It’s all about healing for veterans at Camp Victory
by Dean Lesar
At Camp Victory, the goal is clear: Give veterans a place to heal. All the work that happens there gives those who were harmed in defense of their country a chance at what the camp’s name implies.
Few yet know about Camp Victory, a 300-acre mostlywooded area west of Greenwood on the southern edge of the town of Mead that was quietly turned over to the ownership of The Highground veterans memorial park in early 2019. Previously owned by Al and Kay Lamovec of Willard, the land for years was a place for hunters with disabilities to gather in the fall, but it has since been called to a higher purpose.
Camp Victory, on Sterling Avenue just north of Rock Creek Road about five miles west of Greenwood, will host an Aug. 8 public open house from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.to let the community know about its mission. There will be lunch that day and tours of the grounds, as well as a history presentation by Al Lamovec at 12:30 p.m. and dedication of the flag pole at 2 p.m. A raffle drawing will also be held, with the grand prize of a custom-made quilt valued at $1,000.
Al Lamovec always had plans for the 80 acres he bought along Sterling Avenue in 1992. With his dad, Henry, he built a small cabin, laid out miles of forest trails, and developed food plots for the local wildlife. He had his eyes, as well, on an adjoining piece of land, and with that 200 acres, he thought, he could develop a hunting camp.
That vision progressed when Al joined the late Dale Petkovsek in establishing a local annual deer hunt for those with disabilities. Each year he welcomed to his acreage several hunters who had various physical issues that made it difficult to hunt without assistance. Of those, he began to notice several who had served their country, and some who were both physically and emotionally worse for wear.
“About 30 percent of those were veterans,” he said of the early hunters.
Lamovec did eventually buy that 200 acres, plus another adjacent nearby 40. In 2002, he and Henry built a log cabin, which became the headquarters of the annual hunt. After Petkovsek passed away in 2012, he was no longer associated with that project.
As he further developed his land, Lamovec was looking ahead for its future use. Through the years, he planted 250 fruit trees and a hardwood stand, built and graveled four miles of woodland trails, added a pond, and built an addition to the cabin, all while thinking about its eventual purpose. A Marine Corps and Vietnam-era veteran himself, that purpose became more clear.
Lamovec was invited to join the Board of Directors of The Highground, and as he learned of their evolving mission to heal veterans — especially those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — he and Kay decided in 2018 to give their land to the cause. In February 2019, the land was turned over, The Highground taking ownership while Lamovec and an 8-man Board took over camp operations. The place had become known as Wisconsin Adventures on Wheels during its days of working with hunters with disabilities, but was renamed Camp Victory to signify its goal of helping veterans win out over their PTSD.
Camp Victory is now used by The Highground for annual veterans retreats. The La Crosse Veterans Center holds retreats there for veterans with PTSD. Every fall, four special 4-day archery hunts are held for various veterans groups. There is one for “in country” Vietnam vets, another for Purple Heart recipients, one for Wisconsin combat veterans, and another for those who served in the Persian Gulf.
Along the four miles of trails are nine enclosed 8’ X 8’ wheelchair-accessible hunting shacks, 12 ladder stands, and various food plots that bring in the deer and turkeys. The cabin sleeps 10 in a bunkhouse that adjoins a large space that seats 45 people for meals and camaraderie. It’s a busy place during the fall hunts.
Under development this summer is a campground area that will soon be fed by electricity. Plans call for erection next year of a plumbed restroom facility near the campground, which will be reserved for veterans and others invited to use the camp. Lamovec says it’s also used for youth groups as education is another camp priority.
With its secluded location, miles of serene trails, and expanding facilities that now include a female quarters, an accessible shower and the spacious meeting area,
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Camp Victory is equipped to give those veterans with PTSD a place to recover. Among the things they need, Lamovec said, is to be in touch with nature.
“The outdoors is one of the key ingredients,” he said. As such, he is currently adding six rest stops with benches along the Camp Victory trails where counselors can sit with veterans and talk through their issues.
Another main healer for veterans, Lamovec said, is to be able to share with someone who understands their experiences. That is the magic of the annual hunts, he said, where the opportunities to take a deer are secondary to the camaraderie.
After each day’s hunt, Lamovec said, the veterans return to camp and share a meal. After stories of bucks and does are exchanged, the talk gets more serious as the veterans find in their new friends an outlet they may not have had before.
“We get out of the way,” Lamovec said. “They get a chance to talk to each other about their experiences. Most of these veterans don’t even talk to their wives. We get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing the people communicate.”
With the campground facilities, Lamovec wants veterans to be able to bring their wives, and children, as they use Camp Victory to heal. Spouses of veterans may find others who understand what they deal with each day, too.
“The spouses don’t get any help,” Lamovec said. “They’re not getting support from anywhere. They can help each other through the highs and lows.”
Lamovec said he didn’t necessarily see this as the end purpose for his land, which he and his brothers hunted when they were kids — but it’s a perfect fit now. As The Highground turned its attention more toward the issue of PTSD over the years, the park and Lamovec’s camp were drawn to each other.
“It was a natural, especially since they (the Highground) came to the realization 10 years ago that PTSD was a major issue,” he said. “It’s a real good marriage.”
For Al and Kay, the direction of Camp Victory is one that fulfills them. Al manages the camp and Kay comes to cook for the veterans, and together they’re watching their place help others.
“We feel good about having donated it,” Al said. “It’s a lot of personal gratification, obviously. We get a lot of satisfaction out of it.”
So, too, are the veterans who visit. At Camp Victory, they might spend a weekend, maybe harvest a trophy deer, but more importantly, may heal.
“The ultimate goal here is to stop or eliminate these young kids coming back (with PTSD),” Al said. “There’s such a high suicide rate. We’re here to get veterans next to other veterans. That’s what we do here.”
The meeting/dining area at the main lodge at Camp Victory near Greenwood hosts a veterans retreat event. It is also used by the La Crosse Veterans Center for retreats with veterans with PTSD.
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A Vietnam War-era Huey helicopter landed at Camp Victory near Greenwood at a recent veterans retreat. The 300-acre camp is now under the ownership of The Highground veterans memorial park, and serves as a place for veterans to gather and heal from their service traumas.
