HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home - Tim Norlin
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Heroes from Home - Tom talks to Tim Norlin for a follow up on the Wreaths Across America held in Marshfield, WI
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MARSHFIELD BROADCASTING
Heroes
from Home
Honoring service.
Preserving their stories.
Hosted by Tom Buttke
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Heroes from Home – A Career Keeping Military Aircraft Flying
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes a retired Air Force master sergeant to reflect on more than 21 years of military service. From maintaining B-52 bombers and KC-135 refueling aircraft to assignments in Guam, Panama and Vietnam, he shares the responsibilities and challenges of keeping aircraft flying safely. The conversation also explores military discipline, lasting friendships and a reunion that brought former service members together to reconnect and share memories.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Laura Valentine: Keeping Fighter Aircraft Mission Ready
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes Wisconsin Air National Guard member Laura Valentine to reflect on 18 years of service. Valentine shares experiences maintaining F-16 jet engines during deployments to Iraq and Japan, coordinating aircraft maintenance in Saudi Arabia and transitioning to the F-35. She also discusses her engineering career, family and county board service, highlighting the teamwork, resilience and responsibility she gained through military life and the sacrifices made by families at home.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Remembering Veterans Through Wreaths Across America
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes local coordinator Tim Norlin to discuss bringing Wreaths Across America to Marshfield’s Hillside Cemetery. Learn about the national program’s mission to remember fallen veterans, honor their service and teach younger generations about freedom. Norlin shares plans for Marshfield’s inaugural wreath-laying ceremony, Roehl Transport’s involvement, and opportunities for community members to sponsor wreaths and volunteer.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Leo Hoffman: A Navy Aviation Career
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Host Tom Buttke visits with Navy veteran Leo Hoffman to explore his 20-year military career. Hoffman recalls aircraft maintenance, patrol flights near Korea, overseas assignments and tense moments surviving aviation emergencies. He also shares memories of meeting his wife in Japan, raising a family and working at Marshfield’s power plant after retiring as a Navy chief. The conversation highlights the education, discipline and technical skills he gained through military service.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Brad Hanson: From Marine Corps to Broadcasting
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes Marine Corps veteran and Channel 9 news anchor Brad Hanson. Hanson shares how military journalism training led to broadcasting assignments in Japan and a deployment to Afghanistan. He reflects on teamwork, military friendships and the perspective he gained overseas. The conversation also explores his “Still Serving” reports, covering an Honor Flight and his commitment to telling veterans’ stories.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Connecting Veterans with Benefits and Support
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes Wood County Veterans Service Officer Rock Larson to discuss his Air Force and Army National Guard career and his work helping veterans and their families. Topics include disability claims, VA healthcare, education assistance, survivor benefits and burial honors. Larson also explains changes introduced through the PACT Act and encourages veterans and surviving spouses to contact their county veterans service office for help exploring available benefits.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Jerry Specht
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes Marine Corps veteran Jerry Specht to share memories of serving aboard the USS Ticonderoga and traveling throughout the Far East. Specht reflects on shipboard security duties, military discipline, completing his education and the lasting brotherhood of the Marines. He also discusses his years with the American Legion, hospital volunteer work and a surprise Veterans Day tribute recognizing his service.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home – Kathleen and Bob Keil: A Couple’s Military Service
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Host Tom Buttke welcomes Kathleen and Bob Keil to share their experiences serving in different military branches. Kathleen recalls her Army Nurse Corps assignments, including caring for wounded Vietnam servicemen at Walter Reed. Bob discusses his Navy service aboard the USS Northampton, ship repair work in Guantanamo Bay and duty in San Francisco. Together, they reflect on marrying during their service, demanding work schedules and the lessons they brought home to Marshfield.
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HEROES FROM HOME
Heroes from Home - Tim Kraus
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Tom Buttke interviews Marshfield vet Tim Kraus
Watch Episode →REMEMBERING SERVICE
Every veteran
has a story.
Heroes from Home gives local veterans and their families a place to share their experiences in their own words.
Host Tom Buttke guides conversations about military service, life after returning home, family memories, and the connections that continue to shape our community.
Produced at Marshfield Broadcasting, the program helps preserve these stories and recognize the people behind them.
Military serviceFamily memoriesCommunity connections
A LASTING LOCAL TRIBUTE
Veteran’s Wall of Honor
2,200+Marshfield veterans remembered
The names of more than 2,200 deceased veterans from Marshfield are displayed on the Wall of Honor.
A community effort to remember their service
Heroes from Home host Tom Buttke helped lead the project with his sisters, Renie Rehmer and Cathy Tauschek.
The idea grew from a cemetery visit, when they noticed that many veterans’ graves did not recognize their military service. That visit inspired an effort to give those veterans a lasting tribute.
Volunteers, brat-fry fundraisers, grants, and community donations helped make the project possible. Donations for the project are handled by the Marshfield Area Community Foundation.
Donation Information ↗Visitor information: Visit Marshfield · City Parks and Recreation
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