'It's just fun!' Milwaukee VA hosts sock hop with lots of rock 'n roll

Sock hop at Milwaukee V.A.

MILWAUKEE -- Poodle skirts, 50-cent cheeseburgers, and lots of rock 'n roll. A sock hop at the Milwaukee V.A. was the place to be for many veterans on Thursday, Feb. 28.

"I was frankly overwhelmed when I walked in the door," said Jane Jensen, wife of Wade Botsford.

It is an event put on for veterans like Botsford -- and their significant others.

Sock hop at Milwaukee V.A.

Wade Botsford

"It doesn't have anything to do with fear and fighting. It's just fun," Botsford said.

"I'm just so happy to be able to do this with him," Jensen said.

The two are just a pair of the dozens of veterans who shows up for the gig.

"We want to create really meaningful opportunities for them to engage with their families," said Christine Wiggin, a music therapist at the Milwaukee V.A.

Christine Wiggin

Sock hop at Milwaukee V.A.

But what made this party really special was the escape from reality of being a patient at the hospital.

"Anywhere that we are together is home. So this is home," Jensen said.

Officials with the Milwaukee V.A. say they try to put on themed parties like this as often as they can.