Veteran Of The Month

By Doug KapkeMichael J. Hammer was honored by Jefferson County as Veteran of the Month for April at a meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners Tuesday morning, April 5, 2023. He was also given a Vietnam War Veterans lapel pin in cooperation with the US Department of Defense. In addition, Marley Rosener presented Hammer with one of her handmade wreaths.Hammer was drafted into the Army August 16, 1967, and attended eight weeks of Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia and eight weeks of training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. He graduated as an aircraft mechanic.Hammer was ordered to Vietnam, first to Saigon and then to Danang, where he initially served as perimeter guard duty with the 1st Aviation Division. Later he worked on Huey helicopter aircraft at a hangar shared by several branches of the military.After a short period serving as a gunner on a Huey helicopter, Hammer developed a massive ear infection and was medevacked to Tokyo, Japan, for his hearing condition for a period of seven weeks. Later, he spent nine weeks at Fitzsimmons Hospital in Colorado for hearing reconstruction.Hammer’s last eight months were spent with a “Transportation Alert Unit” in Savannah, Georgia. His runway duties included parking military aircraft and an occasional commercial aircraft in need of an emergency landing site.Hammer received an “early out” to farm with his father back at Fairbury, Nebraska and was honorably discharged May 14, 1969.Hammer remains active in farming to this day. He has also worked at the Farmers Elevator and retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2010. He has been active in his church, a member of the Elks for over 50 years, a member of American Legion Post 24, a life member of VFW Post 3113 since 1969, and has been the Post Quartermaster since 2013.Hammer is semi-retired and lives with his wife, Susan, in Reynolds.

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