Wisconsin
Wisconsin veteran finds connection through music: 'It’s a new mission'
WI veteran finds connection through music
Memorial Day weekend is also a chance to help service members as they transition into civilian life. Guitars for Vets helps veterans do just.
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. – Memorial Day weekend is a time set aside to honor those who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, but it’s also a chance to help service members as they transition into civilian life.
Guitars for Vets helps veterans do just that through music.
In the music room of his Menomonee Falls home, Jesse Tyler Frewerd sings a song he not only wrote, but a story he lived. He was a senior at Pulaski High School near Green Bay in 2001 when the Twin Towers were brought down and America was suddenly at war. He knew his life would change, too.
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“I just remember watching it on TV and just, in shock like everyone,” he said. “Eventually, it led me to the Army.”
Frewerd returned home from a tour in Iraq physically OK, but there were some way-too-close calls.
“Having an IED go off right under the Humvee we were in,” he said. “Very lucky that we all made it through that.”
So how does war change a person?
“I would say war changes a person because you can see the best in people but you also the worst side of it,” said Frewerd. “That’s what Guitar’s for Vets does, like help vets transition back in a healthy way.”
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Guitars for Vets is a non-profit organization with Milwaukee roots. It puts guitars in the hands of veterans and teaches them not only how to play, but to use music as a way to cope with the memories of what those of us who haven’t served can’t even imagine.
“It helped me primarily with community, just having other like-minded veterans to jam with,” Frewerd said.
“The men and women I come across and tell them about Guitars for Vets, I refer to that as a new mission,” he continued. “It gives purpose, fulfillment – it’s a new mission in life.”
Frewerd is an alumnus of the program and now an ambassador. He played a little music before the war, but Guitars for Vets helped to expand his playing skills and connected him to another veteran group that teaches songwriting.
He came back from war to a new baby, a breakup and the death of his dad.
“It was a lot, and it took its toll on me, and I really didn’t know what to make of it,” Frewerd said. “Luckily, due to family support and my now wife, just getting me out of this little hole I’d dug for myself. It’s good to be on the other side of things.”
Frewerd’s day job has him helping veterans transition back to civilian life. His own story strikes a chord with those who’ve lived a similar tune.
“It’s a snapshot. It’s when I was at a bleak moment, but I think now just speaking to that there is hope,” he said. “If I can get through it, there’s hope for other veterans.”
Rock 4 Vets in New Berlin will raise money for Guitars for Vets on Thursday night, May 23. Held at the New Berlin West High School Performing Arts Center, doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $20. The lineup includes Willy Porter, Rob Anthony, The Whiskeybells, and KB and the Dungarees.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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