 |
| General Dempsey awarding Mike Wisecup his second Bronze Star at the Pentagon in 2011 |
After
a twenty-year career as a Navy Seal, Mike Wisecup has settled in Maine hoping
to find an opportunity to use the lessons he has learned to build strong
communities.
Though
his mother’s family has lived in Windham for generations, Wisecup was not born
or raised in
the area. His family moved a lot due to his father’s job, but they
vacationed in the area, and his parents settled in Windham in their retirement,
becoming active members of the community.
Moving
a lot as a child set the perfect stage for a career in the military, Wisecup
said, since he didn’t feel like there was one place he belonged to. “I was
comfortable with the idea of the adventure, of something different,” he said.
Though
his father and uncles had been drafted and served in times of war, Wisecup said
no one was pushing him to join the military, and in fact when he first attempted
to get into the Air Force Academy, he found himself woefully unqualified. He’d
done little to no research on the process, he said. “I just wanted to fly. I
thought that would be cool,” he said.
After
that interview, his eyes were opened, Wisecup said. He attended a Division 3
college, joined social organizations, did a lot of volunteering, and worked
diligently to keep his grades up. The following year, he reapplied and won a
spot at the Naval Academy.
Wisecup’s
first encounter with Seals happened in between his freshman and sophomore years
at the Academy. “I had never met better people in my life. They were kind, they
were focused, they were fit, they were inclusive,” he said. “I liked their
qualities, I liked their ethics, I liked their character, and I decided then
that I wanted to be around people like that.”
That’s
when he set out on the rigorous path to becoming a Seal himself. With great
focus and determination, he was able to secure one of fifteen positions for
Seal training when he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1998. Though over 140
people began that training with Wisecup, under 20 graduated. “It’s no joke that
it is one of the hardest military training programs in the world. People go
there and they want to be Seals, they’re prepared physically, they’re trained –
and they still quit,” he said.
 |
| Mike Wisecup on board an LCAC with the USS Nassau in the background on the coast of Djibouti in 2002 |
Wisecup’s
career as a Seal included many deployments, including to Southeast Asia, Iraq,
and Afghanistan. During one deployment he was injured and earned a purple
heart. He was involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and came full circle to
help the U.S. pull out of Iraq in 2010.
In
2007, Wisecup was selected as an Olmstead Scholar, a program that immerses
military officers into another culture while they earn a master’s degree. He
and his wife spent two years in Mumbai, India, an important growing experience
for him as a person, Wisecup said.
The
sheer number of people, the pollution, being treated differently as a minority,
and the disparity between classes were all challenges Wisecup had never faced
before. He said they saw both the best of humanity and the worst, every single
day. “It really makes you question who you are as a person,” he said.
That
questioning remained when he returned, he said. It changed the way he lives
now, prompting him to question why things are done a certain way, to challenge
assumptions, and to look at all sides of an issue to gain new perspective.
Other
notable experiences in Wisecup’s career include acting as the personal aide to
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and helping to develop policies to
counter ISIS, as well as other counterterrorism policies, that required
coordination with many agencies.
 |
| With wife, Emily |
“Being in command where you have the leverage to integrate
all those capabilities together is really rewarding,” Wisecup said. “I loved it.
I am now in constant search of opportunity similar in scope.”
Wisecup
finished his command in 2017, volunteering for one last deployment in Iraq,
where the Iraqis were now getting to a point where they could defend themselves.
It was satisfying to see the years of hard work pay off, he said, to know that
the Iraqis knew how to handle themselves. That deployment ended in June of 2018,
and Wisecup retired in August 2018 after 20 years of commissioned service.
Ready
to settle somewhere and become part of a community, Wisecup and his wife came
to Maine, where they are currently renting in Portland. He has a fellowship at
Colby College through May, putting the leadership skills he’s gained to use in
ways that both benefit the college and help demonstrate what veterans have to
offer.
Wisecup
is currently waiting to hear from Harvard, where he hopes to attend a one-year
program in Public Administration. Even if accepted, he will stay in Maine, he
said. “The education will be valuable, but I want to be here. I still want this
to be my home,” he said.
Wisecup
has already begun to build connections and give back to Maine communities. In
2014, he started an annual event to raise money and awareness for Camp Sunshine
to help military families. In that first event, four active duty Seals swam 13
miles across Sebago Lake. Every year since, they’ve completed a tough task in
Maine, as well as events in San Diego. To date, just over $500,000 has been
raised to help military families attend Camp Sunshine. Their 2019 event is a 16-mile
swim from Bridgton to Casco on July 25th. More information can be found on www.sealsforsunshine.org.
