THE DRYHOOTCH

Vol. 1 N o. 1
GRIND
Th e Q uar te r ly News l etter o f D r yho o tc h o f Am eri c a, I nc. July 2010

Dryhootch Continues to Grow

Once again
another successful
Reclaiming Our
Heritage (ROH)
event at the
Milwaukee VA
grounds has come
and passed. It was
Bob Curry two years ago
Founder & President when John Kusko,
Joe Campbell
and I pooled our money, borrowed
equipment and a tent, bought some coffee,
and decided to see if others thought the
Dryhootch idea had some merit. It’s
been an intense two years since then -
hundreds of great members joined the site,
volunteered at events, and cleaned out two
buildings. And together, we all believed
we could make a difference.
Along with the VA, the Medical
success as over 400 people filled the hall
of the War Memorial to standing-room-
only capacity. At the most recent Summit
in Madison on June 15th and 16th we
saw the same success that we saw in
Milwaukee. Since the Milwaukee Summit
last fall, Dryhootch has been invited by
the military to participate in welcome
home events to showcase what alternative
programs we offer to our returning troops.
From St. Louis to Ft. McCoy and beyond,
Dryhootch has broke new ground.
Now remodeling at our Brady Street
building has begun! This summer, our
goal is to get the building fully in shape
for our grand opening August 27th - 29th.
Before then we will be hosting meetings
and serving great coffee. Of many things,
our remodeling includes adding a wheel
chair lift to the second floor, replacing the
broken staircase in front with a deck, and Photo - Abbey Manalli

College has also believed in our
program and partnered with us. Last
fall at the Wisconsin Warrior Summit
in Milwaukee, we saw Dryhootch’s
acceptance in the community as we
formed partnerships with other great
nonprofits and government agencies in
the area. The Summit was a tremendous
painting inside and out. Check the website
and this newsletter regularly for info on
upcoming music on the patio, and updates
on our veterans helping other veterans on
Brady Street and in our outreach truck.
So since that first ROH, Dryhootch has
matured as a community of veterans and
supporters whose mission is to help this
Dryhootch Brady Street location.
generation of warriors and their families
who survived the war, survive the peace.
This is the least they are owed.
We look forward to what the rest of
2010 offers, and we need your continued
help and support!

Dryhootch Grand Opening

August 27th - 29th
1030 E. Brady Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Architect illustrations of the remodeled

exterior and interior of the Brady Street
location.

Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

What is PTSD? LZ Lambeau Conversations Over Coffee
Meet Mark Flower Wisconsin Warrior Summit Military Jargon Defined
Recent Events
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 Page 2 THE DRYHOOTCH GRIND July 2010

