Memorial Day speaker reminds audience that some veterans survive the war but do not survive the peace

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX — Some veterans may survive the war, but they do not survive the peace, said U.S. Army veteran Mike Hanke of Chippewa Falls.

Hanke was the featured speaker at the Memorial Day service at Evergreen Cemetery May 29.

“If we look at the history of this day, it’s to honor those that died, to honor those that will die — and then we look at the issues of war itself,” Hanke said.

Some veterans “maybe come back alive, and where they survived the war, they do not survive the peace,” he said.

“That’s a major challenge within the veterans’ community. I’m fortunate to where I’ve learned how to cope, how to deal with some of the ugliness of war. But there are many who have not,” Hanke said.

Hanke, a retired sergeant first class, enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Brigade in 1983, served four years before transferring to active duty from 1987 to 1990, and rejoined the Wisconsin National Guard ten years later and deployed to Iraq twice with the First Battalion, 128th Infantry in 2004-2005 and 2009-2010.

“If we look back two weeks ago in Chippewa Falls, a half an hour from here, a young 31-year-old Marine veteran who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan could no longer fight inside himself and committed suicide,” Hanke said.

“Last week, 34 miles north of here, another veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan took a pistol to the side of his head. Thank God he’s still alive, but we have no idea what’s going to happen,” he said.

“When we take a look at the cemeteries that are decorated with the flags, and we honor the veteran community, let’s also remember those that survived their individual wars but when they come back home, they lose them,” Hanke said.

“On average, 22 veterans a day across our nation commit suicide. (If you are a family member) it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. They are ill. They need help. They need assistance from the community at large,” he said.

“The best thing any of us can do for veterans, regardless if it’s a war veteran or a peace-time veteran, is if you see that you think they may harm themselves, get them help,” Hanke said.

Observances of Memorial Day, also originally known as Decoration Day, began after the Civil War.

General John A. Logan, a member of a Union veterans organization, established Decoration Day in 1868 as a time to decorate the graves of soldiers with flowers.

“General Logan got the north and the south where the war dead were buried to decorate their graves to honor them. That tradition continues today. If you look at the cemeteries in Colfax, or Dunn County, or the state of Wisconsin and across the nation, there are decorated graves everywhere,” Hanke said.

“A lot of people, knowing veterans within our communities, on Memorial Day, will tell them, ‘Happy Memorial Day’ or ‘Thank you for your service.’ In all reality, our day is Veterans Day. This day is for those that were veterans who are no longer here,” he said.

“President Reagan identified in one of his speeches that Memorial Day is a time to get together with family and friends. And yes, it’s okay to have hotdogs and burgers and go to resorts and enjoy the new spring. But it is also extremely necessary to identify those veterans who need help and assistance,” Hanke said.

“I’m fortunate in my professional life to be in charge of the center in Chippewa Falls where we house 30 veterans. In that program, they may be homeless. They may be dealing with drug addiction. They may be dealing with alcohol addiction. Or they may just need help,” he said.

“I’m very fortunate to be involved with these veterans and their lives and rebuilding their lives. It is as important for each and every one of us in our own neighborhoods to do the same thing,” Hanke said.

Memorial Day this year was a gray, gloomy day with a chilly, damp wind.

All of the people who came for the Memorial Day parade and the service at Evergreen Cemetery “showed great honor in Colfax to come out today,” Hanke said.