The Shelter Half was a
GI Coffeehouse that operated at 5437 South Tacoma Way, in
Tacoma, Washington, United States, from 1968 to 1974. Named after a military tent called a
Shelter-half, the coffeehouse's purpose was to provide a place for GIs at
Fort Lewis military base in Washington State to resist the war in Vietnam. The Shelter Half served as an anti-war headquarters, publishing underground anti-war newspapers, organizing boycotts, connecting civilian activists with local GIs, and leading peace marches.
In November 1969, the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board prevented military personnel from attending the coffeehouse by placing it on a list of off-limits places.
The Shelter Half closed in the summer of 1974.
See also
*
Oleo Strut
*
GI Coffeehouses
GI coffeehouses were a consequential part of the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War era, particularly the resistance to the war within the U.S. military. They were mainly organized by civilian anti-war activists as a method of supporting ant ...
References
External links
* http://www.coffeestrong.org/ The
Coffee Strong Coffee Strong was a GI coffeehouse based on the tradition of resistance coffee houses opened during the Vietnam War by antiwar veterans and active duty soldiers in the United States. Based in Lakewood, Washington, it was founded in 2008 by veterans ...
coffeehouse is currently operated by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the Fort Lewis / McChord AFB / Tacoma area.
archived publicationsof The Shelter Half on SirNoSir.org.
History of Tacoma, Washington
GI Coffeehouses
Restaurants in Washington (state)
1968 establishments in Washington (state)
1974 disestablishments in Washington (state)
Restaurants established in 1968
Joint Base Lewis–McChord
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