‘Sarge’ fighting for his job with Lowell JROTC

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Michael “Sarge” Yedinak, 62, of Lowell, Ind., served 20 years in the Air Force, including a year in Vietnam, and has been a Junior ROTC instructor at Lowell High School the past 24 years. | Photo provided

Updated: March 17, 2012 8:02AM

“Aim High ... Fly-Fight-Win”

— Air Force motto

I didn’t know Michael Yedinak’s real first name until I interviewed him.

Around Lowell, he’s known as “Sarge.”

Yedinak, 62, has lived in Lowell since 1988. He has been married to Kim for seven years. The mother of his two adult sons died of cancer.

Yedinak has been a Junior ROTC instructor at Lowell High School for 24 years and was a 20-year man in the Air Force.

I was greeted by a pair of Dobermans, Max and Maya. Max, the red one, is the size of a Shetland pony.

***

“I was born in Offenbach, Germany,” Yedinak began. “We came to the United States when I was 4.”

Yedinak isn’t a German name.

“No, my dad was a Croatian-American. My mother’s maiden name was Mueller; she was from Germany.”

Where in the United States did you grow up?

“McKeesport, Pa.; it’s an old steel town outside of Pittsburgh.”

You’ve kept a bit of your Pennsylvania accent. Do you speak German?

“Fluently.”

Did you get drafted?

“No, I lost 23 friends during the Vietnam War. I said to myself, ‘I don’t want to be carrying a weapon.’ I enlisted in the Air Force in ’68.”

Did you serve in Vietnam?

“A one-year tour.”

When did you become an ROTC instructor?

“As soon as I retired from the Air Force in 1988. I was hired right away that summer. This is my 24th year at LHS, but that’s in jeopardy because by public and military law, they’re saying that every instructor needs to have an associate’s degree.

“I got the first letter in 2007. I kind of let that go by the wayside, thinking things probably would change. In 2009, I contacted the instructor management branch, asking if I could receive a waiver or have some kind of grandfather clause applied. I was hoping to go until I turn 66 so I can collect full Social Security.”

What were you told?

“They were kind of snippy, saying, ‘No, it’s public law and military law; you have to have a degree.’ ”

Sarge, I can’t imagine anyone with better qualifications than you.

“That piece of paper isn’t going to make me a better instructor.”

Some of the sharpest foremen and instructors in the mill were high school graduates who worked their way up through the ranks.

“I enrolled at Colorado Tech, thinking maybe I could get a degree in criminal justice. I couldn’t keep up with the online course because of my extracurricular activities and community service. The online courses were already halfway through; it just put me so far behind. By 2010, I withdrew from the university.”

I’m sure it was difficult for you, attempting college for the first time at age 60.

“I can’t collect from the teachers’ retirement fund because I couldn’t afford it. The medical bills for my wife’s cancer treatment, surgeries, hospice and ambulance services were astronomical.

“Soon after we moved to Lowell, we had to take her to the old Air Force hospital in Rantoul, Ill.; she had a massive tumor. Shortly after that, she had to have a hysterectomy and colostomy. She battled it for five years.

“Hospice cared for her by day; I cared for her by night. I was getting about two hours of sleep a night, but I did not let that interfere with my job as an ROTC instructor.”

Hey, buddy, take your time. People in this town love you.

“If I’m forced to resign by the start of the 2012 school year, I’m going to end up possibly losing this home and filing for bankruptcy. All I’ll have to live on is a small portion of Social Security and my military retirement payment.

“I’m pushing 63 and have a birth defect in my left knee, a smashed right knee, a metal rod in my lower right leg, two minor and two major back surgeries. It’s going to be tough to get another job. The smashed knee is from the service; the right leg is from being run over by a car.”

Do you have health insurance?

“Yes, but it only covers so much. I owe $2,000 to one anesthesiologist alone. They tell you to put it on a credit card; they want it all at once. I told them I will provide them with so much per month; that’s the best I can do.”

What do you have there?

“A petition called ‘SOS’ (Save Our Sergeant). More than 800 people signed it. Ten cadets, four parents and I went to see U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Merrillville) at the American Legion in Crown Point and presented him with this package. He was really receptive.”

I imagine Pete will do whatever he can for you.

“I’m also sending a letter to the commissioner of the Veterans Administration, and the national commanders of the VFW and American Legion “

Good for you.

“Jeff, I could understand if I was just starting out as an instructor, but I’m dumbfounded that after teaching these subjects for more than 20 years, they’re doing something like this.”

Sarge, I know you love the job, and the kids, too.

“The best part is those who are immature or seem to be weak, to see them turn themselves around as time goes on. I’ve seen so many of them become very successful, whether it was in the military, college, opening their own businesses ... . And so many of them come back and say, ‘Thanks, Sarge.’

“We had four cadets who did four years of ROTC, then went to Purdue University. All four of them went into the Senior ROTC program together; they came out commissioned as second lieutenants.”

You’ve also instructed a number of young ladies.

“Oh, yeah. Andrea Daily went into the Air Force, and I believe she’s a captain right now. Shannon Jackson was in the Marine Corps.”

***

Since 1988, Yedinak said he has volunteered 60,000 hours of community service. Some of those projects include establishing several food drives per year, color guards for sporting and community events, honor guards for funerals, clothes collections for the needy, treats for the Lowell special education students during the holidays, walkathons for the disabled, breast cancer research, trash pickup along Commercial Avenue, sandbag operations during flood conditions and collecting supplies for the animal shelter in Munster.

Sarge’s petition was signed by cadets and their parents, plus students who weren’t cadets. Taxi drivers, steel workers, bartenders, housewives, teachers, pharmacists, welders, laundry assistants, roofers and many more also signed.

As an ROTC instructor, Yedinak has taught classes in astronomy, social studies, physical education, history of our flag, military drills and ceremonies, outdoor survival skills, suicide awareness, teamwork concepts, global studies, prejudice and racism, sexual harassment and Air Force customs and courtesies, just to name a few.

But Michael Yedinak, Air Force master sergeant-retired, doesn’t have a college degree and, suddenly, is deemed not fit for duty.