Oleo Strut
Encyclopedia
The Oleo Strut
was a coffeehouse in Killeen, Texas, from 1968 to 1972. Like its namesake, a shock absorber
in helicopter
landing gear
, the Oleo Strut’s purpose was to help GIs land softly. Upon returning from Vietnam
to Fort Hood, shell-shock
ed soldiers found solace amongst the Strut’s regulars, mostly fellow soldiers and a few civilian sympathizers. But it didn’t take long before shell shock turned into anger, and that anger into action. The GIs turned the Oleo Strut into one of Texas’s anti-war headquarters, publishing an underground anti-war newspaper, organizing boycotts, setting up a legal office, and leading peace marches.
The GI anti-war press was everywhere. Just about every base in the world had an underground paper. Vietnam GI was the first GI paper. It was sent directly to Vietnam from the U.S. in press runs of 5,000 and they were getting spread all over the place because they’d be handed from person to person. Awareness of the GI Movement was at different levels but it was still very widespread.
That was where the coffeehouse came in. The GIs did the work, for the most part, off base. At the Oleo Strut there was an office that they worked in that had a printer who would do printing for the soldiers.
Some papers would get mimeographed secretly on the military bases because the guys working on them would be clerks that had access to the proper resources. Soldiers would hand them out off base but they’d also be distributed on base. Some soldiers would go into a barracks and put them on beds and foot lockers.
Oleo Strut
The Oleo Strut was a coffeehouse in Killeen, Texas, from 1968 to 1972. Like its namesake, a shock absorber in helicopter landing gear, the Oleo Strut’s purpose was to help GIs land softly. Upon returning from Vietnam to Fort Hood, shell-shocked soldiers found solace amongst the Strut’s regulars,...
was a coffeehouse in Killeen, Texas, from 1968 to 1972. Like its namesake, a shock absorber
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
in helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
landing gear
Landing Gear
Landing Gear is Devin the Dude's fifth studio album. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was his first studio album since signing with the label Razor & Tie. It features a high-profile guest appearance from Snoop Dogg. As of October 30, 2008, the album has sold 18,906 copies.-Track...
, the Oleo Strut’s purpose was to help GIs land softly. Upon returning from Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
to Fort Hood, shell-shock
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
ed soldiers found solace amongst the Strut’s regulars, mostly fellow soldiers and a few civilian sympathizers. But it didn’t take long before shell shock turned into anger, and that anger into action. The GIs turned the Oleo Strut into one of Texas’s anti-war headquarters, publishing an underground anti-war newspaper, organizing boycotts, setting up a legal office, and leading peace marches.
The GI anti-war press was everywhere. Just about every base in the world had an underground paper. Vietnam GI was the first GI paper. It was sent directly to Vietnam from the U.S. in press runs of 5,000 and they were getting spread all over the place because they’d be handed from person to person. Awareness of the GI Movement was at different levels but it was still very widespread.
That was where the coffeehouse came in. The GIs did the work, for the most part, off base. At the Oleo Strut there was an office that they worked in that had a printer who would do printing for the soldiers.
Some papers would get mimeographed secretly on the military bases because the guys working on them would be clerks that had access to the proper resources. Soldiers would hand them out off base but they’d also be distributed on base. Some soldiers would go into a barracks and put them on beds and foot lockers.