This article, by Rebecca LaFlure, was published by the Killeen Daily Herald, February 6, 2009
As an Army wife of 17 years, Cindy Thomas struggled through her husband's three deployments to Iraq. The second tour of duty left him close to death with a brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, collapsed lungs and multiple fractures in his spine and pelvis.
But it was not until her stepson, then 19 years old, called to say he was joining the Marines in 2007 that she felt compelled to vehemently protest the ongoing wars in the Middle East and work to improve the lives of soldiers and their families.
"It was at that moment when I thought, 'I have to do something, we have to do something,'" Thomas said. "It's our children who will be fighting in these wars."
Since April 2008, Thomas has devoted her time, thoughts and passion to opening Under the Hood Café, a local outreach center for active duty military personnel, veterans, family members and friends to support and console each other about their daily struggles.
The café house is located at 17 College St. in Killeen.
Thomas said the refuge, scheduled to open Saturday, will be a "free speaking zone" to discuss difficult issues such as the death of a friend or family member overseas, spouses and children coping with the absence of their loved ones during multiple deployments or perhaps a guilty conscience for fighting in a war that increasingly more soldiers no longer believe in.
"A lot of people want to hear the hero story. We don't want to hear that they're hurt because it hurts us," Thomas said. "I did that for a very long time. ... When I started searching for the truth, going online, looking at videos that no one wants to see, it becomes so much harder to live on a daily basis knowing that this is happening, and you're not doing anything about it."
Spirit of the Oleo Strut
Created in the spirit of the Oleo Strut, a GI coffee house that operated in Killeen during the Vietnam War, the Under the Hood concept was first developed in March 2008 when Tom Cleaver, a Vietnam veteran from Los Angeles and former Oleo Strut staff member, noticed a Fort Hood soldier's story online.
The soldier's name was Bryan Hannah, a young cannon crew member who had recently returned from a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq. Hannah was struggling with suicidal thoughts and an overwhelming guilt for fighting in, what he believed to be, a never-ending and unjustified war.
Hannah said he felt alone and largely ignored by the on-post mental health resources.
"I was going through a hard time, not just because of my PTSD, but I didn't know what to do," Hannah said. "I knew this war was wrong, but I had no one to tell me that it's OK to not support the war and be in. I didn't have anyone to comfort me. Home was 1,800 miles away in Michigan."
As a way to vent his frustrations, Hannah kept a candid online blog chronicling his experiences in the military. One particularly powerful entry was published in the GI Special, a widely circulated independent e-newsletter covering the Iraq war from the perspective of the troops and their family members.
Cleaver, an avid GI Special reader, noticed Hannah was stationed at Fort Hood, and contacted the soldier. The two began corresponding by e-mail.
Hannah was honorably discharged from the Army in November, and is now attending college in Austin. He wants to be a history teacher.
According to Cleaver, Hannah and several other Fort Hood soldiers wanted to organize a modern-day Oleo Strut for a long time, but they didn't know how to turn the idea into reality.
With Cleaver's connections and fundraising abilities, he and the Fort Hood chapter of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, began to organize the project.
In April, Thomas was asked to help execute their vision.
"We have counseling services on post obviously, but when you're sitting around and hanging out, it's more relaxing and natural, and you feel more comfortable asking for help," Thomas said. "The concept of it is having that place they can come and not only support each other and help each other out, but maybe even advocate for each other."
Thomas said the house will have a kitchen with coffee and snacks, a break room, a pool table, a big-screen television, a jukebox and multiple couches and tables, all funded by donations.
Though a peace activist herself, Thomas stressed the café is open to people of all ideologies.
Thomas said she is prepared for some public backlash, but her goal is to provide an inclusive environment for military community members to share their stories.
"They might not like what some of us or some of the soldiers have to say because everybody's experience is different. If you experienced ... reconstruction and helping the community, then great, that's absolutely great. But not every soldier did," she said. "There are others with difficult stories, and the difficult choices they had to make. They have a right to be heard. If you want to support them, hear them. Just let them have their voice."
For more information on Under the Hood Café or to read about the history of the Oleo Strut from someone who was there, go to www.underthehoodcafe.org.
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