Afghanistan.
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Fort Bliss soldier dies swimming in New Mexico

Wisconsin soldier drowns in New Mexico
Spc. Rob Vande Zande was 21.
By: Associated Press report, Fond du Lac (Wis.) Reporter
September 17, 2013

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A U.S. Army soldier from Fond du Lac has died while swimming in New Mexico.

Spc. Rob Vande Zande was 21. His wife, Sarah, is due to give birth to their daughter in November. Vande Zande is the oldest son of former Fond du Lac Councilman Rob Vande Zande Sr.
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Bikers rev up for Vietnam veterans in Michigan

Bikers rev up for Vietnam veterans
Citizen Voice
BY TOM RAGAN
STAFF WRITER
Published: September 3, 2013

For many, it is a grim reminder of the lost lives of brave soldiers who fought and died in Vietnam.

The names on the Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall are the same as the memorial wall in Washington, D.C., but this memorial is half the size and moves around the nation to pre-determined sites across the nation.

The moving wall is currently in Sparta, Mich., and will soon move on to Pleasant Prairie, Wis., where it will be on display for a short period of time.

On Monday, a ceremony was held at the Laurel Mall in Hazle Township to honor Vietnam veterans and veterans of all wars.

About 200 people attended, including a large number of veterans on motorcycles from various clubs in the area.

Jim Waschko organized the event with the Laurel Mall to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the moving wall's appearance at the mall.

"Also to honor Agent Orange victims, for disabled American veterans, including Vietnam veterans, soldiers that have passed on and the Gold Star mothers and wives who are also victims," Waschko said.
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Marine gets new bike at Harley Davidson Anniversary Party

Wis. Marine receives surprise Harley at kickoff
By Associated Press
CREATED AUG. 30, 2013

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Wisconsin Marine got a surprise when he helped kick off Harley-Davidson's 110th anniversary party.

First Sgt. Timothy La Sage rode a new 2014 Project Rushmore motorcycle onto the grounds of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee Thursday.

After La Sage's ceremonial ride, Bill Davidson -- great-grandson of company co-founder William A. Davidson -- told the Milwaukee native to keep the motorcycle.
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