Dear Friends of A MILLION THANKS:

I was recently sent an email forward that really bothered me. It was originally written by a Sergeant in the Marines who stated that some soldiers in Iraq had written to Starbucks about how good their coffee was and that they would appreciate getting some free coffee sent to them.

According to the email, Starbucks replied that they don’t support the war and they don’t support the soldiers who are there. The Sergeant then asked for people to boycott Starbucks in support of the troops.

This obviously bothered me a lot since my whole family loves Starbucks but we also appreciate our military.

I decided to write a letter to Mr. Orin Smith, CEO of Starbucks, asking if the email was true, and if it was, to reconsider not his position on the war, but to consider all that our military men and women do to keep our freedom. I then offered him some suggestions on ways Starbucks, as a company,  could show their appreciation to our military.

Starbucks, as we all know is a giant, and I wasn’t sure if anyone there would ever see my letter let alone have it get to their CEO. But I had to try anyway.

I am happy to say I did get a response from Mr. Smith and his wonderful staff. They said the e-mail circulating the Internet about Starbucks was incorrect and a retraction was made by the writer. Below is their response to my letter.

Since this incorrect email is still circulating over the Internet, please let your friends know the “real” story as indicated below. It is wonderful to know a company like Starbucks appreciate our military men and women.

Recently, I was at the MIRAMAR AIR SHOW at the MIRAMAR NAVAL AIR BASE in San Diego, collecting letters at my A MILLION THANKS booth. I noticed a Starbucks truck dispensing FREE coffee to the soldiers. I stopped some of the soldiers and took this picture with them and their coffee and the free coffee tent

(received Via email)

Ms. Shauna Fleming,;

Orin Smith passed on your e-mail about this rumor to me.  First, I want to thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We’ve been battling it most of the summer, but it has picked up increased momentum in the last week. I understand that a Starbucks customer service representative has also just spoken with your father and they had a great discussion about this rumor. Finally, as a former Navy SEAL who just served in Afghanistan, I also wanted to personally thank you for what you are doing. It is greatly appreciated.  

The rumor is not true.  I have personally contacted the Marine sergeant who sent the original e-mail and we have his e-mail retracting his misinformation.  He admitted he never verified his sources before sending out the original e-mail.  He has been very willing to help us correct his mistake.  The text of his e-mail is used in a letter from Customer Service on this subject.  I’ve attached the letter for your information. 

We have also posted the correct information on two rumor-busting websites -- http://www.boycottwatch.org/misc/starbucks2.htm and http://truthminers.com/truth/starbucks.htm. In addition we were able to prove to Snopes.com, the largest of all the myth-busting web sites, that the military rumor (Starbucks not supporting the troops) is FALSE. This is the third major website that is now carrying this. I also wanted to include some photos that were sent to us recently by Army personnel who have set-up a make shift Starbucks in Bagram Afghanistan with all the donated coffee they have received.

We’ve been asking people to send the correct information to those who would want to know. I hope you can help us with this endeavor. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

 Respectfully, 
Peter Tremblay
director, Public Affairs
Global Communications
Starbucks Coffee Company