A Veterans Day Tribute: Kevin Coats, a True Hero

I have known Kevin Coats for as long as I can remember. He is my grandfather. He is an amazing man but, I only know a few short stories about his life prior to meeting me.  I knew him as my protector before I knew he protected our country.

He is a bigger man but holds a bigger heart. He has always given me everything, in return I want to lend him my ear. Kevin has blue eyes that resemble the ocean. From the iris the blue fades from light to dark. His hair, what is left of it, is a light cream color. His smile can be seen from across the room. When I look into his eyes deep enough you can see his humble demeanor, honesty, and loyalty. With each wrinkle, you can see the stress forever embedded into his skin. He may have a desk job now, but he has saved many lives. He is called a hero for a reason.

He was only 21 and in college when he joined the United States Navy. He was a Machinist Mate 2nd Class. On of the first things he had to do when getting on the sub, was drive it. On board, it was his job to take care of all mechanical issues. And was in charge of the diesel generator, carbon dioxide scrubbers, these took the carbon dioxide out of the air so no one would die, also took charge of training; for his department. But his duties did not stop there, everyone had to know a little bit of everything. Just in case something [bad] happened.

He said being on a submarine is a “very dangerous and expensive game of hide and seek.”

He was in during the Cold War, so they had a lot of run-ins with the Russians. Coats said, “You don’t get a lot of sleep but the food was great.”

He didn’t mind all the work with the little sleep that went into it, but it took a lot out of him.

The sub and his team were everywhere. From under the ice, to places he still can’t talk about. He was only 26 when he left the Navy. He originally went in to try and fly jets and was well on his way to doing so. Unfortunately, a “Navy guy in charge” refused to fill out the right paperwork.  He was all set to go back to college to become an officer. But, he was two weeks too old when he filled out the paperwork. Yet, all they had to do was fill out a waiver form. From that point on, he knew he was going to get out when his time was up.

He joined the Mukwonago Fire Department roughly a year after he got out of the Navy. He was on the fire department for eleven years, he had to leave after his back surgeries. When he left, he ran for the Village board. He was voted on for two different terms (four years) but only served three.

He then resigned, he went back to school to get his Mechanical Design degree. Coats said, “I wish I could have made the Fire Department a career but I couldn’t because of my back. Over that, I like my current job the best.”

I can learn a lot from him. The last thing he said in the interview was something that will stick with me. He does not have any regrets. He knows that everything he went through was for a great purpose. Coats said, “It made me who I am today and would do it all over again.” I come from a family of heroes, I am left to wonder if I will rise the way he did.