Coffee shop is talk therapy for vets in distress
By Barry Petersen
October 26, 2011
(CBS News) TACOMA, Wash. - Deborah Flagboam is still traumatized by a sexual assault during during boot camp, and needs a post-traumatic stress disorder therapy dog to help her cope with her thoughts of suicide.
"It wasn't just a cry of help, it was real," Flagboam tells CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen. "My life really wasn't the same, I couldn't really find a way to live any more."
But the former Marine was told by military officials there was a two-month waiting list for long-term psychiatric therapy. So she came to Coffee Strong, a coffee shop just outside Joint Base Lewis McChord.
Iraq war veteran Jorge Gonzales is executive director of Coffee Strong. The veteran-owned shop opened three years ago to serve free coffee to soldiers and Marines. Over time, it became a place for troops to share their problems and treat the mental scars of war. Veterans at Coffee Strong found help for Flagbom within 24 hours.
"I dont think i would be alive today to be honest," Flagboam said, "I could have ended up like Sgt. Jared Hagemann. Army Ranger Jared Hagemann killed himself this past June. He was facing his eighth combat deployment as a member of the Special Forces.
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