Janet Radtke and Lea Zikmund

00:00 Hi, my name is Leah second. I am 23 years old today is August 28th of 2020. I am here in my apartment in Brooklyn New York and I will be talking with Janet today who is my conversation partner and hopefully a new friend.

00:24 Hello, my name is Janet Radtke. I am 77 years young today is August 28th, 2020. I am doing this interview in my home in Northwestern Wisconsin White Lake, Wisconsin. And my interview partner is Leah.

00:52 Thanks Janet. So I'm really looking forward to learning more about you today and hearing about your military experience that you came here to share about and I know you have some things that you've written and some things you want to share. So feel free to take it away. If you want to just start off telling me how you got involved in the military.

01:17 Well during the

01:20 The late 1980s. I was working two to three jobs as a nurse. I'm an RN as supporting my two children in college at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, and my brother called me. I was living in Wisconsin at the time and told me that the Air Force Reserve was changing their age requirement for nurses as they desperately were needing nurses experienced nurses and that I should consider applying since I was not in any type of relationship lived alone and worked a lot. He thought it would be good. Good experience for me. He also was in the Air Force Reserve he was active duty for a while and then he transferred into the reserve and he was a

02:20 Flight engineer on c-141 in Charleston, South Carolina

02:28 So

02:30 I thought well, let me just see so I called the or 40th airlift Wing in Milwaukee Wisconsin and asked about a flying unit for nurses cuz I wanted to be a flight nurse and they said there was not a uniform nurses but there was one in at O'Hare in Illinois. It was called the 63rd aeromedical evacuation Squadron. I called them and they would and they said they would send the application forms and then interview me and Milwaukee at the wing at the 4:40 or 3. I was interviewed and they said if I passed all the medical exams that I would be sworn in as a captain in the Air Force Reserve because of all my experience. I had operating room experience emergency room experience.

03:21 And they really liked my background, but they told me at that time that their mission was in the reserve was only a wartime mission mission and that we wouldn't really be flying any live patience, but we would be just practicing so to speak in case there was a war.

03:45 And we would do these missions twice a month. That was a requirement. I would have to go down to Chicago and usually on on weekends and we will fly these missions to make as proficient in case there was a war.

04:05 And then I also found out that there was a nurse from Milwaukee that also joined this unit and she was fairly new to the unit. So we carpool twice the month down the Chicago which was really great for me and for her also.

04:23 So on April of 1989, I was sworn in as a captain in the Air Force Reserve and then I was sent to Wichita Falls, Texas for training on how to be an officer in the Air Force.

04:38 It was an awesome experience. I mean here I am.

04:42 Update you say I I would say a seasoned new military person learning how to salute how to wear the uniform learning about military science the military etiquette etiquette Emma Marie out of other disciplines necessary to becoming an officer.

05:02 I remember one funny time when towards the end of the training we were given our combat boots and we went out for dinner all of us new officers dressed in our summer attire wearing our combat boots and laughing how ridiculous we love but being so proud to have the boots for such fond memories.

05:25 At graduation we attended what we attended was called a dining in where we met the general and his wife was in charge of the base where we trained we were in awe of all this about these high-ranking officers and the protocols in place as we pass through the reception line and then receded for dinner one thing I noted there was a table with a place setting for

05:53 Someone and was just one place setting at the small table in this was called the missing man table also known as a fallen comrade table and I learned that this was always present at all. The every what we called dining and ceremonies and it served to remind all of us about the commitment. We make to work serve our country that many have given their life. Once you take that old you give your life for your country and in our you could be killed in action as an example, and this was just a reminder.

06:36 And then after I

06:38 Was formally trained as an officer. I I then had to go to a training. It's called a flight school in San Antonio Texas or training on a C-130, which is a a large cargo plane.

06:56 At that the Air Force has that we would configure for aeromedical evacuation evacuation of patients in time of War.

07:06 And I went there also with another nurse from Milwaukee and the it was a really in a in intensive training and we trained even close to do a medical emergency procedures.

