Arizona Couple Gives Struggling Vets New Hope While Making Coffee

Leave no soldier behind—or out in the cold.

That’s been the motto of erstwhile U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Tom West with each lb of roasted java he’s bagged and sold arsenic laminitis and president of Operation Transition Outside the Wire.

Based successful Williams, Arizona, the caller nonprofit launched successful August. Its main intent is to assistance struggling veterans enactment disconnected the streets and determination connected to amended things.

Selling java is but a means to helping veterans scope their destination, helium said.

“It’s truly tough. Once you’re retired connected the streets,” West told The Epoch Times, the situation is to “get yourself backmost disconnected the streets.”

According to endhomelessness.org, 37,252 veterans were experiencing homelessness successful 2020 amid the pandemic caused by the CCP virus. Half of them were surviving extracurricular of shelters, portion the immense majority—more than 90 percent—were men.

Shannon Francis of Operation Transition Outside the Wire successful Williams, Arizona, shows a one-pound container of branded java acceptable to spell connected sale. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

West and his spouse successful the nonprofit, Shannon Francis, some person witnessed archetypal manus the plight of stateless veterans successful California, arsenic each greeting the veterans would stitchery extracurricular of their java store successful Long Beach.

They’d beryllium fixed a escaped cupful of java and immoderate different assistance they needed. This continued until aboriginal 2020 erstwhile the store was forced to adjacent owed to the pandemic.

“We got escaped of our java store astatine the extremity of March and we got escaped of everything,” West said. “The pandemic conscionable wiped america out.”

West said helium got to cognize galore of the stateless veterans personally. It often began with a friendly: “Hey, brother. Can you spare a escaped cupful of coffee?”

Other veterans, however, were excessively arrogant to judge the couple’s help, due to the fact that “the subject teaches you to beryllium tough,” helium said.

“I was 17 erstwhile I went in. We spot things we shouldn’t person to. We spot death. When we get backmost to civilian life, it’s the inverse of that. We person to fig things retired for ourselves.”

Brendan Bosley, formerly of Michigan, served successful the Air Force until his honorable discharge successful precocious August, and soon helium fell upon hard times. He and different section veterans person captious enactment done Operation Transition Outside the Wire successful Williams, Arizona, connected Oct. 20. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

West and Francis yet decided to permission California for Williams, Arizona, known for supporting veterans. The town’s iconic Route 66 downtown territory seemed the cleanable spot to motorboat a nonprofit similar Operation Transition, helium said.

The enactment is presently undergoing large enlargement connected to a 130-acre ranch, situated connected the outskirts of town.

Once it’s completed, the moving ranch volition big 25 ample safari-style tents that volition service arsenic homes for veterans and their families.

There volition besides beryllium a java roasting and organisation installation located connected site, a messiness hall, acquisition labs, and a ministry setup, each nestled wrong a safe, structured environment.

Operation Transition presently produces astir 8,000 pounds of premier roasted Guatemalan coffee—whole legume oregon ground—per period astatine the location. The enactment ships to 9 states.

West said the extremity is to summation accumulation to 15,000 pounds of roasted java per period and boost rank subscriptions to summation revenues.

All proceeds spell to enactment transitional programs and different forms of assistance for veterans, helium said.

West said each one-pound container of java comes with an ornamental canine tag and logo for casual recognition successful participating stores. The terms per container is simply a $20 donation.

Right now, Operation Transition is helping 3 section veterans and their families determination from work to civilian life.

Brendan Bosley of Owosso, Michigan, is among those receiving important support.

Bosley joined the Air Force successful January of 2019. He served arsenic an expert portion stationed successful Alaska, helium told The Epoch Times.

But erstwhile the fig of analysts exceeded the demand, helium recovered himself successful a concern known arsenic “overmand.”

With a heartfelt “Thank you for your service—see you later,” helium was offered, and accepted, an honorable discharge successful precocious August.

His situation has been dire ever since.

The 29-year-old seasoned said helium is astir retired of money, surviving retired of a edifice country successful Williams accompanied by his fiancée, his terminally sick mother, and 2 children from a erstwhile marriage.

His hope is to stabilize his situation and then look for a job.

“In my idiosyncratic situation, I’ve got a batch of needs and everything is important,” Bosley said. “In my situation, I inactive request help.”

One day, Bosley noticed the large mural motion implicit the Operation Transition gathering that work “Freedom Is Not Free.”

Something told him to go inside.

Operation Transition Outside the Wire Founder and President Tom West, a erstwhile Marine, explains however the nonprofit produces crushed java utilizing the Bellwether Coffee Roaster instrumentality connected Oct. 20. (Allan Stein/Epoch Times)

There, helium met West, who explained the galore programs and services disposable for veterans.

Bosley is present getting the assistance helium needs and is dilatory putting his beingness backmost unneurotic acknowledgment to Operation Transition.

“Coming to this municipality was the champion happening I could person ever done. It has virtually been a life-saver,” helium said.

West and Francis said Operation Transition seeks to code the dual occupation of seasoned stateless and termination connected a idiosyncratic and section level.

They spot the situation lone getting worse arsenic thousands of veterans look dishonorable discharge for refusing to comply with the military’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Hopefully, the authorities volition aftermath up and odor the coffee, and bash much to assistance retired these men and women who person served their country, Francis said.

West said much than 27 veterans perpetrate termination successful America each time connected a battlefield of homelessness and despair.

“In the subject determination is simply a saying ‘no antheral near behind’ and successful these days immoderate men get near behind.”

“We are trying to forestall them from going down the incorrect road. We are stepping up successful the close way,” giving veterans a consciousness of purpose, because “having intent is simply a large happening successful the military.”