First Name: Mark
Last Name: Redkke
Middle Initial:
Date of Birth: N/A
Sex: Male
Martial Status: Not Sure
Number of Children: Yes
Home Town: St. James, MN
Education Completed: Not Sure
Other Occupations:
Branch of Service: Army
Highest Rank: E5
Serial Number: N/A
Platoon: N/A
Age at Start of Service: 18
Years of Service: 2
Combat Veteran: Yes
Time in Combat: Not Sure
Place of Combat: N/A
Awards:
Year of Suicide: 1984
Suicide Method: gunshot to the head
Veteran’s Story: Mark had custody of his 9 year old son Ben. Ben told me the story about his dad killing himself in Anchorage, Alaska in 1984. I reviewed Mark’s DD 214, and looked at some of the medals that he had earned. Ben is now grown up. Mark was refused burial by his hometown church which added to the hurt that the family felt. After finding treatment for PTSD documented with a long history, Ben received a school benefit, had his dad’s medals replaced, and to some degree the family feels some honor to this all…yeah right. Mark couldn’t sit still when he came home from Vietnam. Jobs came and went…and in the end…Mark went too.
Submitted By: Butch Viitala
Relationship to Veteran: Friend
