Badges of Courage: Nurse memorializes great-uncle to push mental health care for Veterans

It didn’t have to end that way, and his great-niece, Rebecca Jankowski, believes that if Toporski had received mental health care — either through the VA or some of other source — he could have conquered the demons that plagued him after his return from war.

“He came home with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and depression, and he treated his symptoms with alcohol,” said Jankowski, a mental health registered nurse who works at the Milwaukee VA’s Union Grove clinic. “I wonder how different his life could’ve been if he sought mental health treatment.”

To that end, Jankowski has loaned the Milwaukee VA one her great-uncle’s Purple Hearts to be displayed as part of the “Badges of Courage” initiative.

The project — the brainchild of Mental Health Division Manager Dr. Jason Burns, in conjunction with the Veterans Advocacy Council — asks Veterans who receive mental health care through the Milwaukee VA to have a ribbon, medal, patch or some other symbol of their service exhibited on display boards in public areas of the hospital and the outpatient clinics. 

Those displays can be found in the waiting area of the mental health clinic on the third floor of the hospital in Milwaukee as well as in Building 43 and the Union Grove clinic.

The goal, according to Milwaukee VA psychiatrist Dr. Michael McBride, is to show that Veterans from all facets of military service sometimes need help when it comes to their mental health — and that Veterans should seek help through VA for mental health concerns as they would for any other medical malady.

“The mission is to inspire other Veterans to follow them and get help,” McBride said. “Statistics show the more a Veteran engages in care, the less risk they will be to die of suicide and substance use.

“Mental illness doesn’t care what your branch, unit or rank is.  But maybe a Wisconsin National Guard Veteran, seeing the Red Arrow patch, will find the strength to follow their comrade and seek help.”

To Jankowski, the story of her great-uncle is a testament to this.

Toporski earned two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star and a Medal of Courage for his service. He was the brother of Jankowski’s grandmother, and Jankowski remembers her speaking fondly of her brother.

“My granny was very passionate about him,” she said. “She had so much love for him.”

But he wasn’t the same after coming home from the war. Jankowski said he would visit his mother on occasion, but that he was always distant.

Toporski never married, and alcohol soon consumed his life. Jankowski — who never knew Toporski — said his passing was talked about in hushed tones in the family.

“It’s almost like, because of how he passed, that he was stowed away,” she said. “I grew up hearing about Joe being a war hero, but it wasn’t until I got older that I found out about how he passed.”

Toporski’s medals were passed down to Jankowski’s mother. But Jankowski decided that they needed a place of prominence. So she created a glass case display, with a picture of Toporski and his medals, that hangs in her office.

“He’s the reason why we push for mental health treatment for our Veterans,” she said. “Working in this field, I know that his life would have turned out much different if he had gotten help.”

Besides her great-uncle, Jankowski has very few Veterans in her family. But she said she loves working for VA and serving Veterans. While she formerly worked in emergency care, she’s glad to have moved into mental health care.

“I feel like I am helping to honor Joe in this way,” she said of her work and the “Badges of Courage” display. “It’s great to know that my great-uncle is represented in my office and in our lobby, and I’m happy we’re able to remember him in this way.

“If this can help a Veteran, then this is what I wanted for him.”

Veterans who would like to have a patch, pin, medal or badges displayed as part of “Badges of Courage” should contact their mental health provider.