Fran O’Brien’s and the Soldiers
Readers know JINSA has been supporting dinners at Fran O’Brien’s Steakhouse for soldiers recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (JINSA Report #448). In fact, you raised several thousand dollars for the effort – thank you.
So we are disgusted by news that anti-war protesters have been congregating at Walter Reed and heckling the buses that leave to take the soldiers to the restaurant on Friday nights. Protesters hold signs reading “Maimed for Lies” and “Enlist here and die for Halliburton.” Among the props are mock caskets.
Readers know JINSA has been supporting dinners at Fran O’Brien’s Steakhouse for soldiers recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (JINSA Report #448). In fact, you raised several thousand dollars for the effort – thank you.
So we are disgusted by news that anti-war protesters have been congregating at Walter Reed and heckling the buses that leave to take the soldiers to the restaurant on Friday nights. Protesters hold signs reading “Maimed for Lies” and “Enlist here and die for Halliburton.” Among the props are mock caskets.
These people claim to be “against the war, but support the troops,” an ugly lie if ever there was one. If you support the troops, you support those who have made a personal sacrifice to do what their country asked of them. You help them heal. You protect them from those who would use their injuries to score political points. Or you just leave them alone to be helped by those who love them. These protesters are the antithesis of support for the troops. They are a blot on America.
Marc Moreno of CNS reports, “Anti-war activists were unapologetic when asked whether they considered such signs as ‘Maimed for Lies’ offensive to wounded war veterans and their families. ‘I am more offended by the fact that many were maimed for life,’ said (one). (But) Kevin Pannell, who was recently treated at Walter Reed and had both legs amputated after an ambush grenade attack near Baghdad in 2004, considers the presence of the anti-war protesters in front of the hospital ‘distasteful.'” Mr. Pannell is kind.
People who truly support the troops, regardless of their feelings about the policies that led to the injuries being treated at Walter Reed, can express their support once again through JINSA. Send a fully tax-deductible check to JINSA and put Fran O’Brien’s in the memo. Your entire gift will go to the soldiers. You will be aiding directly in the rehabilitation of young men and women who have laid it all on the line for us. We remind of what Col. Jaffin, then-Commander of the Medical Corps at Walter Reed, wrote to us:
If you doubt the impact of your magnanimity, from my perspective, the benefit on these soldiers and their families is incalculable… While the steak dinner is in itself a treat for those who have been eating in a dining facility… the meal is so much more than a dinner: it is a night out, a chance to get away from the hospital environment for a few hours, an evening to do something as normal as going to a restaurant for dinner. Even more, it is a tangible demonstration of the support, respect, and even love that Americans feel for our troops. I have heard from many, many of the grateful participants who were, without exception, touched and deeply appreciative. They may not know who supports the costs but I now do and must tell you how much it has meant.
The soldiers we have met at Fran O’Brien’s are proud of their service and determined to overcome their adverse circumstances. They are grateful to the restaurant for hosting them, and overwhelmingly grateful for the understanding that Americans stand behind them and care about them.
Help us help them, please.