07:22 And by the time then that we were through it or training it was a six-week course. We were qualified as a flight nurse on a C-130 now the Air Force and active-duty have

07:37 They do a lot of transferring of patients in active duty, but that's done on a C7. I believe it was called but that plane is all configured. They have oxygen they have suction tanks. They have I mean it's if so, it's basically a flying hospital, but the C-130 is there we had to actually learn how to put the stanchions up so we could put the the stretchers in there. We have to bring up on our own big.

08:18 Supplies of everything from from portable oxygen to Portable suction tanks to every type of intravenous supplies and other medical supplies medications everything so that was quite different than you know, my working in a emergency room in my civilian life for everything is right there. We have to learn how to set it all up.

08:48 So then I began my I continued my training then after I was qualified back in Chicago.

08:57 And we flew missions all over training missions, of course to include, Alaska.

09:03 He was training that made us better at taking care of all kinds of of patients should a War break out. We had many different scenarios that were stimulated of course and to include emergency procedures on the plane itself.

09:25 And then a war broke out course we all

09:29 Heard about the when Saddam Hussein went into Kuwait and took over Kuwait.

09:39 And what began then in August of 1990 was Desert Shield where we literally sent hundreds of thousands of troops and supplies to support desert chill before they actually would start the ground war when supposed to start. I believe in January of 1990. Our reserve unit did not go we were told that the

10:06 The National Guard units would go first for Desert Shield. And then right before the war started the ground war of the reserve units would be passed them to replace them a guard unit would be sent home.

10:22 Our unit was activated on January 25th and all of us were supposed to Riyadh Saudi Arabia with a fuel stop in Germany. We flew on a another big cargo plane ac5. We had three very very large bags one with all our chemical warfare apparel that we were taught to put our masks on with in 9 seconds and then put the other apparel. I'm so that in case of any chemical chemicals that were in the air we would be protected.

11:03 We could have what's called bag drags because there's no way one person could carry all three of their bags and we helped each other up the many stairs up to the C-5 aircraft. That was my first kind of introduction to oh my gosh. I'm going off to a war.

11:21 Yeah, it was.

11:25 Emotional to say the least

11:30 It was a really long flight over there on all of us were excited and apprehensive to say the least because we have no idea what we would be facing over there and we all carried a weapon.

11:48 If the backtrack a little when I was first told that I would be receiving be going off to war my orders were for 12 months of active duty in the war situation with possible extension for another year will at that time. I had to make some really life-changing decisions because I was the sole support of my to college-age children in school.

12:12 And also my living arrangements I lived alone and I had to rethink how was how I was going to organize my life being gone for a possible possibly one year with a possible extension of another year. So I decided that I would ship all my furniture down to my children set up in an apartment before I left. Give my son the checkbook and say manage all the finances and

12:46 Made my will out. That was another sobering thing at at the age of

12:52 4647 I hadn't really thought about dying or will so I I get all those things that were necessary plus then we got a myriad of inoculations before we left also.

13:08 The hardest thing I think at that time when I found out I was going to be actually going over there was telling my children.

13:17 Call since they depended on me not only for financial support, but I was installed parent their father was not in the picture.

13:27 So

13:29 Tucka buys the goodbyes were very cheerful. But in at that time we didn't have the communication setup. So I knew I wouldn't be able to be in touch with them often enough.

13:47 Self

13:50 Now work arrived and Rehab sign to a what's called a provisional unit and we're all given a pot with all our bags a very very small space is called a quonset hut and it's a

14:11 It's a I think the old goes back to World War II where you had these kind of rounded?

14:19 That they put the military that very first night was the first got attacked and it was frightening. I had no idea first of all.

14:33 How loud it was and of course the sirens went off and we all quickly donned are our gas masks and waited them for the all clear alarm which usually happened. Oh I'd say about 10 minutes after they make sure that there weren't any chemicals in the scud.

14:57 They also had the What's called the Patriot air defense missile, which was a defensive apparatus that as soon as the scud. What was Sam the Patriot missile them and it was extremely loud was deployed and it would seek out the stud and exploded in the sky, but they were chemicals in their of course, they would dress down. That's why we have to put on our chemical warfare gear and it had a pretty good success rate. I looked at up. It was a 70% success rate against 46 muscles that have been deployed in Saudi Arabia.

