Veterans Coffee: reconnecting through camaraderie

By Tiffanie Ditlevson
For The Reporter

Ask veterans what they miss most about military service, and one answer comes up again and again: the camaraderie.

When we take off the uniform, we don’t stop being veterans. But we often lose the built-in community that came with serving – the people who understood the experience without needing an explanation.

That connection matters. Veterans continue to experience disproportionately high rates of suicide, and many veterans are unaware of – or simply aren’t using – the benefits and resources they earned through their service. In Indiana alone, 149 veterans died by suicide in 2023.

That’s why fellow veterans Matt Rapp, USN; Scott Billman, USMC; and I, Tiffanie Ditlevson, USAF, are launching Veterans Coffee in Fishers.

The idea is simple: create a welcoming place where veterans can reconnect, meet other veterans in our community, share information about available benefits and resources, and enjoy something many of us have missed since leaving the military: camaraderie.

Veterans Coffee begins Saturday, Oct. 24, and will meet every fourth Saturday of the month from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at F.C. Tucker Company, 10404 Olio Road, Fishers.

No speeches. No big agenda. Just coffee, conversation, camaraderie, and an opportunity to make sure veterans in our community know about the people, benefits, and resources available to them.

All veterans. All branches. All generations.

To RSVP, call or text (317) 446-0416.

Tiffanie Ditlevson is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and she serves on the Fishers City Council.