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

This is a
question often
asked by families
of veterans.
Some people
think PTSD
is some form
of a psychotic
Dr. Murry Bernstein disorder…
PhD- MSW LICSW but this is far
Certified Trauma Specialist
from the truth.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV-
TR] and the studies by Dr. Charles Figley,
a leading authority on military trauma,
PTSD is a normal reaction to an abnormal
situation and is classified as an anxiety
disorder. Under this anxiety classification,
according to Meadows & Foa [1998], there
are three major “clusters” which define
behavior. These clusters refer to “specific
reactions involving feelings of intrusion,
avoidance and arousal with self injury
often linked to each.” Within these areas
or “clusters,” the following symptoms are
found:
• nightmares
• flashbacks
• lack of emotional closeness
• social interaction
• anger
• decrease in concentration
• increased hypervigilance
Military traumatic stress disorder
does not necessarily have to involve
combat. For some, traumatic events can
be experienced during basic training,
where upsetting injuries and deaths also
occur. In addition to primary traumatic
stress disorder, there is also a category
relating to secondary and delayed trauma.
Some military personnel with various jobs
ranging from cooks, administration aids,
to chaplain assistants and those working in
graves registration may never see death or
dying, but work around and hear about it
daily.
And what about families? Spouses,
children, and parents of veterans live daily
with emotions of anticipation when their
loved one is deployed. The homecoming
and fear of change may lead to burnout
in adults and “acting out” behavior in
children. Also, children of active-duty
servicemen see their parents leave without
guarantee of returning, and frequent
changes in duty assignments from one base
to another sometimes leave them unable to
form full attachments to peers or develop
consistent educational patterns. And these
are just a few of the conflicts involved in
the population called “The Military.”
With deployments, frequent moving,
anticipation of a loved one’s return, and
losses, military life and the traumas
involved need to be addressed on many
levels for not only the veteran, but also
the family. In some cases, parents and in-
laws, who have also served in a past war,
may experience flashbacks and nightmares
as his/her child leaves for deployment.
This is called “delayed traumatic stress
disorder,” showing that the effects of
trauma can be lifelong and can reoccur
when you don’t expect it.
Treatment for PTSD should be looked
at on three levels: physical, emotional,
and spiritual. A combination of treatment
techniques, using both the standard
medical model and a traditional/cultural
approach, have been successful in helping
to decrease many levels of pain. Three of
Dr. Kubbler Ross’s theory on death and
dying--denial, depression, and anger--play
a major role in the treatment of traumatic
stress on all levels.
At Dryhootch, a place for veterans,
families, and the community to gather,
the above issues are addressed with
individual and group counseling, peer
counseling, which is another method of
veteran support using a military medic
model, is an ongoing volunteer training
program. A new concept that combines a
coffeehouse with treatment and support at
no cost, Dryhootch provides a safe place
for veterans and their families to relax and
receive the care they need and deserve.