15:42 Wish you would have been higher, but that's what it was.

15:48 After we were in Riyadh for several weeks while they broke up our unit, and then they sent us two different areas. I was sent to Bahrain.

16:02 Where I was just 20 miles away from that tragedy that took the lives of 28 members of the Pennsylvania military bias-cut attack in Iran. And that was a sobering moment for all of us because that time that was the largest

16:25 Casualty casualties that we had heard about

16:31 To get back now to my actual what I did in the in the war zone. We would fly what we would pick up patients usually from the more towards the V what we called the DMV or the demilitarized zone between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

16:59 And

17:00 They were not so much casualties from gunshot wounds. Although there were quite a few of those but a lot of shrapnel wounds of people having heart attacks Believe It or Not environmental injuries vehicle rollover injuries. So there we retreated a lot of patience and what we did is we brought them back to a mobile staging facility were first spell we we would stabilize them during the flight and then they were transported to a mobile staging facility where doctors and nurses then on the ground would make them.

17:44 More stable either to be go back into the war zone or if they were too badly injured them. They were then flown to Germany for further treatment because we didn't have large Hospital set up. We had just what we called mobile staging facilities.

18:10 Do you have any questions so far?

18:13 I do but it's they're not chronological. So I was going to ask you to go back to something. I put

18:24 Okay.

18:28 Well

18:31 One of the I think you can call it a highlight of being in a war zone was after the ground war didn't last very long. Thanks. Thank goodness. We we have course still had to remain because people were still getting sick and getting hurt from other things other than saved gunshots or shrapnel. So we still have a mission to perform.

19:02 And

19:05 One day I was a wee wee get up with there was a roster where you were either on flying status for the day or you have to have us so many hours of rest, or you were off but

19:21 April 8th of 1991 I participated in a mission called operation lollipop at first. I didn't know what that was. And then after we were briefed on it, we were taking all kinds of supplies and the food clothing toys for the orphaned children that were in Kuwait at what was called the social welfare complex and when Saddam Hussein had

19:53 Going into Kuwait. He went into this hospital and he took a lot of the medical supplies and other things and at that time a hundred and fifty children died at at this facility because of his taking up all the supplies.

20:21 And so we were going there to kind of support the book sylheti and the orphaned children and unbeknownst to me at the time. There were several major news reporters that were on the slide cuz they wanted to film this mission.

20:42 And

20:43 It wasn't just a delivering of the supplies in the sweets. It was a really touching moment for all of us. It was reaching out and to these little children and just hugging them and showing them, you know, some sort of compassion action and to bring them a little joy in their shattered lives. I remember one little three-year-old. I had gone off in a corner with him and I had a jar of Bubbles and I showed him how the blow the bubbles and Okie was just so excited bubble. What a what a great memory to have and then and I didn't know at the time I was being feeling because I kind of went off by myself and somebody from the states had seen the job the report on TV and I had sent me a letter and said I saw you.

21:43 On TV blowing bubbles with his little little Kuwaiti child.

21:49 I didn't obviously I didn't do it for any kind of notoriety. I did it because I'm a nurse I care about people and and then one of the workers there came to me because this little boy was just started clinging to me. She says can't you take him with you? I said, I live in a tent I can I take him with me.

22:17 But boy, did I have some thoughts about how I could take him with me by the first that I couldn't?

22:24 But

22:28 We left there all of us all of the medical personnel.

22:35 With heavy hearts as we left them behind, but hopefully we we told him that, you know will gather more supplies and make another Mission Inn in drop off more supplies for them.

22:50 Elsa deployment started to downsize because the war was over many from my unit were sent home and I volunteered to stay because many of of the nurses were a lot younger than I was and they have small children at home and I sell my children were adults and

23:11 It was better if the other nurses that had smaller children when home first, so at that time, I was moved from Bahrain to Riyadh and them to diaphragm is a drawdown continue and during that time I continue to fly mesh medical missions and I was also appointed intelligent officer and Ryan where I would gather intelligence of the day and then brief the air Crews that were going to be flying out on missions what the intelligent was for that day. That was the quite interesting. I learned a lot.

23:54 That sounds so many combat missions that I was awarded the air medal which which is quite an honor. I was very surprised that I was put in for the for the air medal.

