There are some people who support a mission after it has already proven itself.

They wait until the room is full, the pictures look good, the momentum is obvious, and the decision feels safe. There is nothing wrong with that. Every organization needs people who come alongside it once they can see where it is going.

But there is a different kind of support that means something else entirely.

It is the support that shows up early.

It is the person who says yes before there is a crowd. The person who opens the door before the thing has fully taken shape. The person who sees what you are trying to build, believes it matters, and decides to stand beside it anyway.

For The Veterans Phalanx, Kym and Josh at Disco Witch have been those people.

Josh is a veteran. Kym has been to almost every event we have held. Together, they are now the new owners of Disco Witch, and they have continued to welcome The Veterans Phalanx into their brewery with the kind of generosity and trust that cannot be faked.

They supported us from literal day one.

That matters to me.

When you are trying to build something like The Veterans Phalanx, especially in the beginning, every open door means more than people realize. A space to gather is not just a space. It is a chance for veterans, families, and supporters to sit down together. It is a place where conversations can start. It is where someone can walk in not knowing anybody and leave feeling like maybe they found a community worth coming back to.

Disco Witch has given us that.

And Kym and Josh have done more than simply let us use the room. They have treated this mission like something worth making space for. Before the first event there had even happened, they were already asking us to get on the calendar for next month.

That says a lot.

It says they understand that community is not built by one event, one flyer, or one good night. It is built by consistency. It is built by people who keep showing up. It is built by local businesses that decide they want to be part of something bigger than a transaction.

I also think there is something deeply American about what Kym and Josh are doing.

They are taking a place, putting their hands on it, and trying to make something meaningful out of what they have. That is not easy. Owning a small business is not easy. Taking over a brewery, building trust, serving the community, keeping the doors open, and still finding room to support others takes work most people never see.

But there is something inspiring in it.

It is the American dream in a very real form. Not the polished version. Not the slogan version. The working version. The version where good people take a risk, pour themselves into a place, and try to build something that can serve their family, their customers, and their community.

That kind of effort deserves to be recognized.

The Veterans Phalanx is built around a simple belief: veterans should not have to stand alone after the uniform comes off. But that belief depends on more than veterans. It depends on families, supporters, business owners, neighbors, and community members who are willing to help make room for connection.

Kym and Josh have done that.

They have opened their doors. They have shown up. They have believed in the mission early. And they have helped create a place where the line can begin to form.

I am grateful for that in a way I probably cannot fully explain in one article.

The Veterans Phalanx will grow because people like Kym and Josh decide that this work matters. Not someday. Not once it is big. Not once it is easy to support.

Now.

From day one.

So to Kym and Josh: thank you. Thank you for believing in this organization, for welcoming our people, for supporting veterans, and for showing what community looks like when it is lived out in real time.

We are proud to stand with you, and we are grateful that you have stood with us.