Meet Mark Flower - A Peer Mentor at Dryhootch

Hi! I’m Mark. sanitation NCO with the 452nd Combat to recovery because I did not like my life
I joined the Army Support Hospital. I deployed briefly and the way I was living it. Then there
in 1976, and to Korea and Australia, and got out the is after recovery - my first journey of life
served on active Reserves in 2006. I’ve attended college was necessary, and it brought me to start
duty with the 25th classes at Milwaukee Area Technical this second journey of my life that helps
Infantry Division College and UW-Milwaukee and I hope to me continue to grow and become a better
through 1980. finish my degree someday soon. person. I started to understand that it was
Later, I joined the In my past, there have been Two ok to ask for help in other areas of my life,
Mark Flower Army Reserve Lives to Mark: before recovery and after instead of the preconceived notions that I
Peer Mentor recovery - alcohol recovery. Before lived with for my first 35 years.
where I trained
in Armour, became an instructor/evaluator, recovery was an insane life of blaming With my past experience, I want to
and self-medicating. At age 35, I came help other veterans as a Peer Mentor at
and later became a medic and field
Dryhootch.
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 July 2010
Vietnam Vets Honored at LZ Lambeau
Welcoming Home Wisconsin’s Vietnam Veterans
By Abbey Manalli, Dryhootch Staff
A team of Dryhootch staff and
volunteers headed north to Green Bay
to reach out to Wisconsin’s Vietnam
veterans at LZ Lambeau on May 21th
- 23rd. Dubbed as Wisconsin’s official
“welcome home” to our Vietnam veterans,
an estimated 70,000 people attended
the three-day event which featured a
motorcycle Honor Ride, Vietnam-era
military vehicles, live entertainment, the
moving Vietnam Wall Memorial, and a
The Dryhootch team at LZ Lambeau in Green Bay, Wisconsin with our outreach truck.
Second Wisconsin Warrior Summit a Huge Success
By Allison Kitzerow, OIF Veteran
Over 300 veterans, mental health
professionals and members of the
community attended the second Wisconsin
Warrior Summit held June 15th and 16th
at Madison Area Technical College in
Madison, Wis. Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, an
OIF veteran and USC School of Cinematic
Arts graduate, was the keynote speaker
for the event. Hausmann-Stokes touched
the audience with several of his emotional
videos on Iraq/Afghanistan, veterans, and
PTSD. The two-day Summit also included
a veterans panel and breakout sessions
on topics such as “Women Warriors,”
“Veteran Families,” and “PTSD:
Research and Treatment.”
Due to the overwhelming success of the
THE DRYHOOTCH GRIND
special Saturday evening tribute ceremony.
Dryhootch spent the weekend spreading
the word about Dryhootch to the veteran
community. The positive response to our
mission was overwhelming. So many
veterans and their families were excited
to learn how Dryhootch has already been
helping veterans of all generations, and
how our outreach and programs will grow
with the opening of our first location
in Milwaukee. A big thanks to all our
volunteers who joined us at the event!
Photo - Abbey Manalli
Photo - Allison Kitzerow
Allison Kitzerow and Bob Curry with
filmmaker Kyle Hausmann-Stokes.
Milwaukee and Madison Warrior Summits,
a third Summit is planned to be held in the
Eau Claire area in November 2010.
For more information on the Madison
Summit, visit: www.wiwarriorproject.org.
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Page 3
Recent Events
Country USA
Beautiful weather, cowboy hats,
and more than enough country music -
Dryhootch reached out to country-lovin’
veterans and their families June 22th -26th
at Country USA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Pulaski HS Quilters
Before school let out for the summer,
Pulaski High School juniors, along
with teachers Janice Borowski and
Christine Lemon, finished a special gift
for Dryhootch - a handmade, patriotic-
themed quilt. We are looking forward to
displaying it in our coffee house. Thanks!
Photo - Alison Kitzerow
Dryhootch staff member Allison receives
quilt from Pulaski High School English class.
Calling All Volunteers!
We wouldn’t be where we are today
without the help of our superb volunteers!
We are creating a “Volunteer Database.” If
you have a specific skill and would like to
help us out in the near future, please email
your name, contact information, and how
you’d like to volunteer to Allison at:
allison@dryhootch.org. Thank you!
Donation Wish List
• patio furniture - tables & chairs
• trailer or small van
• commercial grade toaster oven
• freezer
• grill
• pop-up style tent
 Page 4 THE DRYHOOTCH GRIND
Conversations Over Coffee...
take advantage of the ones you could
get…an extra hour of sleep, a decent hot
meal, cold water on a sweltering day, etc.
However, I think for all vets, no matter
om e... when or where you’ve been deployed,
t t e r H
e receiving a letter from home was always
A L
a highlight. When I was deployed to Iraq,
I appreciated every letter that was sent to
me—whether it was a card tucked into
By Allison Kitzerow, OIF Veteran
an elaborate care package from a family
Being deployed for war doesn’t always
member, or simply a postcard from a
have very many bright spots. So you’d
friend. It made me
feel connected to
life back home,
even though I was
over 6,000 miles
and 8 time zones
away.
Say What?? Military Jargon Defined
What is a Dryhootch?
‘Hootch’ has a double meaning. It was the name for a safe hut in Vietnam.
It is also a slang term for illicitely distilled alcholic liquor.
‘Dryhootch’ is an alcohol-free coffeehouse, serving as a safe haven for
veterans, their families, and friends.
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July 2010
I also felt it was important to write
letters back. I was deployed to Iraq in
2003—right when the conflict started in
March—and we built our camps from
scratch as we moved north. We didn’t
receive internet access for about nine
months and no cell phones, so I was stuck
with traditional pen and paper. My mom
told me her hair got grayer while I was
deployed to Iraq, but I tried my best to
calm her fears by writing home frequently,
even though there was a 3-week delay
between mailing my letter and it actually
getting it home. Here’s a copy of a letter I
sent home back when things kicked off in
March 2003:
For the next Conversations Over
Coffee...
Weren’t care packages great? What are some
memorable things you received in a care
package when you were deployed? Or if you
weren’t in the military, what was something
unique that you sent a servicemember
overseas? We want to hear from you! Email
me at: allison@dryhootch.org.