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Veterans Day & Fran O’Brien’s Steakhouse

- Tuesday, November 9, 2004 |

Readers know what we believe about draining the swamp in which terrorists and their state sponsors live, train and pray for the day they can kill more of us. We also believe we have a special obligation to the soldiers who do the draining. More than 1,100 of our finest young men and women did not return alive from Afghanistan and Iraq; many more returned less than whole. We can do little for the former except be eternally grateful, but let us tell you what we, and you, can do for some of those who have returned in need.

Every Friday is Veterans Day at Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse in Washington, D.C. The owners, Hal Koster and Marty O’Brien, bring soldiers recovering from their wounds at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the restaurant and treat them and their families to a full-up steak dinner. It is often the first place soldiers appear in public after losing limbs and it is a coveted part of their therapy. Dinner is private, with only few special guests, mainly people from the VA who can be helpful – and, on occasion, JINSA.

The restaurateurs thought the numbers would be reduced over time and the dinners could be phased out. It didn’t happen and the group got larger and more expensive as more soldiers learned about Hal and Marty’s generosity. Eventually, it was hard for them to afford, but they were determined not to let the soldiers down. Enter JINSA. Apprised of the situation, Dr. Stephen Bryen, President of Finmeccanica, Inc. and a member of JINSA’s Board of Advisors, worked with JINSA to have defense contractors support the dinners. Many did – Finmeccanica first, then Rolls Royce, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, AgustaWestland, Cubic, Remington and others including Goldman Sachs and private individuals, generously provided enough money to run the program for a year. JINSA handles the logistics.

We’re going back for more, but this is an opportunity for you to markVeterans Day in a way that touches our veterans directly. Send us acheck or go to our website and make a contribution by credit card – bygoing to the Support JINSA section of the JINSA web site. Then select “Support JINSA’s Programs” and use the pull-down menu to select either one of the pre-set contributions, or choose “Other –>” and type in your own amount. Follow the directions, putting “Fran O’Brien’s” in the “Organization” field.

The mailing address for checks is JINSA, 1779 Mass. Ave., NW, Suite 515, Washington, DC 20036. Put “Fran O’Brien’s” in the memo space. and your entire gift will go to the program. You will be aiding directly in the rehabilitation of young men and women who have laid it all on the line for us.

Col. Jonathan Jaffin, Commander of the Medical Corps at Walter Reed, wrote to JINSA:

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.

So, fly your flag on Veterans Day and thank a vet. And help take a soldier to Fran O’Brien’s for dinner.