One Farmer’s Father’s Day to Remember

Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:13 AM CDT

For one Wisconsin farmer, last month’s Father’s Day was one that he won’t soon forget.

Mike Winker, a dairy farmer from Fredonia, was part of a contingent of Farm Bureau leaders who were in the nation’s capital, June 14-18, to lobby on agricultural issues. Two very special things happened to the Air Force veteran and father of three, while visiting the Arlington Cemetery.

“It’s been one of the neatest things I’ve done,” Mike said of being one of four Farm Bureau members who were chosen to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“I was more nervous than the day I got married,” he recalled minutes after laying the wreath while hundreds of tourists quietly watched the special ceremony.

“As a veteran it’s times like this when it all comes back to you,” said Winker, who was stationed at the Okinawa airbase and New Mexico while serving in the Air Force from 1971 to 1974.

He made his first trip to the Arlington Cemetery with his Air Force police officer badge and ‘dog tag’ chain from the Vietnam War hanging around his neck.

“It’s quite an honor, and something I never envisioned doing, but that has (been symbolic) of the Farm Bureau Institute experience,” he said.

Mike Winker is a recent graduate of the first Wisconsin Farm Bureau Institute class. The one-year leadership course aims to build strong advocates for agriculture and the state’s largest farm organization by giving participants better leadership and public speaking skills. The Institute graduates put their training to work while attending the Farm Bureau’s annual Leader Fly-in to Washington D.C.

When the opportunity arose for Farm Bureau members to lay a wreath at the historic site, the classmates collectively decided that the two veterans within the group should be among those to participate. The other was Jeff Ditzenberger of Green County. He served in Operation Desert Storm during his time in the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 1992.

When asked what was going through his mind, Ditzenberger said, “It served as a remembrance of my time served, and I thought of my brothers and sisters that were lost. I thought about how we have it pretty good here in the United States. Then I started to cry. That’s all I remember.”

“It’s emotional, but hard to describe. It’s something I’ll always remember,” said Ralph Levzow, a Columbia County dairy farmer who thought of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“Coming out here made me realize how much I’ve taken for granted and how much our military does for us,” said Katie Reichling, a young farmer from Lafayette County, whose uncle died in the Vietnam War.

Winker said at the onset of his Farm Bureau Institute experience his goal was to learn from his classmates. The wreath-laying ceremony topped off what had been a unique bonding experience with the other 12 Institute graduates. However, most important that sunny Father’s Day afternoon was another special guest who had traveled to Washington D.C.

Fresh home from his second deployment to Iraq was his son, David. The 24-year-old is known as EN1 “SW Winker” to his colleagues in the United States Navy.

David had returned to Norfolk, Va., from Iraq less than two weeks prior. His mother had sent him an e-mail to tell him that his father would be visiting Washington D.C. in June. David made plans to take a two-hour train ride to see his dad on Father’s Day.

“The timing worked out excellent,” Mike said.

“It’s just nice to see him and hang out together,” said David, who last saw his father in November.

Motivated by the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and a desire to see the world, the 2002 graduate of Random Lake High School enlisted in the U.S. Navy nearly six years ago. Since then he has seen nearly every European country with a coastline, and has provided maritime security on two oil platforms off the coast of Iraq. In a few years he would like to be an officer, and plans to have a 20-year career with the Navy.

Mike commented how he and his son have served their nation at two distinctly different times when it comes to how members of the military were viewed by the public. He served near the tail-end of Vietnam War and his son after the tragedy of Sept. 11.

As for any previous Father’s Day traditions, David said, “On a sunny day, we’d be working the fields together.”

That’s what the former farm kid says he misses most about life on the farm.

“I miss driving tractors and being in the sun,” said David, who noted that most of his work with the Navy is done indoors.

Mike said his son was a great mechanic to have around the farm, and that he accepted responsibility very early in life. Therefore he had no problems adjusting to military life. Mike has two other younger sons, one of which is thinking about enlisting in the Air Force.

“Being that close to the tomb is not a chance that many people get,” David said of the wreath laying ceremony. “It’s a great honor for him.”

“It’s a once in a lifetime thing,” Mike said after saying goodbye to his son.

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