Fran O'Brien's

A restaurant with the name Fran O’Brien’s Stadium Steakhouse has been a popular hangout for decades, serving fine food and drinks to the Capital Hill crowd. What the Humble Patriot really likes about O'Briens, however, is their support for U.S. troops. For a few years Hal Koster, co-owner/manager of the restaurant and Vietnam vet, has been serving steak dinners every Friday evening to severely wounded troops who are convalescing at nearby Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Here is a Stars and Stripes article about it. Unfortunately, O'Brien's is located in the basement of the Capital Hilton hotel and the Hilton management has chosen not to renew their lease. There is speculation that the Hilton was unhappy about the "spectacle" each Friday of hundreds of severely disabled soldiers coming into the building. Regardless of the reason, O'Briens is closing its doors later this month. The O'Brien's owners are looking for a suitable location to move the restaurant, but for now their future is uncertain.

This situation has received a lot of attention, primarily from the blog community. I saw it first at Michelle Malkin's website. Andi's World and Blackfive are both known as "milbloggers" because of their interest and support of the U.S. Military, and both have taken up this issue.

I hope O'Brien's finds a new location for their restaurant, and that they can continue helping our troops heal both body and spirit.