Dear Fellow Kansans,

My name is Michael W. Manske, and I am proud to be a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. I am presently serving on active duty with the 1^st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, having been mobilized under Presidential Recall orders on 5 January 2004 for the second time in two and a half years. After this most recent activation, I deployed in February to Al Anbar Province, Iraq (Camp Blue Diamond outside of Ar Ramadi), in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II, and I returned to the United States in July to serve out the balance of my one-year activation orders at Division Headquarters. I am an infantry officer by Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), and I hold the rank of Colonel. When I am not serving on active duty, I am an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Washburn University in Topeka. My two daughters—ages nine and seven—and I live in Westwood, Kansas.

I serve in the Reserve Component of our military forces. Under Title X of the United States Code, Reserve Component members train during peacetime one weekend per month, and two weeks of active duty for training, usually in the summer. During times of war or national emergency, Reservists can be called to active duty to augment and reinforce the active duty forces as either individual augments or as a members of an activated unit. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 9 August 1976 (at the age of seventeen), and after serving two periods of active duty as both an enlisted Marine and as an officer, I left active duty and joined the Marine Corps Reserve on 1 July 1984. Since that time I have been mobilized for active duty service—and deployed overseas—three times for three wars. And although I do not enjoy being shot at, or the long separations from my family and friends, or the time away from my civilian career, I have been honored to answer the call in defense of our country. I served on active duty for nine months in support of Operation DESERT STORM in 1991, and I was called to active duty again on 15 May 2002 in preparation for deployment overseas in February 2003 in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM I. I was demobilized on 15 August 2003, returned to Washburn University to teach the fall semester, and I was reactivated again on 5 January 2004 for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II.

Throughout my more than 28 years of service, I have been deployed overseas numerous times in defense of our country, our freedoms, and our way of life. Each deployment—whether it was during peacetime or for service in a combat zone—has come at a heavy price to my family, my employer, and my community. But each deployment has also meant a meaningful contribution to not only our country, but also the world in which we live. In 1991 we fought for the liberation of Kuwait, and after that conflict—but still on active duty—we deployed to the Republic of the Philippines to provide humanitarian assistance after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. In 2003 we toppled the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, and we ensured that Iraq would not be a harbor for terrorism or a threat to its neighbors. We returned to Iraq in 2004 to conduct Security and Stabilization Operations (SASO), fighting a dangerous insurgency as well as guaranteeing the first free elections in that country.

Although it is hard to translate geopolitics into a rationalization sufficient to satisfy the worries of a child, I believe my daughters understand I am doing something very important for our country. And they trust that I would not leave them unless it was absolutely necessary. They are very proud of what I’m doing, summarizing my last two deployments simply as: “My Daddy is protecting the American flag!” I hope some day they will understand that this sacrifice—and mine—was worth it. But for now, I am comforted by the belief that they will grow up in a world that was made a little safer by what we have done. During this difficult time I have been deeply touched by the support I have received. My ex-wife, with whom I share custody of our daughters, has had to care for the girls full-time without much of a break for most of the past two years. My employer, Washburn University, has had to cover my classes with the teaching load of other professors. And the Westwood Planning Commission, where they still hold my vacant seat, has had to carry on its important work without me. But in each case, for my family, friends and community, all have contributed greatly to supporting me during this time. I have tried to honor their collective sacrifice with my service. This is as it should be. My father raised me to believe in the absolute obligation of public service, that every citizen has a duty to serve in some capacity, and without that service, this country could not survive. Through all the hardship, I’m proud to do my part.

Colonel Mike Manske, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-3 (REAR)
1st Marine Division
Camp Pendleton