Welcome to Victory Village
It is my pleasure to welcome you to Victory Village, a transitional living and substance abuse treatment and recovery program for Veterans. Here you will find the help you need to recover.
I was fortunate to have starred in M*A*S*H, the comedy series about life in the 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. M*A*S*H may well be the most popular television show ever, playing for 11 seasons. As Radar, I played an essential character for most of the episodes that we made. M*A*S*H found “humor” in one of the most serious places, the mobile hospital where we tried to patch the endless stream of soldiers broken in combat under horrific wartime circumstances. Because of the serious nature of the show it is sometimes referred to as a “dramady”. With BJ, Hawkeye, Klinger, Hot Lips and all, we had a great cast of mismatched characters that many times mixed like oil and water, yet, instantly pulled together when the situation required. The situation is similar to what you face today. Although each of you is very different, you have come together to solve a common problem and your courage, along with this program, will provide the support you need.
Yes, M*A*S*H was a “comedy”, but the real life situation that it was drawn from was very real and very serious. Each day, incoming wounded arrived and we did the best we could to heal them with a 98% recovery rating under the worst possible conditions, the conditions of war. Is it any wonder that surgeons like Hawkeye and BJ would indulge in several martinis each night to deal with the stress and tragedy that faced them each day? And many like them also faced problems when they returned home after the war trying to reintegrate back into civilian life.
Yes, you are not alone! The situation portrayed in M*A*S*H is not unlike the situation facing many of our Veterans today. Dealing with tragic circumstances from war which you may have experienced, many of you have resorted to drugs and alcohol to ease the pain and suppress painful memories.
While I was an actor only playing a role, I became familiar with the true life situations faced by many Vets and the situations became all too real to me. With your entry into this program, you are making the commitment to recover from your addictions and return to healthy and productive lives. While your journey will not be easy, you have made a very wise choice and you can be proud of your commitment to a healthy, substance free life.
My heart-felt thanks for your courageous service to our Country. Now we are in YOUR service to “fight” for you toward your complete recovery.
Gary Burghoff
Corporal "Radar O’ Reilly" M*A*S*H
Our Development
ABOUT
With the opening of Victory Village, a dream turns into reality. Our substance abuse recovery program was started over six years ago. In 2011, we decided to start a recovery program specifically for Veterans and began our search for a suitable location. We established Northern California Community Development Corporation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated specifically to providing services for disabled Veterans.
We acquired five distressed houses at the Feather River Bluffs Subdivison in Oroville, CA. to rehabilitate. Other opportunities presented themselves and we added a residential care facility that could accomodate 13 elderly Veterans to the Victory Village program, and the Kaufman Building, a 17,000 SF historic rehabilitationproject, where job training and employment could be provided. Both these properties have since been sold.
Establishing credibility is the single most important element to making a successful project. We were fortunate early on, to gain the support of Mr. Gary Burghoff “Radar O' Reilly" of M*A*S*H 4077 TV fame. He had been a resident of the area for many years and knew the area. We became acquainted with Veterans Village of San Diego, probably the largest and best respected program in the country and gained their support for our effort. Local political support came in with the endorsements of Butte County Supervisor’s Bill Connelly and Steve Lambert, along with Congressman Doug LaMalfa and Senator Jim Nielsen. Today, we have a strong Advisory Board including top ranking military officers and nationally known persons such as Lt. Colonel Brad Keller and Captain Joseph Jones, U.S. Coast Guard.
For inspiration, we decided to honor persons that we knew. Veterans who went. Our HEROES. They provide us with the will and motivation to overcome when obstacles to our success are encountered. In respect for the Veterans in our program, we refer to them as our Veterans-In-Progress (VIP’s).
Veterans Village of San Diego started with a dream and an old beat up motel and today is a showcase project. We now have a major property in the commonunity of Bangor in Southern Butte County to rehabilitate. The 48-acre property is improved with five houses, eight bunkhouses and numerous other ranch buildings, where we can build one of the largest Veterans specific substance abuse recovery programs in Northern California. And We Will.
Eric J. Almquist, President
Our Organization
Victory Village is a recovery program for disabled Veterans. In Butte County, Northern California Community Development Corporation, operates Victory Village Butte to serve the far northern counties in California. In Amador County, our companion program, Victory Village Inc., operates Victory Village in the Sirera foothills and north central California, from its location in Amador county. Both corporations are organized under Section 501(c)3 of the IRC. Victory Village plans to expand to adequately supply needed Veterans recovery services thoughout northern California.
Board of Directors
Board of DirectorsNorthern California Community Development Corporation
DBA Victory Village Butte
Eric J. Almquist, M.A.
President
Real Estate Broker, General Building Contractor
Judy A. Almquist, Secretary/ Treasurer
DIRECTORS
Alan J. Almquist, PhD.,Professor of Anthropology, University of California Hayward
Paula Gutierres, Deputy Director (Ret.). California Department of Corrections
Brad Keller, M.D., Lt. Colonel, US Navy, Flight Surgeon/ Pilot
Jason Mulford, President, Victory Village, Inc.
Ken Shoemake, CEO, Success Skills, Inc.
George Tripp, CPA