Thomas J Cutler wrote a book, well loved and known in the Riverine community about his time in Vietnam as a Riverine. His book “Brown Water, Black Berets” details life and death on the rivers and canals of the Mekong and inspires those Sailors who know the thrill and exhilaration of operating inland on waterways in support of ground forces. I was lucky enough to be a Riverine CO in al Anbar Province, Iraq and then a Riverine Commodore in major command. And I can testify it’s never too early or too hot for a great cup of coffee. 120 degrees? I need coffee. Running the Euphrates on Thanksgiving on patrol? I need coffee. Coffee is life. And it’s lifeblood. I’ve served for 40 years. And in those 14600 Days of Naval service I’ve drank a lot of it. But the ones I remember most were with brave Sailors in sand caked uniforms on the decks of fast lightly armored boats running down a river with old glory screaming in the wind. Coffee is Definitively American. And it’s definitively Navy. “A cup of Joe” is a Navy phrase. And it accentuates a moment or event. At sea, on rivers, in Chiefs messes, and in Wardrooms. And I look forward to drinking this brand with shipmates past and present and sharing takes of glory and inebriation over a cup.

- Gary L.