“I feel like we need some space to breathe. Everything is coming at us, and it feels like it is closing in. I just want to be able to turn my brain off.” I cannot tell you how many times my family and I had this conversation over the last three-and-a-half years. After being injured on duty, which forced my retirement, and going through a three-and-a-half-year trial process, we truly understood the crushing pressure on law-enforcement individuals — and their families — who have been involved in critical incidents and/or are injured in the line of duty.
In 2019, I was working as a police officer for the City of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, when I was assaulted while on duty. The injuries I sustained resulted in my left arm being disabled to the point that I could never return to active duty. As a result, I was forced to retire in 2021. After being in the police force for over 26 years, I was not ready to retire or go out that way. Between the physical injury, PTSD, pending retirement, and an ongoing attempted-homicide trial, the stress on myself and my family became almost unbearable.
My family and I received a lot of support from my department, fellow officers, the community, non-profits, and many others. All of them were special and helped us through my recovery. I found that talking to other officers who had been involved in critical incidents was incredibly beneficial and healing. We all had similar thoughts and feelings, and it was very helpful to know I was not alone and what I was thinking and feel-ing was okay. It was also valuable for me to talk about my incident and share what I was going through. However, my wife, Becky, and I found something was lacking: support for the entire family. When officers are involved in critical incidents or injured in the line of duty, it affects the whole family. Many times, we found ourselves saying we just wanted one day — one day when the phone didn’t ring, when there were no medical appointments or updates on the court case, and when we could just relax and breathe without thinking about what our everyday life was really like. This is where the idea for Camp 10-78 began. Camp 10-78 is an all-inclusive vacation for injured Wisconsin officers and their families. It is hosted at a resort that gives families the opportunity to spend time together outdoors in a private setting. “10-78” is the Wisconsin police radio code for “Officer Needs Assistance.” That’s what we wanted to give them and their families. We wanted to provide a stress-free week — some time to take a breath, relax, and have fun with their families. Camp 10-78 also gives officers and families the opportunity to be with others in similar situations and the time to share their stories and find camaraderie and healing with each other.
We knew we wanted to do something to help others in the same situation as us, but we also knew we couldn’t bite off more than we could chew given our circumstances. So, we approached the Wisconsin Injured Law Enforcement Officers Resource Council (WILEORC) and asked it to partner with us. Cyndi Scollin, treasurer of WILEORC, has been part of the planning process from the beginning. “When Mike and Becky approached us about the idea of holding Camp 10-78, we immediately knew this was something we wanted to support. Being even a small part of the healing process for these families is something we are very proud of,” Cyndi said. With the help of WILEORC, we suc-cessfully ran our first Camp 10-78 in June 2023. Ten injured officers and their families attended, and had a fun and re-laxing week. Those interested in attend-ing had to apply. Upon arriving at camp on their first day, campers were shown their luxury accommodations. Our first meal together concluded with the option of sharing their stories with one anoth-er. Wayne Blanchard (Walworth County Sheriff’s Department) was injured on duty in 2021; he and his wife attended the camp. Blanchard said, “Camp 10-78 was very relaxing and emotional at the same time. It was great to be around other officers, spouses, and families who have been going through the same strug-gles that can come with the job in law enforcement. I believe it was also a great benefit to the spouses and families by showing that what they and their officers were going through was a normal reaction to an abnormal event. There was no pressure to do or say anything, but as officers and spouses started to open up, the others did as well. This made us realize that not being okay is okay, and we can all move forward from a tragic event.”
After a week full of fun activities including fishing, wildlife viewing, swimming, biking, arts and crafts, live music, and many campfires, we knew this was something we wanted to continue as an annual event. Many campers told us how impactful the week was for them. Ronie Molitor (Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department), who was injured in 2019, told us, “I don’t know if I can put into words how fortunate I am that I stumbled upon the ad for Camp 10-78 last year. I was hesitant to submit my application but did so figuring I wouldn’t make the cut anyway. My husband couldn’t make it at the last minute, so it was just my 13-year-old son and me. It was so relaxing, and the accommodation was amazing! Mike and Becky went out of their way to make sure we had a relaxing time with just enough activities to provide a great balance. I’m not a very social person but loved every minute of that week. Hearing everyone’s stories the first night really provided a connection that carried on the entire week and beyond, and even my son felt the connections.” Cyndi Scollin of WILEORC stated, “It was special to see all the families arriving at Camp 10-78, not really hav-ing any idea what the week would hold for them. It was even more special to hear the testimonies when the week was over, of how much the week meant to them.” We are grateful that WILEORC is again willing to partner with us to provide a camp in 2024. Applications and information about how to donate can be found on our Facebook page (“Camp 10-78”) or WILEORC’s web-site (wileorc.org).
Our mission is to continue to help officers who have sacrificed so much find some peace and healing. We knew we had met our goal after the 2023 camp when we received a card in the mail from the family of Officer Marcus Clapper (Fond du Lac Police Department), who was injured in 2022. In the card, Marcus’ wife, Brooke, wrote, “This past year and a half since Marcus’ incident has been a roller coaster of emotions. It was the hardest year of my life, but because of programs like Camp 10-78, Marcus is finding his happiness again. On the way home, Marcus commented, ‘That was the first week since my incident that I could just breathe again.