This Veterans Day, the Racine County Eye is proud to honor local veterans who have made an impact in our community. Jimmy Zientek, a United States Air Force Veteran, is no stranger to mental illness. Through his newly-founded business, Show Us Your Meats BBQ, this local veteran is focused on starting a conversation about mental health and empowering people to find their outlets, veteran or not.
With over a decade of experience in the United States Military, Zientek opens up about his story in the service with the hopes to uplift other military personnel as well as civilians.
Joining the Air Force
Zientek signed up to serve his country when he was 17 years old, after being inspired by his brothers who were enlisted. He joined the United States Air Force as a young adult, not knowing what was in store. The 18-year-old arrived on Sept. 4, 2001, for basic training in San Antonio, Texas.
“It was my first full week in basic training when 911 happened. We had a drill instructor come through and basically try to explain what had happened. We couldn’t grasp it. We didn’t see footage of it for about a week or so after. It was very surreal,” said Zientek.
From that moment forward, Zientek’s military career was focused on the Global War on Terror. He was a Security Forces service member working in law enforcement.
Zientek was stationed in Texas, deployed to Saudi Arabia, stationed in Germany, completed several missions to Africa, deployed to Iraq twice, and spent time in Idaho.
During his time serving, he was a part of humanitarian efforts, worked on security missions, trained fellow troops for deployment to the Middle East, and instructed others. He was face to face with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and roadside bombs.
“I had a lot of good opportunities and experiences that are hard to wrap my head around for some goofy kid from Southeast Wisconsin,” he mused.
Focused on family
Despite spending over a decade in the military, his focus remained on his family and friends. When Zientek was eligible for leave, he used that time to connect with his loved ones.
His days in the military ended in 2014. The need for surgery forced retirement on the service member. However, the military’s positives and negatives have never left him.
Upon returning to life as a civilian, this veteran found himself continuing to fight for others.
Zientek’s world changed again in 2016 when his mother was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. At the same time, Zientek was also battling his own physical ailments, stemming from the military, which also led to challenges with his mental health.
“I hit a good spot of low depression,” said Zientek.
Last summer, his mom was declared free from cancer through treatment, home healthcare and support. However, her cancer returned worse in the coming year, and on Nov. 2, 2022, she passed away due to the disease.
Through it all, the two shared the phrase, “never out of the fight,” as a reminder to carry on. The veteran even has the words tattooed across his forearm.
Facing challenges
Needless to say, the challenges from the military carried on into his life as a civilian. After returning home, the former airman was faced with additional obstacles.
Employment was a hurdle for the veteran. After dedicating his career to the military, finding a position that fit his financial and emotional needs was difficult.
“This is one of the toughest transitions I think anybody experiences coming from the military,” said Zientek.
Zientek finds his outlet
Feeling uncertain about where he was, however, led him to find his outlet.
Zientek’s friends enjoyed smoking and grilling meats as a hobby. They’d often post pictures of what they’d cook on social media. He decided to give their passion a try, only to find out it was his passion too.
“Personally at the time, I could grill a hot dog and a cheeseburger. That was about it. I knew nothing about smoking meats,” said the now-enthusiast.
While Zientek knew he had a lot to learn, that didn’t stop him. Zientek found inspiration from his friends and gave grilling and smoking a chance. He fell in love with it.
“I started this group on Facebook, just for the fun of it, called ‘Show Us Your Meats.’ I was thinking it’ll be a few dozen folks from the neighborhood,” he said. “That group exploded. It grew and it grew and it grew.”
The group allows people to share what they’ve been cooking in the kitchen and is open to conversations about members’ well-being.
Veteran-owned businesses
With his passion came the purchase of a smoker.
“I had a buddy of mine, who is in Racine. He’s a fellow veteran – Marine Corps Afghanistan veteran – who owns a company called Burn Pit Barbecue, where they do sauces and rubs. He hosted a competition last year,” said Zientek.
With his newfound love came enrollment in a smoking competition held by Burn Pit.
“Out of 17 teams for the ribs, I came in third or fourth place. The Tri-Tip, we took first place. I was automatically instantly hooked,” said the Veteran.
From there, Zientek and his brother built a smoker on wheels. He began doing volunteer events and catering for events last October.
“I got my license, my certifications, everything I needed,” he said. “This past March, I said that’s it. You know if I want this to build and grow, I have to go all in.”
So he did; he sold his house, quit his day job and went all in on his passion.
“The beauty of it is, I talk about it all the time. Most people, not everybody, but most people, have some sort of an outlet. You know, whether that’s gardening, the gym, music, you know, reading whatever. I never had an outlet until I discovered grilling and smoking,” Zientek said.
Becoming a business owner unleashed something impactful on him physically, emotionally and mentally.
Mental health awareness
The business became much more than a steady stream of income. It became the foundation of his ability to share his story of living with mental illness post-separation from the military and other challenges with mental health.
In the Facebook group, which currently has over 6,000 members, Zientek runs a weekly episode called “Meats and Mental Health Monday” and dedicates an hour of his time to talking with group members about mental health.
Not only has this been therapeutic to him, but also inspired others to share their stories and seek help for their mental health challenges.
The group is not specific to veterans; it welcomes all.
“This one guy just said this past week that he took the steps and is going to start therapy because of the openness in the group to talk about it. To me that’s huge. That’s bigger than a business growing,” he said.
This veteran will continue to raise awareness at events he smokes at and encourages others to find their outlets and give back.
“I pass this on to anybody dealing with mental health stuff, personal battles, anything they’ve gone through where they think they have no purpose, they think they have no reason to go on. I mean, I’m living proof. You are never out of the fight. So that’s, that’s kind of my life model: you are never out of the fight,” said Zientek.
Learn more about his business by visiting his website and joining his Facebook group.
Veterans Day
In honor of Veterans Day, this veteran suggests getting involved in an organization he’s been involved with. Consider supporting the following organizations:
Events
Additionally, support this Veteran by watching him skate at Military Appreciation Night in Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena on Nov. 11 and at the Veterans Day Border Battle, at the Onalaska OmniCenter, on Nov. 12.
Celebrations in our community
The Racine County Eye, which includes the Kenosha Lens, has a great celebrations section to keep you updated on community-wide events and other festivities. Subscribe today to stay up-to-date with local news.
Have a celebration worth sharing? Contact emma@racinecountyeye.com to discuss your ideas.
Follow us on Facebook: Racine County Eye or Kenosha Lens, and Twitter to make sure you get the latest news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.