This Thanksgiving, Thank Hal

Readers know JINSA’s support of the Fran O’Brien’s dinners out for young soldiers – primarily amputees – recuperating from their wounds at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital. For four years, Hal Koster has ensured that soldiers and their families have the benefit of food and fellowship, easing their way back into a society that all-too-often wants to forget them. The dinners began in Hal’s restaurant, Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse, but when the restaurant lost its lease, Hal made sure the soldiers never missed a Friday night out.

Readers know JINSA’s support of the Fran O’Brien’s dinners out for young soldiers – primarily amputees – recuperating from their wounds at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital. For four years, Hal Koster has ensured that soldiers and their families have the benefit of food and fellowship, easing their way back into a society that all-too-often wants to forget them. The dinners began in Hal’s restaurant, Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse, but when the restaurant lost its lease, Hal made sure the soldiers never missed a Friday night out. Leading a dedicated band of volunteers, he corralled restaurants, Embassies, groups and clubs, creating a moveable feast and giving ever more people the opportunity to host and thank our heroes.

Now we – you – have an opportunity to thank Hal Koster for his dedication to the wellbeing and recovery of our soldiers.

On National Medal of Honor Day (March 25, 2008), three U.S. citizens will be awarded the “Above and Beyond Citizen Honor” established by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. The 109 living Medal of Honor recipients, the embodiment and definition of selflessness, will select the three honorees from representatives nominated from around the country. The purpose is to honor “ordinary Americans who exemplify service above self.”

We would never call Hal Koster “ordinary,” but you get the point.

Please go to www.aboveandbeyond365.com to complete the nomination form. Click on the red words “Nominate a hero today: Above and Beyond Citizen Honors.” It will take you to the online form. The deadline is December 16, 2007. When completing the form, use Washington DC 20008 for the City, State and Zip; hkoster@erols.com for the e-mail; (202) 257-6413 for the phone number; and 50-65 for the age group. Where you are asked to answer only one of the following two questions, answer the second set and fill in the text box with the word “sustained” and leave the second box marked “Yes”. At the next question asking to describe the nature of the work, fill in the text box marked “Other” with the words “Veterans support.” [Let us know that you did it; we’d like to try to keep track.]

As we approach Thanksgiving, we are thankful for the blessings of our great country, our freedoms, our families, our friends, and our lives. We are grateful to servicemen and women, police officers, fire fighters, airport security screeners, border guards, FBI and CIA agents, the Administration and Members of Congress of both parties who believe and speak and vote with the understanding that our nation is at war. We believe it is the combination of all these people working under difficult and often dangerous circumstances – not a lack of trying on the part of the bad guys – that has have kept us safe for another year. We are grateful to their parents for raising the children who grew into the adults who serve America in so many ways, and grateful to their families for sharing them.

This year, too, we are grateful for the opportunity to know people like Hal Koster and for the opportunity to take a small but meaningful step toward having his service to the most vulnerable of our defenders – those who return injured and in need of moral and emotional support – recognized and applauded. You, the members of JINSA, have provided so much support to the Fran O’Brien’s dinners. Please now click the buttons and do one more thing for the troops before Thanksgiving dinner.