GI coffeehouse opens in Pacific Northwest, second in nation

“This is a historic moment,” declared Michael William, Northwest Regional Coordinator for Iraq Veterans Against the War, and the chief barista for the newly opened Coffee Strong coffeehouse near Ft. Lewis in Tillicum, WA.

Michael William, regional coordinator of IVAW and Coffee Strong barista

William was speaking to the assembled crowd at the grand opening of the coffeehouse, a project of the soldier’s rights group GI Voice.

The Coffee Strong coffeehouse is the second such facility in the United States and the first in the Pacific Northwest. The coffeehouses take their inspiration from the many anti-war coffeehouses that sprung up outside of military bases during the Vietnam War.

At the opening event, the small coffee shop was packed with veterans and civilian anti-war activists. Activists from the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation were there along with many other community supporters, some of whom had traveled many hours to celebrate the opening of the café. Iraq war resister Lt. Ehren Watada attended. Many people congratulated Watada for the recent legal decision, which states that the military cannot retry him after his previous court martial was declared a mistrial.

Seth Manzell, a member of Iraq Vets Against the War, said that the Coffee Strong coffeehouse is a place for soldiers to learn about war resistance and about their rights.

Organizer and barista Michael William spoke with us before the program began and was pleased that the Ft. Lewis IVAW chapter now has a safe and pleasant place to meet.

From word of mouth, people from Tillicum, a nearby impoverished town populated by many soldiers and their families, are visiting the café. William told us he was able to convince one young man who stopped by not to join the National Guard.

Coffee Strong has plans to add computers with free wireless Internet access and literature racks. Soon, the shop will feature a pull-down screen and ceiling-mounted projector for movie nights and discussion groups. Coffee Strong has the potential to serve as an organizing center for active duty soldiers, veterans and military families and to bring the anti-war movement into closer communication with anti-war soldiers at Ft. Lewis.