Greater Milwaukee Men

A shot of the pig on the spit at Big Head Brewery Need something to do today? Saturday, October 13th head over to the Big Head Brewing  4th annual Spanferkel which also benefits the Wounded Warrior Project . What's a Spanferkel? Basically, it's a German pig roast and it will be roasting away and ready to serve at about 12:30 pm.

Brass Rooster Caps photo courtesy of Brass Rooster Brass Rooster , a local Milwaukee hat store and hat maker whose work we have celebrated before , has come out with new products that have socially responsible aspects to them. They are both recycled products and charitable items. The new Brass Rooster Caps include big apples, 8/4, ivy & drivers Caps using vintage patterns and all the caps are made from Military blankets. Hand quilted lining, blankets from WWII-current. Brass Rooster will donate 10% to different Veterans foundations.

Yesterday, Save The Soldiers Home , a partnership between The National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance , made an announcement that will have a great impact on the Milwaukee community. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected a local team's proposal to rehabilitate and restore six of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home District's unused buildings for their original purpose - the service of veterans. The six buildings will be turned into 100 housing units with supportive services for veterans and their families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. I can't say how much I love the fact that this will be a double rehabilitative effort - both on the buildings and then their use to rehome and rehabilitate veterans. It's a one-two punch to improve Milwaukee. It's always a shame to lose historic buildings and this effort will keep these with such a rich background. They will also provide a much needed servi...

The Milwaukee Bucks are offering free tickets to Wisconsin military veterans under Milwaukee County's Purple Heart Pass Program . Milwaukee County's Purple Heart Pass program was started in 2013 by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and the Milwaukee County Veterans Service Office  as a way to recognize that award by granting Wisconsin's Purple Heart recipients a free pass to some of Milwaukee County's world class attractions. Any veteran in Wisconsin who has received a Purple Heart decoration is eligible for the pass. The Milwaukee County Veterans Service Office (MCVSO) will administer the pass, verifying eligibility through military service records. Purple Heart Veterans can contact MCVSO Director Jim Duff via phone (414.266.1235) or email (jduff@milwcnty.com) for more information on obtaining a pass.

Harley-Davidson Motor Co. has long been associated with the US military and vets, such as their special deals for current and former military, and they continue to honor them with Veteran's Day coming up in a week. The Harley Museum is holding a three day Veteran's Day Celebration along with their  Rock the Rumble benefit rock concert.

Every quarter, Milwaukee chefs organize a special dinner called Milwaukee Food For Thought that raises funds for a charity chosen for that meal. This quarter, on November 11, that charity is very much a Great Man's choice and apropos for the date - honoring Vets on Veteran's Day. On Monday, November 11, 2013 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM,  Multiple Milwaukee chefs join with the chefs of Milwaukee Art Museum to provide you with an "Art Americana" themed six course wine dinner!  All proceeds to go to Veterans For Peace Milwaukee - Ending Veterans Homelessness and Promoting Peace.  

Macy's has teamed up with the organization Got Your 6 to help contribute to their organization in a super easy way that benefits you too - When you shop at Macy’s between May 12th and June 9th , you can buy a pin for just  $3 to Got Your 6 at the register and in return, will receive a 15/20% savings pass for any day you choose (exclusions apply.) You can also donate $6 to Got Your 6 and receive a golden Got Your 6 pin to wear your support, as well as the savings pass. Click here to find out more. And if you go on Saturday, June 1st  Macy’s shoppers will receive a 25% shopping pass when they donate at least $3 to Got Your 6. The goal of Got Your 6 is for us "regular citizens" to find a  way to show appreciation for those who have served. This includes a focus on what they call the "Six Pillars" Jobs, Education, Health, Housing, Family and Leadership. The term " Got Your Six" is a military term that means I've got your back, and I know you...

I am hoping most have heard about the Honor Flights - it is an amazing cause that honors all veterans by flying WWII, Korean War and terminally ill veterans from other conflicts to Washington, DC to visit their memorials" You can find more information on the Milwaukee-based chapter Stars and Stripes Honor Flight  here . Its quite an adventure as most of these men are in their 80s and 90s and its a full day. Even so, many who make the trip count it as one of the best days of their life. These are men who came home, put their duffles away, and went on with their life, often rarely talking about their experiences.

Two American vehicle manufacturers will be forever linked with our military, Harley-Davidson and Jeep. With their ties to military history, both go beyond what they have provided on the battleground to provide for out troops once the return. Last November we told you about what Harley is doing , and here is what Jeep is doing for our heroes to welcome them home.

Milwaukee's own  Harley-Davidson  has long been what one might consider a 'patriotic' company. Their brand has been a proudly American one for as long as most of us can remember. That patriotism has always extended to the military and veterans from providing motorcycles to the military (a Harley retrospective can be seen  here ) to incorporating veterans as riders and members. Members of the United States military deployed overseas have the unique opportunity to purchase a Harley-Davidson with special military pricing (program details  here ) and then new Harley riders in the military are automatically added to the Harley Owner's Group  for free . Not to mention all the special badges and accessories for bikes to show they are a veteran. But Harley goes beyond that to help veterans as they return to civilian life.

Tonight at Shank Hall   British Invasion : Substitute (The Who tribute), and Shattered (Rolling Stones tribute) play a benefit for  Guitars for Vets , a local Milwaukee-based non-profit organization that 'enhances the lives of ailing and injured military veterans by providing them with guitars and music instruction.' Through self-expression and the healing power of music, it is our intent to restore the feelings of joy and purpose that can be lost after suffering trauma.

Potosi Brewing Company and the Iron Horse Hotel are teaming up to help out a local hero tonight. You can't come up with much better of a Well-Met type of event. A local brewery, a non-profit to boot, the epitome of local Milwaukee coolness for a location, and serving a deserving man.

The Pentagon has created a new program to help troops returning from active duty deal with their experiences by having them create graphic novels or comics. The program has a typical government/military convoluted name: “ Online Graphic Novel/Sequential Art Authoring Tools for Therapeutic Storytelling ". Art therapy is an interesting process where, per the American Art Therapy Association , therapists "use the creative process to help people of all ages improve their emotional well-being". Basically by creating art that can display emotions, the artists can release and explore those emotions. What makes comics or their longer versions - graphic novels - especially effective is that the artists not only make works of art but also use narrative to write a story. So it is in essence a dual outlet - they can put into words via another character how they felt and are feeling in addition to the visual elements. Wired Magazine has a full article  detailing one soldier...