Keynote speaker, at the annual Veterans Day ceremony at Bensley Park, Captain William G. Haneke, USA (Ret.), brings a message of hope to wounded veterans and their families. His message is one of life-or-death survival in a war zone. His story is one of paying it forward.
On Saturday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m., Bensley resident, Billy Stubbs, advocate for veterans and initiator of the Bensley Park Veterans Day Ceremony, and the WWII Memorial located in Bensley Park will introduce Captain Haneke, a decorated Vietnam veteran. He is also a patient advocate and co-founder and board member for The Families of the Wounded Fund.
“This man is going to be special,” said Stubbs. “I am really looking forward to meeting him. He is lucky to be alive.”
A graduate of Hampton High School, Hampton, Virginia, and a 1966 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Captain Haneke attended both the Army Ranger and Airborne schools. After several infantry assignments in the U.S. and Germany, he served as Commanding Officer of Camp Gates, Marktredwitz, West Germany, with the mission of conducting surveillance and gathering intelligence along a 125 kilometer long sector of the border shared by West Germany, Czechoslovakia and East Germany. He then attended the Army Special Warfare School at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, where he was trained as a Advisor in preparation for a tour with Advisory Team 37 in Hoa Da District, Binh Thuan Province, South Vietnam in 1968.
Captain Haneke was instrumental in establishing and directing this new Advisory Team with the Vietnamese Regional Forces/Popular Forces. He was awarded three Bronze Star Medals (one with “V” for Valor), a Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for his service in Vietnam.
It was 47 years ago this month, November 13, 1968, that Haneke suffered massive traumatic injuries when he was blown up by a Viet Cong Command detonated mine, causing multiple amputations. Massive head injuries required five neurosurgical operations, severance of his carotid artery, and severe shrapnel wounds over 90 percent of his body.
Following his extensive treatment, five years and 200 major surgical operations and successful rehabilitation, he earned a Masters Degree in Healthcare and Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has worked for over 30 years managing organizations in all sectors of the healthcare field and is a true patient advocate.
Haneke has been a member of MOAA, Blinded Veterans of America, the DAV, Vietnam Veterans of America, as well as continuously volunteering as a patient advocate and counselor for amputees, head injured, and those with severe traumatic injuries. Most recently, he is a co-founder and board member for The Families of the Wounded Fund, Inc., a charity gathering donated funds to provide assistance to family members and caregivers of combat wounded or injured military patients receiving treatment at McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center.
In July 2008, Haneke was presented with the prestigious award of the National Veteran of the Year by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Haneke is currently serving on the Veterans Service Board of Virginia.
In February, 2011, Haneke’s memoirs were published with the title “Trust Not.”
For the last 20 years, Stubbs has invited guest speakers to the Veterans Day Ceremony. At 91 years old, he said he is trying to turn over the responsibility of organizing the ceremony to the director of Bensley Park, David Potter. “David has been a big help,” he said.
