I am going to preface this by stating that I know very little about the military. I was never in the military, and in fact, my dad had signed me up for the Air National Guard when I was 17 years old, but I never went to the testing. I'm still not sure if a Captain is of higher rank than a Lieutenant, though I have some understanding of the whole Private thing.

Anyway, we have huge respect for anyone who serves their community and others. That's how I see the military—mostly as a big group of people who are in service to others. Oh, and those kick-ass movies that keep you on the edge of your seat. If it's on Netflix, I'm pretty sure I've watched it.

However, in the alley, we meet these individuals on a different level. Sometimes we hear personal stuff, but mostly it's the interactions that solidify why we have the greatest military in the world. I mean, these families are solid, and they support each other with a tenacity beyond expectations.

We opened our doors a couple of years ago, and immediately we started getting these small family groups coming in that just seemed different. Mostly mothers with two or three children in tow, asking if we have military discounts. (Completely missed the mark on that one, by the way... didn't price the menu for discounts. So now we just give free hot dogs.) These families would come a couple of times, and then they would bring their spouse—who was obviously a soldier.

I have met a variety of soldiers here... even a few Marines, Air Force personnel, and did you know we have a Navy Guard center right in front of the Civic Center? Let me tell you a little about some of them—

I know a guy in Ranger Regiment who has custody of all six of his children. Google what the Ranger Regiment does or is responsible for if you don't know. The whole time we were talking, I was thinking that it would be hard to drive a bus for the city and be a single father of six. (Or is it 6? What seems more impressive—six or 6? Let that sink in.) He thrives on the kind of teamwork that creates sports dynasties, and I'm sure there's some code of taking care of your own. But really, isn't this one of the most amazing things about our military?

I've met a lot of Lieutenants over the past couple of years.

I'm purposely not saying names, but I want to tell you about one. Lieutenant Foodman is a West Point graduate who serves in some capacity at Fort Moore. She came into Frank's one night to get a couple of hot dogs and told us that her grandfather was the District Attorney for Queens for almost 30 years. Impressive... but not as impressive as his granddaughter. She is awaiting word on her acceptance to

Harvard Law School. We all marveled at these accomplishments, but her goals were even more impressive. As she was leaving, someone asked if she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather. I'm pretty sure we didn't expect her to stop, turn around, look me dead in the eye, and say, "Ah, no—I am going to be President. Mark it down. Thirty years from now, you will be able to vote for me."

One night, I met these two young soldiers who, at first, I didn't think were in the US Army because they spoke very little English. But, in talking to them, we found out that they had immigrated to the United States from Vietnam two years prior—and it changed my whole mindset. I asked them so many questions because I initially thought, "Oh, they must be computer nerds." (I know...). But it's way better—these guys joined the Army after having difficulty finding work in California. So, McDonald's missed out, and they went to the recruiter. From there, I just assumed that the lack of solid English only helped. Okay, I'm sure it didn't. However, tell me if you could do the same? Yeah, me either. By the way, they are both cooks and were in Airborne school. I felt like the language barrier must have played a role because neither of them seemed enthused about jumping the next day.

I have met 19-year-olds who had to leave the Army because they shattered their foot on the first jump at Airborne School. Grizzled Rangers who order for their families before Little League games that they are coaching. (He said he had three years left, but his deployments ended at 18 because "kicking in doors and shooting is a young person's game." His family didn't even blink because they know that's his job.)

These are the kinds of jobs they make movies about—but that isn't the most impressive thing about these individuals. Find a soldier and ask them questions. You might meet a future President or hear some good parenting stories that could be made into movies too.

Ross Horner, not Frank, is the owner of Frank's Alley in Uptown Columbus on Broadway. Check them out on social media (I've heard they are funny) and give their chili dog a try.