John Wemlinger's Twisted Path Out of the Military

From Colonel – to Disillusioned – to Writer

By Mike kent

The journey out of the military and into civilian life can be a tortured trail. That thorny path can be true for rank-and-file soldiers as well as military commanders. For northern Michigan veteran John Wemlinger, he traveled that trail for 17-years, until he finally found peace and a calling between the pages of the books he was writing.

Wemlinger has just published his fourth book, “The Widow and the Warrior.” He writes about what he knows: military life. But in the process, he created a twist on a new genre that he calls a military romance.

Don’t mistake his fiction as frivolous. Each of his books tackles serious subjects including veteran suicide, post-traumatic stress disorders, vagaries of military justice and the most recent writing addresses vigilante justice.

Wemlinger was a senior Army aviator with 800 combat hours flying choppers in Vietnam. He rose through the military ranks, was in command of thousands of people, and relished every moment of his military service. He retired at the rank of colonel. It was after that service where he had trouble adapting. “It took five or six years for me to accept that the profit motive was as powerful as it was,” says Wemlinger. “It was hard for me.” He says when his military career was getting ready to end he didn’t give a lot of thought to what happens next. “I thought I had my skills and leadership and it would be easily transitioned into the civilian sector.” That transition did not come easily, and he admits that at times he became somewhat bitter.

He fully understands why veterans have a tough time adapting. “Especially when you step into civilian life from a combat tour,” he says. “You come from a place where I have your back and you have mine. It’s a bond that is unbreakable. In civilian life, that person may not have your back.” The retired colonel is convinced the difficulty in transition plays a huge role in a higher than average suicide rate among veterans. He says there are four key issues faced by those leaving the military. 1) A loss of the sense of family felt during military service. 2) A guilt complex of leaving your brothers and sisters behind especially when they are lost in combat. 3) A sense of moral injury when you are taught in church not to kill, but killing is a critical component of combat. 4) Difficulty overcoming serious injuries either physical or psychological.

John Wemlinger’s military career spanned nearly 27 years in command and staff positions of ever-increasing responsibility. Nearly half of his career was overseas assignments in The Federal Republic of Germany, South Vietnam, Okinawa, Japan, Tokyo, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawaii. He has commanded at both the battalion- and brigade-level. His terminal assignment was as Deputy Director of Logistics, United States Transportation Command, at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. He retired at the rank of Colonel in 1995.

John’s military awards and decorations include: The National Defense Service Medal with Gold Star; The Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC); The Army Meritorious Service Medal with 3 OLC’s; The Defense Meritorious Service Medal with OLC; The Bronze Star; The Legion of Merit; and The Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

A solution is readily available, Wemlinger believes. “We spend six to 12-weeks of basic training when a person enters the military,” Wemlinger says. “That is a transition into the military. We ought to give that same amount of time on the other end of their service.” His vision is formal classroom training when exiting the military that would include plenty of opportunity for discussion. “We ought to be preparing them better. We owe them that. I will go so far as to say if we were to do that, we would see the number of veteran suicides reduced. Not eliminated but reduced.”

For Wemlinger, it took many years for him to find renewed passion after the military. It took many years to get to where he now feels confident as a writer. At the core of his writing is an appreciation of military service. “I want [my readers] to understand and appreciate the sacrifice that our veterans make for the benefit of our country.” He says that’s become especially important since 1973 when military service became voluntary. “Everyone is a volunteer. They raised their hands and took their oath without anyone forcing them to do so.” With that in mind, Wemlinger remains optimistic, “I knew that our country is in good hands.”

Following retirement from the service, John worked for Disney Entertainment Projects, Asia-Pacific, from 19971999, Based in Singapore he was the Director of Logistics for Disneyfest, which was, at the time, the world’s largest traveling show. Upon his return to the US, he began working in education. He was the Dean at Davenport University’s campuses in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1999 to 2002. From 2006 to 2009 he served as the Commandant of Cadets at The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy, an alternative school for high school dropouts.

Colonel Wemlinger is a Senior Army Aviator with 800 combat hours flown in Vietnam. He is a graduate of The Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia, The US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and The Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island. His civilian education includes a BS in Education from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; an MSc in Education from St. John’s University, New York City, New York; and a MA in National Security and Strategy from The Naval War College.

Be sure to watch for the second part of John’s story and more about his new book in the upcoming January/February issue!