Service and Healing: One Dram at a Time with Army Combat Vet Corey Rzucidlo

How do you rebuild community after leaving the military? What happens when the structure, purpose, and brotherhood of service life suddenly vanishes? For Corey, founder and President of Last Dram Standing, the answer came in an unexpected form – whiskey.

Not as a crutch, but as a catalyst for connection.

In this powerful conversation, Corey reveals the raw truth of his post-military struggles – the ten years where he denied his pain, the survivor's guilt that haunted him, and the moment he finally acknowledged he needed something more. What began as simply joining a small whiskey club to find community during COVID evolved into a nationwide nonprofit mission that's changing lives one dram at a time.

The beauty of Last Dram Standing isn't just in its commitment to charitable giving or its special bottle releases honoring fallen heroes like First Lieutenant Levi Barnard. It's in creating spaces where veterans and civilians alike can drop pretenses, share stories, and build genuine connections. As Corey explains, "It's not about consumption, it's about community."

Through intimate whiskey tastings, distillery tours, and barrel selection experiences, this organization offers something increasingly rare in our digital age – authentic human connection. For veterans struggling with the transition to civilian life, these gatherings provide more than camaraderie; they offer a safe space where vulnerability is welcomed and mental health struggles can be openly discussed.

Whether you're a whiskey enthusiast, a veteran seeking community, or simply someone who believes in the power of human connection, this episode will remind you that healing often happens not in isolation, but in community. As Corey powerfully states, "If you acknowledge you're struggling, you're almost there." Sometimes, the path forward begins with a simple conversation – perhaps even over a thoughtfully poured dram.