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Article: He went for a badge and came back with a star; A Columbia Heights graduate joined the Air Force with plans to become a cop. He returned from Iraq a decorated veteran.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- June 25, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: PAUL LEVY; STAFF WRITER
His Bronze Star citation notes that Master Sgt. Richard Ziesmer supervised 120 airmen and soldiers and more than $100 million in assets, and that his guidance enabled the launching of 35,000 missions monthly on the Department of Defense's busiest runway in Iraq.
To which Ziesmer, 37, says modestly, "All I ever wanted to do was be a cop."
And that, after two tours of duty in Iraq and a third looming next winter, is how Ziesmer describes himself, as "a cop in the Air Force." It is a journey that began when he was a junior at Columbia Heights High School, 20 years ago, and has taken him to places where mortar was ...