WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) – In the backroom of the newly-renamed Nameless Coffee at Maple and Ridge, a handful of veterans from the Vietnam era gather at 0900 hours each Thursday.
The taste of donuts kicks in a little layer of energy for these men, in their 70s and 80s. These are men who saw the most tenuous moments of Vietnam, including the Tet Offensive in January 1968.
Ashley King is decades younger but she helps gather the veterans into this room. This is a generation she understands.
“My grandfather, who recently passed away, served in Vietnam in the Navy and I watched him struggle the rest of his life from his service,” said King.
Also, a journey that defines her life.
“My husband served in the Air Force for ten years and struggles with PTSD and lots of other things that he will live with the rest of his life,” said King, the founder of Sojourners Coffee.
There are the wounds the outside world can see, perhaps a missing limb or a hitch in the stride. Yet the other wounds from the trauma of military service can linger deeper.
“It changed absolutely everything about their life,” said King. “It changes absolutely everything about the way they see the world, events and relationships. Our whole family lives with my husband’s PTSD.”
King was also the founder of Sojourner’s Coffee House, in the same space, until Nameless took over this month. The idea was to create a “safe space” and to build those lasting relationships and help them avoid the isolation that can linger from military service.
She highlights a substantial course that veterans can take.
“We’re doing Reboot Combat Trauma Recovery,” said King. “It’s a 12-week course that focuses on military combat trauma and the effects of that and healing.”
King notes that each book for the course costs about $20-25. Her group never charges for the books to keep finances from becoming a barrier to finding help for the course. Most of Sojourner’s funding comes from direct donations that led to the coffee and pastries that help to bring these groups together.
Sojourners will be part of Hope Wichita with Convoy of Hope on July 27, across eight different Wichita locations to offer groceries, backpacks and school supplies to families in south-central Kansas.
