New era for coffeehouses rooted in anti-war tradition

An Iraq veteran with an ash-black crucifix tattoo on his forearm, he wears his hair short, as if he were still an infantry squad leader. At home, he has a safe full of guns. At work, he’s the strong-arm night guard for a rough-and-tumble motel.

But by day, he helps run a coffee shop just outside Fort Lewis, where war fighters mingle with anti-war activists over hot brew and heated discussion.