October 22, 2026 – Daily Jefferson County Union
I read last week’s obituary of a local Jefferson resident, Roman J. Ropinski, who had made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. I, too, have members of my family who served our country admirably in Vietnam and the Middle East. I am grateful for the sacrifices they have all made for our freedoms, and most especially for Mr. Ropinski, part of the Greatest Generation.
What surprised me about Mr. Ropinski is that his recovered remains will be returned to his family this month, 83 years after he made his ultimate sacrifice.
More than 1,500 Wisconsin service members are still missing in action, most of them, like Mr. Ropinski, from World War II.
Their families have waited more than 80 years for them to come home, and it is way past time to bring them home.
The University of Wisconsin– Madison MIA Recovery and Identification Project (UW MIA RIP) is a program that searches for, recovers, and helps identify missing U.S. military personnel from past global conflicts. They have been instrumental in participating in difficult field missions to recover the remains of four MIAs since 2014. All they need is minimal state funding. Assembly Bill 641 would have provided it, but William Penterman, the chairman of the Assembly Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs who represents AD 38, has done nothing to advance it in four consecutive sessions of the State Assembly. On February 4, 2026, that committee was scheduled to vote on AB 641 to support the program, and Mr. Penterman skipped right over this bipartisan bill on the published agenda. I often see Mr. Penterman on social media touting his support of the military, including his pushup challenge with cadets from the Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy. Stop performing and do something, Mr. Penterman. Help us bring home all of our missing heroes. They deserve more than your pushups. They deserve our commitment to action.
GARETT TOMASEK
Lake Mills
