My Why: Dennie Mildfeldt

Dennie began life in a small town in Southeastern Kansas. During his early years he knew that his future was to be in the military or law enforcement, but little did he know that he would be involved in both. Entering the US Army in 1971, Dennie attended basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. Overseas assignments included Vicenca, Italy; Frankfurt, Germany (3d Armd Div); Stuttgart, Germany (2d Spt Cmd) and South Korea (2d Inf Div). CONUS assignments included 1st Inf. Div (Ft Riley, KS); Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and Ft. McClellan, AL (US Army MP Center & School).

During his assignment as a MP at Aberdeen PG, Dennie attended and graduated from the Baltimore MD. Police Academy S.W.A.T. course. During future assignments he would serve as SRT (SWAT) Commander at Aberdeen Proving Ground as well as in South Korea during the 1988 Olympics where his teams provided personal security details for VIP’s attending the Games. Dennie’s final military assignment was at Ft McClellan AL where he served as MP Instructor and Doctrine Writer for the US Army MP Corps. After retirement in 1971, Dennie worked as a Police Officer and Deputy Sheriff in Alabama and Missouri. Dennie began his second career as an armed security contractor with assignments in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq (x2) and finished his contracting life with assignment to Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands (South Pacific).

Dennie lives with his wife Tami on an 800-acre ranch just outside Bandera, TX along with their assortment of “furry kids”. Hobbies include amateur radio, fly fishing, or simply sitting on his patio smoking a quality cigar or his pipe, sipping a cold drink and appreciating a sunset over his tiny part of The Republic of Texas.

My Why:

As a U.S. Army veteran as well as being a former police officer, I’ve seen all too often the pain and suffering that my fellow warriors have experienced due to PTSD and addiction. I was perplexed and frustrated because I wanted to help, in some way, to assist them in dealing with the demons that they were forced to live with. After multiple overseas tours as a contractor, I finally “officially retired” and now had all the time in the world to do what I wanted to do but the problem was that nothing “fulfilled my soul.” My spirituality directs sacrifice to help others but I didn’t seem to have a purpose, and one day just seemed to stretch into the next.

When I attended the Warriors Heart Open House and met the wonderful team members, I realized that this was the path that I had been destined to follow. As I look back, I’m not sure if I was there when Warriors Heart needed somebody or if Warriors Heart was there just when I needed them. Either way, I’m looking forward to working with my brothers and sisters to help them in every way possible in their journey back to good health.