GREAT FALLS — Two veteran-focused gatherings in Great Falls are giving former service members a place to connect, share stories, and support one another.
Every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 7:30, Green Apple Behavioral Health at 1219 Central Avenue hosts a Veterans Bull Session, where veterans can play cards, enjoy snacks, and talk with fellow veterans.
Tim Schultz, a Navy veteran and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor intern at Green Apple, started the group in January.
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"We understand each other, and we like talking. We like telling stories," Schultz said.
Schultz draws on his own military experience to connect with other veterans.
"I was on a ship that was the first ship in the United States Navy to combat fire a harpoon missile against Gadhafi's ship. I was on that ship. So there's different things like that that other veterans can share with other veterans," Schultz said.
Participation in the bull session has been limited so far, but Schultz does not believe stigma is the barrier.
"I don't think there's a stigma there. I think it's just we haven't got out, haven't got out there to the right people, the right resources," Schultz said.
Schultz and Green Apple owner Shauna Green want veterans to know they do not need to be a client to attend.
"You will not fill out paperwork. This is still confidential, but it's just a place to come and hang out for another community resource," Green said.
For Schultz, the value of the group is straightforward.
"It's mainly just veterans talking with veterans, helping veterans. Sometimes all they need to make themselves better is just to talk," Schultz said.
Just down the street at 1004 Central Avenue at the Great Falls Senior Center City Commissioner and Army veteran Shannon Wilson helps organize a monthly Veterans Coffee Social. The idea came from conversations with veterans who felt they lacked a dedicated space to gather.
"I got this idea because I had heard from so many veterans that they didn't have a get together to just sit and talk," Wilson said.
Wilson regularly invites guest speakers to the event, most recently Great Falls Mayor Cory Reeves.
For veterans who attend, the social connection carries real meaning.
"We share stories, share events we've gone through, whether they are good events or horrible events, the unity, camaraderie, you know, guidance for some," Air Force veteran Rick English said.
Fellow Air Force veteran Carol Gruwell said the gatherings also serve a practical purpose.
"We get a lot of information about updates on benefits and stuff that are there for veterans and what our veterans are doing and can do in the community," Gruwell said.
Wilson said the impact of bringing veterans together extends beyond any single event.
"The fellowship, the camaraderie grows within the community when we all get together and, as veterans, because we're all brothers and sisters in arms," Wilson said.
Schultz said the need for peer connection among veterans is simple.
"A lot of times I may need just to talk, you know, or give their opinion on something. And, you know, what better person to talk to than another veteran?" Schultz said.
The Veterans Coffee Social meets every third Wednesday of the month at 8:30 a.m. on the second floor of the Great Falls Senior Center. The Veterans Bull Session at Green Apple Behavioral Health takes place every Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
