HABBANIYAH AIR BASE, IRAQ (August 30, 2006) – The U.S. Marines under the spiritual care of U.S. Navy Chaplain Lt. John Anderson appreciated his ministry so much in Iraq that when he was re-deployed to the war zone, the battalion made the unusual request of having the Evangelical Covenant Church minister assigned to them again.
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\nThey missed his coffee \u2013 and they missed him, too.<\/p>\n
During his first tour, Anderson preached in a converted train car he dubbed the \u201cSoul Train.\u201d He also began to dispense coffee, roasting and grinding his own beans. But that was regular coffee.<\/p>\n
This time around, Anderson has set up a new coffee shop that he calls \u201cHe-Brews.\u201d The selection, while not equaling Starbucks, has expanded. \u201cI\u2019ve added espresso, frothed milk, and flavored syrups to the mix,\u201d he says. His executive officer prefers the spiced chai.<\/p>\n
Marines may go in for more of the \u201cfoo-foo\u201d coffees than might be expected, but there remain some that drink just the old-fashioned variety. \u201cMy commanding officer likes his strong and black,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cHe won the Silver Star in the battle for Fallujah, so I wouldn\u2019t expect anything less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Location, location, location, may be everything, not just for the shop\u2019s success, but also for determining its hours. \u201cNeedless to say, the hours are a little sporadic, but I try to be open for a few hours every day that I\u2019m here,\u201d Anderson says.<\/p>\n
The price is right. Anderson dispenses \u201ca drop of Joe\u201d for free, and he won\u2019t accept tips.<\/p>\n
He depends on donations of supplies to keep the coffee flowing. The church where he once served as associate pastor, Redeemer Covenant Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, regularly sends him goods. \u201cMy mom is baking piles of biscotti to send over, and others back home are donating to the cause,\u201d Anderson says.<\/p>\n
Individuals wanting to contribute supplies to the coffee shop should first contact Anderson either by email at john.anderson@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil or by writing him at Chaplain John Anderson, 3D BN 2D MAR HQ SVC CO, UNIT #73130, FPO, AE, 09509-3130.<\/p>\n
The list of needed items includes:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Unroasted coffee beans
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0A variety of flavored coffee syrup in plastic bottles (not unsweetened)
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Spiced chai powder<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great what the good folks at Redeemer are doing for John,\u201d says Covenanter James Erickson, Rear Admiral (ret.) now with the U.S. Public Health Service. \u201cI know other guys who are getting similar \u2018care packages\u2019 from their families and friends. They really mean a lot! I remember how I enjoyed getting them in Vietnam.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anderson says he appreciates the support shown by the church, and the fact that the troops would want him back. \u201cThe battalion wanted me to remain as their chaplain, and I wanted to stay.<\/p>\n