Military History Talk: The U.S. Army’s Love Affair with Coffee

The Vancouver Barracks Military Association presents its next Military History Talk, “The U.S. Army’s Love Affair with Coffee,” at 6:30 p.m. April 25 at General Oliver Otis Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver. Speaker Jeff Dacus, author, former local history teacher, and Marine Corps Reserve combat veteran, will discuss the origins and worldwide spread of coffee drinking, with a focus on its consumption in the Army. Coffee was not the original drink of choice during the American Revolution. The love affair began when the Army gave soldiers a weekly ration of coffee and sugar in the 1830s. Over the decades, Army quartermasters searched for the cheapest, yet drinkable, cup of coffee they could find, even at the Vancouver Barracks Regimental Canteen in 1886. Register for this free program by emailing jddavis@rocketmail.com.

Image courtesy of the Vancouver Barracks Military Association