Focus on why, when there are all the reasons why not
By Julia Wolf
The junior and senior high choirs performed Fly High, You Grand Old Flag. The high school band also played The Star-Spangled Banner to help open the program and Salute to America’s Finest, where veterans from each branch of the military were invited to stand for recognition.
Hospital Corpsman Third Class Fleet Marine Force Killy Kitzmann says, when he thinks of his time in the service, the importance of resiliency comes to mind.
“That word rings quite true,” said Kitzmann. “I know as veterans...that’s a word that we hear quite often.”
He shared his message of resiliency, and what others can learn from it, during the Cadott School District’s Veterans Day program, Nov. 11.
The Eau Claire native joined the navy in 2013. Kitzmann was trained as a hospital corpsman, where he learned hospital and field duties. He was then deployed to Iraq twice, with the marines, once with the Scout Sniper Platoon, before being honorably discharged in May 2018.
“I was trained on how to deal with mass trauma, as well as just little things, just making sure all my marines were safe and healthy in the field,” said Kitzmann.
Kitzmann says one big thing he was taught, was even though he was a medic, he was also a team member.
“With that, I was expected to be just as knowledgeable and just as capable as any of the snipers that were in my platoon,” said Kitzmann.
Kitzmann says his rack mate suggested he speak on one particularly challenging night. It was an operation where they were going to conduct a search and seizure of an ISIS unit in Iraq.
“We spent a lot of time, about a month, that we were given, to prep for it,” said Kitzmann, who says they had everything they needed to know down.
The day came, around December, and Kitzmann says, even though it is the desert in Iraq, it gets quite cold at night, so they had to keep moving. He says it can get down to 10 degrees over night, but up to 90 or 100 degrees during the day.
“So, my sniper platoon, we were inserted in a mountain range about two miles outside of this village,” said Kitzmann.
They had to climb about 2,000 feet in mountains, while carrying about 100 pounds in their bags, plus their rifles and gear. Kitzmann says, as they were climbing, it kept getting colder and colder, and it was taking its toll of Kitzmann, who was cold and tired.
Every time his buddy looked at him, he could see the look on Kitzmann’s face that said he didn’t want to be there, so he
Elementary students sang Thank You Soldiers. Some youth held photos of the veterans in their life during their rendition of the song, while others waved small flags (inset).
Hospital Corpsman Third Class Fleet Marine Force Killy Kitzmann was the guest speaker at the Cadott School District Veterans Day program, Nov. 11. Kitzmann talked about the importance of resiliency, in and out of the military.
would say, “Hey man, you just got to keep going.”
Kitzmann says he kept pushing, answering with, “I know,” to his buddy’s encouragement. About six hours later, they got up to the top of the mountain and were getting ready to set up their observation.
“And he looks at me and goes, ‘It wasn’t that bad,’ with a big smirk on his face,” said Kitzmann.
Kitzmann says, at the time, he was not in the mood to agree with his buddy that it wasn’t that bad. Then, his buddy told him to look at that guy down there and pointed out their target, who was probably in for a pretty bad day.
Afterward, Kitzmann says he was able to reflect on the day and what resiliency means.
“I was given every obstacle,” said Kitzmann, who never gave up.
Kitzmann says that is a lesson that carries over to life outside the military, including for students, athletes and into adulthood.
“You’re always going to get these obstacles,” said Kitzmann. “There’s always going to be a reason for why not. You know, why not do something?”
He says it is important to keep the why in focus – why they need to keep going, why they need to keep pushing. Kitzmann says looking past the reasons why you could or should fail, and knowing there is a brighter side at the end of the tunnel, is what makes someone resilient.
His buddy left him with a quote, a common one among the snipers, which he lives by to this day and has posted up in his room.
Everyone wants to be a gangster, until it’s time to do gangster things.
Kitzmann says, as much as it is a silly quote, it is also true. “If you want to be a doctor in life, be ready to do some doctor things,” said Kitzmann. “If you want to be the star quarterback, get ready to do some star quarterback things. If you want a 4.0 to get into the top college that you want to, get ready to do some 4.0 things.”
The Cadott American Legion and VFW presented the colors to start the Veterans Day program. The event served as a time for students and community members to thank all veterans for their service.
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Elementary students sang Thank You Soldiers. Some youth held photos of the veterans in their life during their rendition of the song, while others waved small flags (inset). Photo by Julia Wolf[/caption]
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Hospital Corpsman Third Class Fleet Marine Force Killy Kitzmann was the guest speaker at the Cadott School District Veterans Day program, Nov. 11. Kitzmann talked about the importance of resiliency, in and out of the military. Photo by Julia Wolf[/caption]
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The Cadott American Legion and VFW presented the colors to start the Veterans Day program. The event served as a time for students and community members to thank all veterans for their service. Photo by Julia Wolf[/caption]
