For more than a decade, Tim Murray has been helping men ages 40 and older succeed in their recovery from drug and alcohol addictions. Inspired by a now-deceased priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, he purchased and renovated three homes in St. Paul, all named after archangels, which are collectively called Trinity Sober Homes.
Though the houses have succeeded (boasting a sobriety rate of more than 70%), one part of that landscape continued to trouble him — the ongoing pain suffered by thousands of military veterans, who face the double whammy of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and addiction.
For many, it ends tragically. Suicide takes the lives of thousands of veterans who feel there is no way to overcome these two demons.
Murray, who began his own journey to sobriety with the help of the late Father Martin Fleming, a former colonel in the military who helped Murray create Trinity Sober Homes in 2012, is launching a sober home just for male military veterans called Bravo Zulu House. The facility, located about two hours south of the Twin Cities in Winnebago, had its grand opening ceremony on May 28 and will start welcoming up to 12 military veterans (house capacity) in late June. Plans are also in the works to build a similar facility for female military veterans.
The idea for Bravo Zulu House came from a time of reflection Murray had during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. He wondered what more could be done to help older men in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. In 2022, he assembled a team of 10 people to examine the current sobriety and treatment landscape and see how Trinity Sober Homes could make a difference. After gathering information, they reached a consensus.
“What we concluded was, after 10 years of operation, that the military was the most underserved market,” said Murray, 66, who is a member of All Saints in New Richland. “Since 2001, since 9/11, we lost about 7,500 troops in combat, and we mourn every one of those losses. … In that same 24-year period, more than 120,000 veterans have killed themselves. And yet, virtually nobody knows about that. It’s a silent epidemic.”
Murray believes that Father Fleming, who died in May 2018 at 91, somehow had a hand in helping bring these facts to the attention of Murray and the others who were looking for a new way to help those struggling with addictions. Murray said memories of the priest inspired him to take action and formulate a plan for building Bravo Zulu House.
“My ‘why’ for doing this (start Bravo Zulu House) is Col. Father Martin Fleming,” Murray said. “That man saved my life and gave me a purpose.”
HeMurray also believes that if he had mentioned to Father Fleming in 2022 his discovery of this “gap in the health care system” in terms of the serving military veterans with PTSD and addictions, the priest would have asked him this question:
“What are you going to do about it?”
Murray, a former business CEO who is not shy when it comes to taking action to solve a problem, got to work making the vision for Bravo Zulu Houe a reality. A fundraising campaign was started that brought $1.3 million in donations to finance the construction of a 6,000-square-foot home. Men who move in will stay an average of 18 months, as is the case at Trinity Sober Homes’ three houses in St. Paul. During that time, they will receive spiritual coaching and other practical components to help them prepare for a successful life of sobriety and strong mental health.
“This week (beginning May 25) marks the 100th week since we (Murray and his team) declared war on PTSD: July 1, 2023,” Murray said. “And (it’s) not surprising that God used (the past) 100 weeks to receive $1.3 million from over 800 individuals and over 100 businesses.”
Along the way, Murray enlisted the support of a retired four-star general, Gen. Joseph Votel, who served as commander of the U.S. Central Command and as commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. The 67-year-old general spoke at the grand opening of Bravo Zulu House. With some trepidation, Murray reached out to Votel in March to schedule a meeting about the house. The general not only agreed but accepted an invitation from Murray to serve on the Bravo Zulu House board of directors.
“Today is a milestone in veteran support,” Votel told a crowd of more than 100 Bravo Zulu House supporters gathered for the grand opening. “We are commissioning — in Navy terms — the very first Bravo Zulu House. And, as you have heard, this is a world-class pioneering step in veteran care, one that we hope will soon be expanding across our state and then, hopefully, across the nation.
“As a soldier who served for 39 years and now as a veteran, I have seen firsthand how troops and veterans have struggled with, succeeded against, or tragically lost their lives due to PTSD and addiction challenges. It is a toll that seems not to end. The facts are staggering. Suicide rates for veterans with substance use disorder and trauma are seven times higher than the general veteran population. … The need for Bravo Zulu House has never been greater than it is today. I joined the board of Bravo Zulu House a little bit over a year ago, and I was driven by the factors that I mentioned above in the continuing heartbreaking stories of veterans with whom I have served taking their lives.”
As if to put an exclamation point on the initiative, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared May 28 Bravo Zulu House Day.
“Minnesota encourages all people to join in recognizing the courage of our veterans, the importance of accessible recovery resources, and the transformative vision of Bravo Zulu House,” the declaration said. “The Grand Opening of Bravo Zulu House marks a historic and celebratory moment for the community and our state as we honor those who served by providing the resources they need to thrive beyond their service.”
Among featured speakers at the grand opening was Jack Zimmerman, a combat-wounded veteran, author and motivational speaker. During a tour in Afghanistan in 2010 to -2011, he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while on foot patrol and lost both of his feet and lower legs. In the months and years afterward, he dealt with both PTSD and alcohol addiction. At the Bravo Zulu House grand opening, he highlighted the importance of having a facility to serve veterans who are struggling.
“This is probably one of the most monumental and life-changing things we’ve seen in veterans’ recovery in modern day history,” said Zimmerman, who serves as chairman of the board at Bravo Zulu House. “I’m two years sober myself. I think that sobriety is a huge part of fixing the majority of your problems. There’s nothing else like this. I did so much work with the Veterans Corps, and this was a huge need there. I’ve been saying from the beginning, it’s almost sad it took this long to have it (building a facility like Bravo Zulu House) happen.”
For more information and to donate, visit bravozuluhouse.org.
