Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz presents Hal Koster,
left, co-owner of Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse, with the Distinguished
Public Service Award. Fran O'Brien's other co-owner, Marty O'Brien, was
presented with the same award later. They were honored for hosting weekly
Friday night dinners for wounded servicemembers from the National Naval Medical
Center at Bethesda, Md., and Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The
reception on Oct. 15 marked the one-year anniversary of the weekly
dinners. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley
(Click photo for screen-resolution
image); high-resolution image
available. |
On Oct. 15, a group of injured servicemembers from Walter Reed Army Medical
Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., were joined by
family and friends to be recognized by dignitaries, veterans service
organizations and Iraqi citizens.
Hal Koster, co-owner of Fran O'Brien's, opened "A Tribute to U.S. Troops" with
praise for the troops he said have become like family.
"These warriors have been coming over and have been as brave in their recovery
as the have been in battle. It's been an absolute honor for us to serve them on
Friday nights," Koster said. "It's also a pleasure to see them when they get
better and they walk out of here and they go home. You know that the country is
with you in your recovery, and we wish you well."
Koster and Marty O'Brien later were awarded the Distinguished Public Service
Award for their efforts to lift wounded servicemembers' spirits that started
with a suggestion from the "Milkshake Man."
Jim "Milkshake Man" Mayer received the award for originally suggesting the idea
of "Friday Night Dinners" and his involvement in the program. Mayer, a Vietnam
veteran who lost both of his legs, has been taking milkshakes to soldiers at
Walter Reed's Ward 57 for more than a year. He also recently made his 200th
visit to the medical center, where he has served as a peer-level volunteer for
amputees for more than 13 years.
Ryan and Lindsey Kelly know the importance of that peer level connection.
Lindsey is a sergeant with the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion out of Abilene,
Texas. Ryan, who retired on Aug. 9 after spending 13 months at Walter Reed, was
a staff sergeant with the same unit. He was a regular at the dinners until his
discharge from Walter Reed and subsequent medical retirement.
"It's a pretty big part of transitioning back into the real world," Ryan said
of the weekly dinners. Lindsey had a spouse's unique perspective. "It created a
community that allows you to talk to other people and talk about issues that
you're going through," she said. "You were able to depend on other people
besides just the two of you or yourself. You had other people to console with …
(and) you had other shoulders to lean on."
Ryan plans to attend the University of North Dakota to earn a bachelor's degree
in business administration, focusing on aviation management and commercial
aviation.
As the evening progressed, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a frequent
visitor to the Friday night dinners, took the opportunity to thank the men who
worked to make the lives of the injured troops a little more pleasant.
"You've given them wonderful free dinners, but that's the least of it,"
Wolfowitz said. "You've given them a place to meet in the spirit of friendship
and comradeship and mutual support." Wolfowitz went on to praise the troops for
their efforts, successes and sacrifice.
"We just saw a miracle take place in Afghanistan last Saturday," he said.
"Somewhere between 5 (million) and 10 million people voted for the first time
in 5,000 years of history, as far as I know. That country's free election would
not have been possible if it hadn't been for the sacrifice of American men and
women."
He also recognized the award recipients who included O'Brien, Mayer and Air
Force Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, a pilot who chose amputation after years of
trying to save his leg damaged in a motocross accident five years ago. Lourake
will resume his duties Oct. 25 at the 89th Airlift Wing, Andrews Air Force Base,
Md., but he said his peer counseling at Walter Reed is the most important thing
he does now.
Lourake's wife, Lisa, also was honored for her work as a peer-level volunteer
for the past year at Walter Reed.
"She speaks with authority when she tells the newly injured that life is going
to change, but that life isn't over," Wolfowitz said.
It was, however, the words of Humaila Akrawy, an Iraqi citizen, that were
perhaps the most poignant of the evening. Her sister was killed for working
with Americans, her brother was killed by Saddam Hussein's secret police, and
another sister was targeted by Uday Hussein and had to be smuggled out of the
country.
She spoke of the Iraq's gratitude to America and the troops who helped to free
the country and its people from the terrorism of Saddam Hussein. She said the
troops are, indeed, winning the war, because if they weren't, the insurgents
would ignore them.
"I can never tell you how grateful I am and how grateful my people are for your
sacrifice. You left your homes … to fight for a people you have never known,"
Akrawy said. "When the sun sets over the deserts and mountains of Iraq, the
good people of Iraq look at the West and are happy to know that the sun is
rising to the people who rescued us from the darkness and evil of Saddam.
"Never think that your work in Iraq was wasted," she continued. "Never let
anybody to say that you shed your blood in vain. You have given the people of
Iraq, of Afghanistan, the chance to be free."
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers offered
the closing remarks with praise for the troops, those who support them and
those who are carrying on where they left off.
The weekly dinner at Fran O'Brien's Stadium Steakhouse topped off the evening.
Biographies:
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul
Wolfowitz
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force
Gen. Richard B. Myers
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