The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute to 10 Wisconsin veterans during Sunday's Veterans Day Packers-Dolphins game for 'Operation Fan Mail.' Those honored are highly decorated military veterans, with several Meritorious Service medals and Legion of Merit medals among them:
- Sergeant Mike Daniels served in the U.S. Army and is a combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has conducted training for West Point Cadets as well as the Canadian Military. He lives in Stoughton, Wis., with his wife and three daughters.
- Sergeant Boyd Decker served in the military for 24 years after being drafted into the U.S. Army. The Cedar Grove, Wis., native spent three years deployed to Germany and later transferred into the United States Air Force Reserve and served as an Aerial Porter at the 440th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee.
- Chief Master Sergeant Jo-Ann Decker, a Cedar Grove native, served 36 years in the United States Air Force Reserve and Wisconsin Air National Guard. She deployed as a First Sergeant in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and held three national level positions.
- Senior Airman Kevin Galske, originally from Juneau, Wis., enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served four years as a firefighter. Over the past 25 years, he has been a member of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office, holding several positions including his current role as Captain.
- Sergeant Kim Galske of Fond du Lac spent five years serving in the U.S. Marine Corps as a truck driver/mechanic and military police base court liaison stationed in San Diego. She is the Marine Corps League Commandant for the Fond du Lac detachment and Executive Director of Salute the Troops.
- Colonel Michael Jonasson is from Madison, Wis., and has served 28 years in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Reserve. He has deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Southern Watch and twice to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom and for Operation New Dawn.
- Colonel George Andrew Kirkpatrick is from Eau Claire, Wis., and served 27 years in the United States Air Force and United States Air Force Reserve. His last assignment was an active duty tour as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
- First Sergeant Timothy La Sage is the Military Affairs Manager for WPS Health Solutions. Tim served 22 years in the US Marine Corps and has two Purple Heart Medals for wounds received in combat.
- Colonel Rob Palmer lives in Oregon, Wis., and has served more than 30 years in the Army National Guard and Air Force Reserve. He has deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina for Operation Joint Forge and Qatar in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
- Sergeant Daniel Tinsley lives in Fond Du Lac, Wis., and served nearly five years in the U.S. Army as a Forward Observer and Personal Security Detachment Team Member. He deployed to Iraq for 15 months where he received his Purple Heart. He is now the State President for the Purple Heart Riders of Wisconsin.
Operation Fan Mail, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter or sibling. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2018 home game and recognize them on the field during pregame activities. A total of 114 individuals or families have been recognized through the program thus far.
To choose families, the Packers and WPS Health Solutions are asking interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular fan should be saluted next season. Essays can be sent to: Operation Fan Mail, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628 or submitted online at nfl.packers.com/gameday/gameday_promotions/operation_fan_mail/. In addition to being recognized on-field prior to the game, selected families receive four tickets to the game.
