NEWINGTON -- A simple idea is catching on and paying tribute to veterans all over the area, and coffee is the common bond.
It's called the "Veterans Coffee Hour," and is being served up by Army veteran Wayne Rioux, from Hartford Healthcare.
Rioux travels to various Hartford Healthcare-run assisted living facilities and senior centers and holds the coffee hours to give veterans a place to talk with those who understand and can relate to their past experiences.
"It came about from my father complaining every month from his assisted living facility in Florida that he had no one to talk to about what he went through."
Rioux went on to suggest monthly meetings for his father's facility, and then brought the idea to Connecticut two months ago.
On Friday, when one of these meetings was held, Rioux greeted nine vets at Cedar Mountain Commons, an assisted living facility in Newington. He was warmly received by the group, many in their late 80s and early 90s.
William Porro, who is 92 and served as an Army technician in Okinawa said, "I think it's wonderful, it gives us a chance to talk to each other and find out what we did."
Edward Bobko, who is 91 and served in the Navy during World War II said, "It's good to see other people who more or less shared your experience in life."
Rioux says his Veterans Coffee Hour program has grown to 14 different facilities throughout central Connecticut.
"I like honoring them and recognizing them respectfully for what they did, " he said of the veterans he has met.
To find out more about the Veterans Coffee Hour program click here.
