NAMPA, Idaho — The Kilroy Coffee Klatch happens on the first Tuesday of every month at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
This free event brings veterans together to build camaraderie and make friendships while enjoying some coffee and cookies.
"Well it is like being home, it’s people that I love and admire and they did a lot for their country,” said Bill Grote, a Navy veteran who went on to have a career in firefighting in Los Angeles before retiring in Idaho. "One thing I missed was the fire station kitchen, this is just a giant fire station kitchen."
The Kilroy Coffee Klatch has been going on for a long time and it is growing tremendously. A few years ago the event would average around 100 people and no closer to 300 veterans show up.
It gives veterans a chance to make friends and share their stories with an audience that understands them. In Bill's case, he took it a step further and now volunteers at the Warhawk Air Museum.
"We do have a cadre of around 80 volunteers and it is the best place you could ever spend your time," said Grote. "It's absolutely wonderful, I put in about 50 or 60 hours a month here."
Bill became friends with Ralph Baughman. Though not a veteran, Ralph enjoys spending time at the museum because of his love of history and his appreciation of men like Bill who served our country.
"It’s very interesting. They all have a different story," said Baughman. "It is nice to let the guys know that we appreciate what they did for us, for the freedom that we enjoy today. That is important and that is what the coffee group does."
The Kilroy Coffee Klatch features a guest speaker at each meeting and this week it was Mark Stephenson, who talked about his father who went missing in action in Vietnam. Our Don Nelson will share his story on Sunday on Idaho News 6.
The Kilroy Coffee Klatch dubs itself the largest gathering of veterans in Idaho and most of those veterans come out to the museum for every event.
"I’ve never missed one in four and a half years," said Grote.
