Swords Into Brewpubs: How Veterans Build Breweries

American soldiers can't drink when they're fighting overseas, but returning vets can work wonders in the brewery.

Among the thousands of beers that will be drank near Fort Bragg this Fourth, there will be at least one that got its start in the war zone of Iraq. Working as medics in a Baghdad hospital, becoming numb to the wounds of war that they treated around the clock, Gerald Montero and two other medics spent their downtime talking about all the beer they would drink and make upon their return. When Eric Whealton, Tito Valenzuela, and Montero all finished their tours and arrived at Fort Bragg, they found a community perfect for launching their inaugural brew, Dirtbag Ales.

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