Milwaukee VA Medical Center

East-2-West band kicks off the performances for the VA Recovery Coffee House on Oct. 7 in the Recreation Hall at the Milwaukee VA. -Photo By Benjamin Slane

The ground is rumbling as drum beats carry through the air as East-2-West, a music band formed of veterans, kicks off the VA Recovery Coffee House with their cover of “Ticket to Ride,” by the Beatles.

This is a night where veterans get a chance to use creative arts to express their feelings, any problems or just a show their creative side.

The idea of the Coffee House was originally designed as a way for veterans in various therapy programs to channel their talents. The “Coffee House” name is a play on the neighborhood coffee houses where people often perform. The show features acts from all fields of entertainment including singers, musicians, and dramatic performances.

The room is filled with on-lookers as they enjoy the opening act. East-2-West is no stranger to this event. Originally formed by veterans in different stages of recovery, many of the members are also former National Creative Arts winners. The group starts to get into a groove as they play their second song “Jet Airliner.”

The crowd claps in rhythm as this event starts to become a party.

Shep Crumrine, a recreation therapist in the Mental Health department at the Milwaukee VA, put the event together along with Sandy Rice, program support assistant.

“Our veterans have so much talent and give back to the community with their passion and talent in performances,” said Rice.

Carol Smith, a frail, older woman makes her way to the stage with a walker to aid her way. Earlier in the evening, while greeting people at the door, she couldn’t contain her excitement as she let everyone know she would be performing.

Smith is a storyteller, and that was her performance for the night.

She raises up a Korean War Veteran hat for the audience to see. Smith, a Korean War veteran, told the story of how she received 30 days of leave after the war ended, and decided to visit her extended family in Germany. A detailed story of how the trip to her family’s home was an adventure including getting on a train for cows, and a taxi taking her to the wrong house. When Smith finished she raised her hands in triumph.

“Ms. Smith has used creative writing and drama, both serious and humorous, to demonstrate that not only is it possible to live with the challenges she faces, but that it does not have to stand in the way of living a rich, full and social life with her children and extended family and friends,” said Crumrine. 


One of the oldest forms of expression is creative writing, and John Buch says it saved his life.

Buch, a patient at the Milwaukee VA for drugs and alcohol abuse, began writing to pass the time, and, he said, it helped him handle his addictions.

His first work, “Higher Power,” used powerful words describing his life of addiction as a hell wanting nothing more than to be an angel with God.

The writing is moving.

You can feel the pain of Buch through his words even believing he was close to ending his life, but through writing and finding God, he found the inner strength to rise above his addiction, deciding to stay here and help those who want it.

“I was touched John’s writing about what his life was before recovery and the life and love he now has since being in recovery,” said Rice.

Luis Enrique Velez was the last to go on stage. Sitting in the crowd enjoying the performances Velez felt the desire to perform. He’s no stranger to the stage and finished first runner up two years in a row in the Golden Idol competition,
Velez took the stage with a presence.  As he belted out a Spanglish version of “You Lift Me Up,” his stage presence was only matched by his booming voice, hitting every note and sounding beautiful.

The audience asked, and received, an encore. Velez happily obliged, capping his performance with a cover of “Stand by Me.”

The night was a rousing success for the audience, and most importantly the performers. There were four vets who had never taken part in the event in the past, but decided to this was there time to shine. Cheering and clapping could be heard throughout the halls of the 3rd Floor during the two-and-a-half-hour event. The night ended as it began with a performance by East-2-West, covering Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.”

“I am extremely happy with our VA Recovery Coffee House,” said Rice. “A person has to be present to feel and share the experiences of the event; it’s almost magical.”

For more information on VA Recovery Coffee House and other Mental Health programs call Shep Crumrine at 414-384-2000, ext. 42433.