Nick Radke

Name: Nick Radke
City/State: Scandia, MN
Branch of Service: Army
Dates of Service: 2006-2010
Last Rank Held: E5
Military Occupation: 35F2P
Current Occupation: Emergency Manager
X: NA
Instagram: NA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.radke.94/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nick-radke
TikTok: NA

Nick outside of the military:

After transitioning from the United States Army in 2010, I entered the public sector on the back end of the Great Recession. Despite extensive operational experience, multiple degrees, and an active Top Secret clearance, the economic climate required persistence and adaptability in navigating the civilian employment landscape. That 11-month emotional saga from separation to getting hired left a lasting impression.

I ultimately joined the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, where I spent a decade leading and supporting multiple once in a generation preparedness, response, and recovery operations. During that time, I developed deep intergovernmental partnerships as a trusted senior advisor for multiple statewide public safety initiatives that reinforced resiliency across federal, state, and local emergency management, law enforcement, public health, Native American and critical infrastructure sectors.

In 2021, I was selected as the Emergency Manager for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. In this decision-making role, I oversee statewide level emergency preparedness and continuity strategies for one of the state’s largest agencies, ensuring operational readiness, coordinated crisis response, and protection of essential services for Minnesota’s most vulnerable populations.

Nick on joining the IAVA Cavalry:

During my period of transition following my military service, I turned to the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish care. It happened to be 2010, and the height of the opioid crisis. I’m forever grateful I declined those medical options. What I initially viewed as a routine administrative step became a defining moment in my understanding of the fragility and complexity of veteran healthcare. That period also marked the beginning of my own physical and mental health journey — one that required humility, honesty, and the willingness to be your own best advocate while seeking support.

My time serving on multiple forward operating bases in Iraq exposed me to the realities of combat and loss in ways that never fully leave you. Having personally attended so many “Hero Flights” while in-country, those memories stay with you long after the uniform comes off.

Like many post-9/11 veterans, I later navigated the frustrations of filing my own VA claims amid bureaucratic turnovers, while balancing full-time work and the responsibilities of parenthood. We represent a small fraction of the population — roughly 1.5 percent — yet we carry experiences that shape how we lead, serve, and advocate. I believe deeply that IAVA’s priorities reflect the lived reality of our generation of veterans. I am committed to telling our story — for those who continue to serve their communities, and for those we lost far too soon.

How the military experience affected Nick’s personal growth:

I come from a family where service was not an abstract concept — it was a lived example. My dad and grandfather served in the United States Army. All five of my grandfather’s brothers served in WW2 (Army, 2x Marines, Navy, Coast Guard*BSM). My Mom’s brother was drafted and fought in Vietnam. Another uncle returned home from Vietnam as a combat-wounded Marine. Service has been woven into our family story, though for much of my early life, I assumed mine would look different.

I graduated high school in May of 2001. A few months later, after finishing an overnight shift at a factory, I watched the events of September 11 unfold live on television. Like so many in my generation, I did not fully understand what the future would hold — but I knew it would not look the same as it had the day before.

In 2005, during my junior year of college, I made the decision to enlist in the United States Army through the Delayed Entry Program. It was not impulsive. It was deliberate. I felt a responsibility to step forward.

Over the next four years, I deployed to Iraq twice for a total of 19 months — including two birthdays spent overseas. I served with the storied 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. My time in uniform was defined by intensity, accountability, and the sobering reality of loss.

I left the Army as a medically retired Sergeant. Though my service lasted four years, it fundamentally shaped who I am. Leadership, accountability, resilience, humility, and perspective are not abstract leadership traits to me — they were forged in real environments, under real pressure, alongside people who trusted one another with their lives.

Those experiences did not end when I removed the uniform. They continue to guide how I lead, how I advocate, and how I serve today.

IAVA’s policy priorities that are the most pressing:

I believe IAVA has a great pulse on what matters most to post-9/11 veterans.

First, Congress must revisit and reform the Authorizations for Use of Military Force enacted in 2001 and 2002. Authorities that were passed a quarter century ago should not serve as a perpetual blank check for endless conflict. We need to stop these endless wars.

Second, the health of the democratic republic that is America matters! The constitution matters! I am deeply concerned about the society my young children are inheriting, and we discuss current events often. Respect for our constitution, what the American flag represents, and humanity must remain foundational to the American experiment.

Third, equality in military obligation is essential. If the Selective Service system continues to exist, it should reflect the principle that civic responsibility is shared equally.

Fourth, America must stand by those who stood beside us. From Southeast Asia Hmong to Afghanistan partners, our wartime allies have accepted extraordinary risk in support of U.S. missions though the decades. Our credibility as a nation depends on honoring those commitments fully and consistently.

Fifth, access to reproductive healthcare for those in uniform is a serious matter. I respect the strong convictions held by our sister members on this issue and support ensuring they have access to appropriate care and autonomy within the system set up to serve ALL veterans.

Finally, we must pursue better solutions for pain management and behavioral health than defaulting to pharmaceuticals alone. The lessons of the opioid crisis demand that we explore and expand evidence-based alternative therapies to support veterans and service members holistically.

IAVA’s policy priorities with the strongest personal connection for Nick:

During my second deployment to Iraq 08-09, I served as an interpreter manager. Every day, I worked alongside local partners who risked their lives to stand beside American service members.Years later, in August 2021, I sat and watched our “longest war” collapse with the fall of Afghanistan live television.

I watched people who had trusted us, just like our Iraqi partners, face uncertainty, and danger. And I felt something I had never quite felt before — not just anger, not just grief — but helplessness.

My VA doctors later gave it a name: “moral injury.” The pain that comes when your values collide with events you cannot control. When you feel responsible, even if you are powerless.

But what I have learned is this: moral injury does not have to end in despair. It can become direction.

At the very same time that Operation Allies Welcome was launching, I had transitioned into a new role with the Minnesota Department of Human Services, which oversees the state’s Resettlement Programs Office. Minnesota was initially asked to receive 249 Afghan evacuees.

We reached that number quickly. Between September 2021 and September 2022, our state welcomed 1,363 Afghan evacuees. Families often arrived with little more than hope, and even that was running on low supply. And what I witnessed was extraordinary — public servants, nonprofit partners, volunteers, and local communities stepping forward in quiet, determined service. It reminded me that even when history unfolds beyond our control, we are not powerless in how we respond. We may not always control the ending of a war — but we can control whether we keep our promises to the people who stood with us. And that matters.