This AAR is on the GORUCK War Stories & Free Beer event that happened in Seattle on 6/3/2016. This was the first “official” War Stories & Free Beer event I attended and it was definitely something special. The TLDR (too long, didn’t read) of this AAR is if you have the opportunity to attend one of these events I highly recommend you do.
The Location
GORUCK War Stories & Free Beer was held at the GORUCK Warehouse in south Seattle. It’s a great central location just outside of the downtown area with plenty of parking. Each time I have visited the warehouse it has changed somewhat so it is always fun to see what has been added or modified.
Some of my favorite GORUCK staff were in attendance (you know who you are) so it was great to see them and see how they were doing. Whenever you show up to the warehouse for events like this yo feel like you’re in someone’s living room. It’s a comfortable, relaxing environment that’s tough to beat. The more I think about it the more I think GORUCK should have additional events at their warehouse… it’s a great spot to build community.
The Speakers
There were four speakers (five if you include Cadre Mikey Bee who was running it) who all told stories from their time in the military. The speakers at the event were active duty which is why there aren’t any close pictures of them… or any pictures of who they are. That’s also the reason why there aren’t many pictures in this AAR… I wanted to respect the privacy of those speaking and their stories.
Some of the stories told were hilarious while others were very, very sad. It was a roller coaster of a night and the guests had no problem being the “emotional t” for the speakers. Speaking in front of groups is tough so I can only imagine how much it took for some of the speakers to lay it out like they did. I have a ton of respect for people who put themselves in harm’s way… and for people who are able to talk about it like they did… a whole other level of respect.
The event started at 7 pm and began with introductions from the speakers and a video. After the video the speakers began in order with most telling two stories. There were breaks throughout so that you could mingle and refill beer which was perfect because I, for one, didn’t want to get up during a story for a refill.
It’s tough to remember when the stories ended and the Q&A session began but it was probably around 9:45 pm or 10 pm. The Q&A session ran until about 10:30 pm when it wrapped up with some patches, some thank yous, and some final refills. With Rucking University and the GORUCK Kill That 5K the following day I didn’t pay too much attention to any after-event activities.
The Beer
Beer was poured all night from Elysian Brewing and it was excellent. They had their Men’s Room on tap and 22 oz bottles of their Super Fuzz and Space Dust IPA. Elysian has four breweries/restaurants in the Seattle area and all serve incredible food and even better beer. If you’re in the area it’s definitely worth a visit for happy hour.
Conclusion
The event was great and what made it even better was that all of the proceeds were going to Team RWB. The speakers were phenomenal and it was good to see some friends I don’t see often and meet some new ones. Sorry this AAR is sparse on information on the stories or people attending but it wouldn’t be fair to share what they shared or post too much information about them.
If you have the opportunity to attend a War Stories & Free Beer event in your area I highly recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity.
Bridging The Gap Weekend
This event was part of GORUCK’s Bridging The Gap weekend in Seattle, WA. If you are curious about different portions of that event then read our AARs. We have AARs from this weekend for the following events…
- War Stories AAR (GORUCK Page)
- Rucking University AAR (includes the GORUCK Light) (GORUCK Page)
- Kill That 5K (GORUCK Page)
- Bridging The Gap Weekend (GORUCK Page)
Hopefully you enjoy these AARs and get a better feel for what comes along with GORUCK’s Bridging The Gap weekend!
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