Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel Tamara “Tami” Mielke, of Hartford, South Dakota, beloved daughter of Gary and Karen (Lykken) Kratochvil; beloved wife of Steve; beloved mother of Austin and Ashley.
Tami graduated from Washington High School in 1981. Upon graduating from Sioux Falls College in 1985, she enlisted into the South Dakota Air National Guard. In her nearly 28 years of dedicated service she worked her way up to the rank of Colonel (sel) and was the first female Group Commander in the history of the South Dakota Air National Guard.
In February 2010, she deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. She was commander for the 447th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron where she earned the nickname “Bulldog.” She truly enjoyed serving her country and helping young airmen. She was especially proud of her children Austin and Ashley. Tami lived her life to the fullest-true to her passion-no regrets.
Lt Col Tamara “Tami” Mielke lost her battle with PTS, June 24, 2014, at her home in Hartford, South Dakota. She was 50 years old.
So very sorry for your loss. She gave so much & deserved to be saved from her illness. Rest in Peace Tami! You will be missed.
R.I.P. Col. Mielke. So sorry that you didn’t get the help you desperately needed.
Thank You for your service.
So tragic and so young…
R I P
I had the honor of having her as my supervisor when I as was in collections at Citibank. I totally admired her. She was a wonderful person. I was so broken hearted to here of her passing ??❤️
So thankful having known you Ma’am. Your command failed you and as the baton changes over the years, the tradition of turning a blind eye on those that suffer PTS continues. Rest in peace.