24:08 And then on

24:11 In June

24:13 I was sent I was the last Air Force Reserve nurse to be sent home as then we had downsize quite a bit and the active duty part of the aeromedical evacuation then was sent in to replace all of the are reservists.

24:36 I found that.

24:40 And this is interesting. I went back home to Wisconsin. I stayed with my mother since I had physically moved all my business down to Arizona, and I found that

24:54 I had waves of depression. I would just start crying spontaneously, and I I really didn't know what was going on. And then my mother says all you're probably going through your change of life that I just didn't know what was going on. They still have me on active duty and I remain on active duty until September from June to September.

25:33 It was strange and then later I realized that I had some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. Thank goodness. I was able to overcome that because

25:49 The air force is a

25:53 Unique military, especially if you're in the flying units, you never want to say you're sick. You never want to say there's anything wrong with you because if you do you're taking off of flying status, which means you get less of a celery. So it was well-known in the mail. If you would did have any kinds of aches or pains or anyting mental problem. You never ever ever went to a mini what we called the flight surgeon cuz you'll be automatically taken off a flying status as a nurse civilian.

26:40 I think that it is a

26:47 I think that needs to be changed. I don't know how it is today, but

26:55 It's a stigma that they place on you that if you complain of anything, you're automatically taking off of off of any kind of flying duty, but be that as it. May of course I didn't.

27:10 OIP let me just backtrack. I've got pictures of

27:17 I flew a mission into

27:20 From dhahran to Kuwait to pick up.

27:25 Darren's playlist Army

27:31 Person that had a head injury and they were trying to keep him alive to transfer him to Germany. So that family could come in at least be with him. They didn't expect.

27:47 And when we were flying up there, that's when Saddam Hussein had started. All those oil wells on fire in the smoke.

27:58 Was so thick in Kuwait.

28:02 That we couldn't see the the lights for the initials at noon. We couldn't see the lights of the landing where we were supposed to land and the capped. I remembered the the captain of the plane said, I'm sorry, but I don't think we're going to be able to land. I can't see where to land.

28:25 And I said, well we got to get this, you know, it's imperative that we transport this patient.

28:32 So he flew around again and he went even lower and lower the ceiling was so low that when he flew around we couldn't have been more than a hundred feet off the ground. It seemed probably more but

28:47 We are real pretty close and he could break through all the smoke and then he saw the landing real to land and when we when we loaded up this patient, he was he was barely alive barely had a blood pressure. So we took immediate action and got patients in his IV. And and I said, let's go, you know, we need to get him back now. She's not going to make it. So as a nurse you makes you make some pretty life and death decisions because you don't have somebody there that's going to make them for you. You have to make them on the spot in that that's where all my training as a ER nurse.

29:29 Came in and it was very helpful.

29:33 I have a question and get a drink of water.

29:40 Do you think that became single parent?

29:50 Let me know when you're ready for a question Janet.

29:54 I'm ready for it. I was just going to ask if you think they're being a single parent before your time prepared you to be a nurse in the Army and to make some of these decisions based on instinct.

30:13 Oh, I absolutely.

30:17 Who you relying on you're relying on yourself? You're relying on your your experience in your expertise. And you know, you're not looking to somebody else to make decisions for you. So you become a very independent strong person.

30:37 Did that answer your question? Yeah. Thank you.

30:44 On your phone

30:47 I have another question to from way back.

30:51 When you were talking about writing your well before you left.

30:56 And I was curious if you would be interested in talking about that because I imagine that was really scary to even think about

31:06 What was that like for you?

31:14 Yes, it was very scary.

31:19 I knew that my mother wouldn't be able to she was elderly and wouldn't be able to actually she passed away in 1990, but she wouldn't be able to manage my you know, the two children I wouldn't.

