Gary Hamm
Date Published
When you leave the military it’s more than taking off the uniform. It’s leaving a brother/sisterhood of order and discipline, letting go of something larger than yourself. You’ve spent some or all your adult life serving the nation, you’ve been places and experienced things that 93% of the population won’t. This difference in life knowledge can cause a huge rift as we transition into civilian life. When we’re in uniform we are one entity, individuality does not exist. Our success or failure is always as a unit, a team, a squad…we literally live or die together. That bond between us never ends, but it does not exist outside of uniform. The civilian world is cutthroat and “all about me”, an attitude we’re not familiar with and a mindset that we struggle to grasp. That is where A Bridge Between Us helps me, it offers a place where brother and sisterhood still exist. A place that reminds me of why I served, of those I served with, and offers the opportunity to just be me. A Bridge Between Us is a hug or a kick in the ass when needed. I feel at home there, welcomed and accepted. Most of all it allows me to spend time with people who understand what it is to be a Veteran.
Whether you’re getting out soon, just got out or have been out for decades there’s one thing that never changes, the bond we have with each other. Veterans can spot Veterans in a crowd, we’re drawn together by some invisible force. There’s a comfortability in our conversations, a familiarity between us regardless of our differences. ABBU provides Veterans opportunities to gather, converse and relax together, with beautiful views and exciting activities. Waking up and looking over the valley to the Badlands is amazing, a fabulous start to the day. You can hunt, shoot or just take it easy. ABBU bridges the rift we feel leaving service behind us, it strengthens the bond between us, gives Veterans a place to gather and remember not just who we were, but who we are. If I had to summarize ABBU in one sentence, I’d say “A place for Veterans, run by Veterans, to help Veterans.”