Vietnam veterans experience camaraderie at Camp Victory

BY VALORIE BRECHT

TRIBUNE RECORD GLEANER

For veterans participating in a weekend hunt at Camp Victory, the experience is as much about the friendships formed and strengthened as it is about shooting a big buck. The 295-acre property about five miles west of Greenwood has a mission of providing hope and healing through the outdoors.

The wooded camp serves as the site of five fall archery hunts, for specific populations: Vietnam War veterans, Purple Heart recipients, female veterans, northern Wisconsin veterans and Persian Gulf veterans, including those part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom or Desert Storm. The La Crosse Vets Veterans Center also uses the property to host retreats and seminars for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress. The camp has also been the site of photography events, maple syrup making and work weekends for veterans.

“The thing that became evident is when the veterans come to this, they just relax and are able to be themselves. They don’t need to worry about somebody looking down on them because of something they said, or whatever. There’s a bond between veterans, and especially combat veterans, that no one can really substi-tute… Those with post-traumatic stress, they get relieved here somewhat,” said Bill Lobeck veteran and camp volunteer from Viola.

Veterans participating in the hunts appreciate being able to enjoy a worry-free outdoor experience with all the logistics taken care of. They arrive on a Wednesday for lunch and leave that Saturday morning. The hunters are escorted on golf carts to their hunting blinds, which are handicap-accessible, and each has access to a hunting guide.They stay in the main lodge, which includes sleeping quarters with beds for 11 people, a full kitchen and meeting room with tables for meals and fellowship. Three meals a day are provided.

There is no cost for veterans to attend. They are only asked to pay a $150 deposit to reserve their spot before the hunt. The deposit is fully refundable after they attend. The camp makes it feasible for veterans to hunt who otherwise might not get the chance, as a guided hunt normally costs thousands of dollars.

As camp founder Al Lamovec tells veterans, “You’ve earned it.”

I caught up with the Vietnam veterans Oct. 20 midway through their hunt. Although they had seen a few deer, none had been harvested yet, but that was not stopping the veterans from enjoying their time.

“The crew is fantastic… The bunks are good; the accommodations are great,” said Rich Lane of Eau Claire, who’s been coming to the camp for three years. His buddy in the Augusta Veterans of Foreign Wars is also

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a board member for Camp Victory, and recommended he come.

“It was something new and I thought I’d try it. It’s been great,” he said.

“It’s nice to be catered to once in a while,” added Ron Drendel of Evansville, another participant.

Lobeck also spoke highly of the camp, having helped there for “six or eight years.” He serves on the board of directors for The Highground Veterans Memorial Park and is friends with Lamovec, who also serves on the board. Lamovec told him about the camp and invited him for a tour. After they toured the grounds together, Lamovec informed Lobeck that he had signed him up for the Purple Heart hunt. Although Lobeck wasn’t sure what to expect, he agreed and Camp Victory quickly became one of his favorite places. He typically volunteers for the Vietnam veterans’ hunt, and comes back to participate in the Purple Heart veterans’ hunt.

“It don’t make much difference if I’m hunting or I’m guiding; I enjoy my time here just relaxing,” he said.

Veterans often learn about the camp through other veterans. Although sometimes reluctant to come at first, when they do come they find a place to share their burdens. Lobeck told the story of a friend dealing with post-traumatic stress whom, with the help of said friend’s wife, he convinced to come to camp — first for a post-traumatic stress seminar, then for a weekend hunt — and how much of a positive difference it made.

“From in the morning to the trip home, he thanked me probably four or five times that I brought him up here. And he was almost a different person. I won’t say he was completely cured of it, but he sure was relieved of a whole lot of anxieties or whatever you want to call it,” said Lobeck.

“It shows him that he’s not the only one, you know what I mean. There’s more than him out there. There are others going through the same type of a thing,” said Allen “Rody” Rodenberg of Albany, another Vietnam veteran.

That mutual understanding cannot easily be replicated. A word that kept coming up when talking to the veterans was “camaraderie,” that spirit of friendship and brotherhood, even, strengthened through shared circumstances and values. Even if they did not serve in the same era, veterans are still united by a common bond, said Jeffrey LeCount, camp director.

“I think camaraderie is the biggest (benefit). You get to make some bonds and you get to have experiences with like-minded individuals. It’s tough to try to explain it to someone who hasn’t gone through what you’re going through,” he said.

LeCount envisions the camp being a place not just for veterans, but for anyone seeking relief from post-traumatic stress. For example, the camp has done some outreach to first responders knowing the difficult things they witness on the job. For anyone dealing with trauma, spending time in a natural environment provides a great way to slow down and clear the mind, countering the busyness of the world we live in.

Camp Victory’s address is N9839 Sterling Ave., Willard. It is located just north of Rock Creek Road on Sterling Avenue. Check out the “Camp Victory” on Facebook. The camp is always in need of volunteers as well. For more information or to volunteer, contact LeCount at director@ campvictoryinc.org or 303-945-9996.

Camp Victory Vietnam Veterans Hunt participants (l. to r.) Rich Lane, Ron Drendel and Allen “Rody” Rodenberg are pictured with volunteer Bill Lobeck and camp director Jeffrey LeCount. They attended camp Oct. 18-21.PHOTOS BY VALERIE BRECHT/TRIBUNE RECORD GLEANER

The 295-acre Camp Victory property includes orchards and food plots, walking trails, archery practice lanes, a fishing pond, several handicap-accessible hunting blinds, an open-air pavilion and more.