First Veterans Coffee in Months Huge Success

The first Veterans Coffee in well over a year was held last Wednesday in the Mitchell-Allen Meeting Room at the Currahee Military Museum.

Stephens County Historical Society Executive Director Brenda Carlan said that they were unable to host the event for months due to Covid-19, and for the first one back the turnout was great. “A lot of things happened in that period of time, and we were unsure how many would show up, but boy did they start coming in! We had about 78 men and women and we were real excited to see them.”

Carlan said the Coffee was started for the local veterans, but has turned into a special time for many in the region. “We started this for our local veterans. You would be surprised, as am I, how far people come. We have a group of Marines that come in a van from Athens. People come from around a 50-mile radius. One man came from Hendersonville, North Carolina. It is incredible how many show up and it is an opportunity to show these guys that we appreciate them.”

Carlan feels that it is important to offer veterans the opportunity to meet and share together. “These guys have been coming for over 10 years now. They have become good friends and there is a lot of camaraderie and snide remarks from the different branches as you can imagine, but they have a good time. Brian West in Athens has done a wonderful job getting us a speaker each month. We were real excited to come back and didn’t know what to expect, but they showed up and were happy, and so were we.”

Carlan says more veterans are invited to attend. “We have the Coffees the first Wednesday of each month. We have been doing this for quite a while. It is an opportunity for the guys and girls to come and listen to others stories. It is not always 100 percent military programs. Most are, and they sure enjoy attending.”

Again the Veterans Coffee is held the first Wednesday of each month at the Mitchell-Allen Meeting Room at the Currahee Military Museum on Alexander Street in Toccoa.