31:39 Ask her to do that. So my younger brother who was in the Air Force Reserve. I asked him if he would be willing to

31:51 You know, especially while I was away check on the kids and then if anything happened, you know to make sure because I was willing whatever I had, you know to kind of watch over and guide them down there past 2, you know, whatever career they chose to help them. And so when I was writing my will that was all in my will fetch my brother would you know see to it that

32:21 You know, he would he would help them but stars out my financial things. I will do everything to my two children and it was very sobering moment for me thinking about that. You know, I may not come home. We did not know how this war was going to go thank goodness it, you know went our way but it could have been you know, another Afghanistan or or you know, Fallujah, you know, it could have been pretty bad.

32:58 So you have to plan for the worst and

33:02 When you when you raise your hand and take that oath to defend the Constitution.

33:08 You know and our freedom in America, it's not something you take lightly you give your life if necessary for your country.

33:20 If I'd I was I was willing to do that. I

33:26 I really love the military, but when my children were young, I felt that I had the opportunity to join active duty, but I was frightened with my children being so young and being a single parent that what happens if I had I'm deployed somewhere and you know.

33:53 What do you mean your responsibilities as a single parent? You know, it's really difficult if I had a spouse or their father could take the kids. I would have been different. So I chose not to go into the military when I was younger.

34:13 I'm curious. What are you?

34:16 You know of all the experiences and stories that you shared about your time. What do you bring with you now as a person today?

34:27 Well, of course, I

34:30 I'm very active in my

34:34 In my veterans group my my Veterans of Foreign Wars group and I love listening to all their stories. I have one.

34:47 Gentleman, who's in his 90s who was

34:53 Invasion on D-Day on the invasion of Normandy and II although he won't talk about it, you know, and he said though it was really in like it was nothing but I know he doesn't want to talk about those memories and then the rest of the group is mostly Vietnam and then there are some Desert Storm and I think a couple of Korean award veterans in our group.

35:19 But I love hearing their stories.

35:24 And they're they're all unique. They're mostly listed where I was an officer. And then of course, they're all in an officer Isis look if it wasn't for being listed on me knob commissioned officers. I wouldn't have been able to complete my mission because we're a team doesn't matter to me whether I was an officer and enlisted. We're a team.

35:52 And I think that's important when you're in the military. I know there's this big blind they want you to

36:00 Abide by you know officers and enlisted but there are many Masters prepared and even PhD enlisted men that are brilliant and they're not officers. So it takes to be in the military it takes a wide.

36:24 Variety of people whether you have a higher education or not. You're you're a member of a team and nobody can can do their job by themself. I'll tell you one thing we were going now what we call down country will going low to the UAE. I believe it was United Arab Emirates to pick up a

36:57 A pilot one of our pilot that he was in the believe. It's the Red Sea down there and a wave caught him in an undertow and he fractured his neck.

37:13 And we were going to have to pick him up and put him in transfer him back and put him on what's called a Stryker frame. It's a

37:25 Way to immobilize a patient, especially somebody that has either a back or neck injury so that you don't call them. You know, you don't care allies them and went

37:42 Obviously unless you flown out a C-130. It's not a very smooth ride. It's very bumpy because you fly low level and they're the air turbulence is is higher and so it's very difficult to have a slight where it's very smooth. So we have to make sure we had him really mobilized. Now we practice to Stryker frame none of us like the idea when we were back in the States and would have to fly these missions with a Stryker frame because it's a pain in the butt so to speak because it's a lot to configure.

38:23 Well, I have to answer y'all's non-commissioned.

38:27 Officers enlisted that were so great.

38:34 Base set this Stryker frame up and we transferred his patient. They even modify the a drinking apparatus with a with a piece of plastic tubing a hook to a bottle of water so that the the patient could have water during flight because it's really hot in these planes also air conditioning was

38:59 But none so to speak and but they had him so mobilize I was so proud of them. In fact, I wrote up an evaluation and one of them recommended for an award because they did just they were outstanding.

39:19 And we got him back safe. And thank goodness. He didn't have any spinal cord injury. It was Richard, but they kept him immobilized and last I heard he was going to be okay, then we're going to transfer him to Germany.

39:41 So that was so

39:47 Question

39:48 Don't know I just was going to say thank you for sharing that story before we stop the recording. Is there any last thing that you want to say or share?

40:00 White wasn't even looking at the time Brenda. Were you?

40:04 Getting me high sides. I was I was.

