Greetings Everyone,

I can't believe it but I just lost 30 minutes of work and blog post so I'll start again. My name is Dudley Markham, a recently retired school administrator from Menomonie in Northwest Wisconsin. I am a three-year Army veteran with memberships in V.F.W., Legion and D.A.V. I currently work with "veterans outreach" through the Tri-County D.A.V. in Menomonie, Wisconsin. I focus my "outreach" efforts in conjunction with veterans' trauma and post traumatic stress through the D.A.V. in Menomonie. I'm also on the Veterans Council at U.W. Stout and work part-time for the university. My "vision" for veterans outreach has entailed a "store front" Veterans Center in the downtown area with close proximity to U.W. Stout. There is a "core group" of independent veterans who share this same vision as well. I have been impressed with the "Dryhootch Milwaukee" website and programs in terms of meeting the needs of veterans. After some communications with "Bob" from Dryhootch, a friend and I decided to visit Bob and the crew from "Dryhootch Milwaukee." My friend "Larry" is a combat Viet War Veteran who came with me because we both wanted to see if "Dryhootch" was the "real deal" or not.

Well, let me tell you that we were so impressed with Bob and the crew from "Dryhootch" that we asked for and received permission for starting "Dryhootch Menomonie." We visited "Dryhootch Milwaukee" last Friday and already on Monday, we had a "core group" ready to meet at noon on Monday, March 1st in Menomonie. We have already started on our mission of obtaining a "store front" building near downtown and U.W. Stout. We are also working cooperatively with Bob and "Dryhootch Milwaukee" to host a "Warrior Summit" in Menomonie for Northwest Wisconsin in October. We are looking for "Dryhootch Menomonie" to be the "common thread" that is interwoven between veterans' organizations and outreach throughout the Menomonie area and Northwest Wisconsin. Look for our updates on the "Dryhooch Menomonie" link on the website for more details from time to time. We are so grateful to Bob and the crew from "Dryhootch Milwaukee" in helping us make progress toward "making our dream become a reality." "Dryhootch Milwaukee," Bob and the crew are the "real deal" so you may want to consider starting a chapter in your area. Keep the faith! D.M.