Lemke says getting involved with veterans groups helped ease transition to civilian life

During his time in the U.S. Army, Nick Lemke, 32, of Medford, spent time in Korea clearing landmines ahead of a presidential visit, in Afghanistan dealing with IEDs, and rendering safe unexploded ordinance at Ft. Benning, Ga.

During his service he traveled across the world and saw and experienced places and things far beyond what he would have experienced had he stayed in Medford. There are some parts of it he would choose not to remember, there are other such as working security for President Donald Trump or being attached to a group recovering the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War, that are highlights.

Through his service, Lemke and his fellow soldiers shared bonds formed under the pressure of those shared experiences.

“I was always very close with everybody in my unit and it always felt like you always had an additional family that you were with the entire time,” Lemke explained. Lemke said it was the lack of camaraderie was the hardest transition from military to civilian life.

He explained that he lost that network and that while he still maintains contact with many of them, it is not the same as when they were in the service together. “It’s different, you lose the support system that you have.”

One of the most challenging things about being in the military is the time away from family and loved ones.

“That was really one of the hardest things for me,” he said. Lemke described his emotions when he was told he was being sent to Korea for a year and noting he was the only person in this class who actually had children. After coming back from Korea, Lemke was deployed within nine months of coming home.

While Lemke said the ability to communicate regularly makes it a lot easier than previous generations of service members, there is a major strain in being away from your family.

“It is just the fact of missing so many milestones. Missing the birth of one of my kids is probably one of the harder things,” Lemke said.

It was while he was stationed in Korea that Lemke stated talking with his brother, Ryan, about coming back to Medford and working at the family business, Medford Motors. Things were tabled when he went to Georgia and then he was deployed overseas. He said he was debating continuing in the service or getting out and made the decision to come home.

Lemke said he missed the people he had grown close to while serving in the military. He made his way to the Medford VFW post and found within the veterans community those connections.

Lemke explained that about a year after coming hime, he had gone up to the VFW to get flags for the dealership. He ran into Eric Decker who was commander at the time and got to talking with him. “He was the one who more or less got my foot in the door,” Lemke said.

“It’s the similar experiences understanding what somebody went through,” Lemke said of spending time with fellow veterans, noting that shared service creates mutual bonds. “Without ever saying a word to each other because you know,” he said, describing the connection with other veterans.

Lemke noted that there are many veterans in the community eligible to be part of the VFW or American Legion but who are not involved. He encourages veterans to take part in the organizations and learn more.

See LEMKE on page 10 “If I could make a recommendation to them it is to just stop in to the VFW and get to know everybody there. It is an unknown asset until you are a part of it,” he said.

Lemke praised the Medford community for being frendly, welcoming and supportive of veterans. “We are a very, very pro veteran area,” Lemke said.

Lemke became commander of the Medford VFW post earlier this year and has been actively involved with the fundraising and planning for the construction of a new VFW hall to replace the current structure.

He said he is excited by the level of support shown in the community and the many individuals who have made donations. “If you look at our donation list right now, a lot of them are families, and just local community members trying to help us out,” he said.

Lemke was excited about the project’s prospects with the recently announced $400,000 matching grant. Every donation

Nick Lemke

between now and next spring will be matched up to $400,000. Lemke said this will allow the VFW to meet their goal of having groundbreaking around Memorial Day 2025 with the goal of having the dedication of the new hall at Veterans Day next year.

Lemke hopes that a more accessible and larger hall will further open the VFW and the support network for veterans it provides available to others in the community.

The Medford VFW Auxiliary Post #5729 presented VFW Commander Nick Lemke and Bill Vach of the Building Committee a check for $10,000 to go towards the VFW Post 5729 new building project. The Auxiliary Post ran numerous fundraisers for the past couple of months to help raise funds for the new building. The Auxiliary holds their monthly soup lunches the 2nd Tuesday of every month to help support the VFW Auxiliary programs for area Veterans. SUBMITTED

Cravings Restaurant in Medford served free breakfast to veterans on Veterans Day. The restaurant regularly offers a 20% military discount every day, but on Veterans Day owner Rachel Meyer did more to show her support for veterans. Meyer is the third generation of veterans and said their is a special place in her heart for veterans. SUBMITTED

Cravings Restaurant in Medford recently presented Bill Vach from the Medford VFW Building Committee a check for $1,165 from the Jeep Jam event held earlier this fall. Pictured are (l. to r.) Laurie Rehbien, owner Rachel Meyer and Bill Vach. SUBMITTED

Nikki Sherman (VFW Auxiliary president) came to the monthly meeting of the Chelsea Conservation Club, where Chelsea Conservation Club President Rod Meyer, along with some of their veteran members presented her with a donation of $3,000 to go toward the Medford VFW new building fund. SUBMITTED