40:10 Bye, if there are no no, you're you're all you're all good. And as Leah said if there's any any, you know, any last thoughts you you would like to share with us, which we certainly like to hear them.

40:23 Yes, when I joined at the age of 46, I was told that I would not be able to retire.

40:36 And get a pension because I was I would be too old to finish 20 years. I can't remember what the age was for the cutoff but and I said, well I wanted to join. Anyway, I want to do my duty and serve my country. So I think that's important to note.

40:58 And then Anna I wasn't going to bring enough, but I think it's important for many reasons. I became ill 2014 that's been right where I started to.

41:17 Be very short of breath very InStep worse and worse when I couldn't walk across of ruining my civilian doctor kept saying that I had asthma as a nurse. I know I didn't have this month.

41:33 So I I decided to go to the VA to see if I could get any help and so they have to fill out all these forms. And finally I was accepted into the VA.

41:48 I saw the first doctor I saw was an environmental doctor that took care of patients just that at served in Desert Storm and she was doing a lot of research on that.

42:02 And she says I don't know what you have, but we're seeing a lot of

42:09 Military from Desert Storm years and years later that are showing up with the

42:18 Unusual diseases pulmonary diseases was a big one.

42:24 In heart disease, I want to send you to our pulmonologist while I went to the pulmonologist at the VA and he me he wants a retired civilian technologist. That's not working part time at the VA and he says, I don't know what you have but you don't have asthma I'm going to find out so to make a long story short. I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, which is a rare disease.

42:54 That you can get from having a pulmonary disease and I don't smoke and you can get it from inhalation of certain things. Well, I was exposed to the fires.

43:12 And also are other environmental inhalation toxins, we have big burn test where they burned everything they burned.

43:25 Plastic rubber fuel diesel they would empty the porta potties in there. I mean everything was burned in there. And of course we can do my dad said horrible things and we all

43:42 If y'all can probably call the Saudi cost y'all cost when you were there. We didn't know why but we talked we thought I would say are you know, what is smoking? Anyway, they

43:56 I saw that after I went to I mean, I can't tell you how many tests I went through to confirm this I even had a right and a left heart catheterization where they measure pulmonary artery and all my other arteries and found out that my pulmonary artery was closing and there's nothing you can do about it. It's basically a death sentence you eventually the blood from the pulmonary artery that goes in the right heart can't get there in your heart enlarges and you die from congestive heart failure of pleasant thoughts. But there's no actual time. There was only a few doctors that deal with this typo of disease medications and they're still doing the lottery. So we looked up fortunately for me the Medical College of Wisconsin where I

44:56 List of work is a nurse had a specialist there. So I got in to see him and

45:02 She has really?

45:06 Taking such great care of me.

45:11 Turn on 2nd.

45:21 That's just for my medication medication. Can you still hear me now able to read a

45:38 A life where I can be active. I wasn't and I was always been an active person so

45:48 So she said that both doctors both pulmonologist and the other VA doctor.

45:56 Said that this is probably due to my service in Desert Storm and that I should apply for disability so that I could get my medications my all my medications are very expensive. Very one is like three $3,500 a month.

46:15 And so I applied and I was denied for almost 5 years every time it's a bureaucratic nightmare for all the paperwork and I think and they kept my my VA doctors kept telling me don't give up. You know, we know that this was caused by it. You know, you just need to just keep

46:42 So finally after the last denial then you go to an appeal process and I hired this the law firm.

46:49 That Adele specifically with Desert Storm and they had all the evidence and they interviewed me and they said you're you're you have medical records from you know, specialist dating this this and this and they took the case right away and then four months I got my disability. I give it all back if I wasn't disabled believe me, but at least now I have I don't have to worry about my health care being covered and getting all my medications. That was a big thing with me because I don't have the greatest retirement and I'm done my medical costs worst. I wanted so you still have to pay for your your VA Medical Care.

47:40 Sell stuff

47:45 You still have to pay for your VA medical was good that I got the disability. So I'm 100% disabled veteran.

47:57 But I serve my country and what was the results of my

48:05 Stop calling me.

48:10 Well, thanks again so much for sharing. I know where we're over time. So I think that will stop the recording now, but thank you so much for sharing all that with me.