05/25/2026
There’s something strange about an empty barstool.
Most people walk past one without thinking twice. Another drink. Another laugh. Another round of margaritas under the Florida sun. But every now and then, especially on Memorial Day weekend, those empty seats feel heavier than they should.
This image isn’t just art.
It’s a reminder.
The two young paratroopers sitting quietly at the bar are based on Spc. Michael Nance and Pfc. Brandon Kreischer, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. In July of 2019, both men were killed during an insider attack in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
Michael Nance was 24 years old. Brandon Kreischer was 20.
Two kids, really.
Both volunteered to serve. Both earned their maroon berets at Fort Benning. Both jumped from airplanes knowing full well there are easier ways to spend your twenties. And both ended up giving everything in a war most people now scroll past in silence.
Brandon left behind a wife who was expecting their child.
That part sticks with you.
At The Salty Hobo, we joke around a lot. We lean into the chaos. The margaritas are cold, the music is loud, and half the building probably violates three construction codes and a Geneva Convention. That’s the brand. That’s the fun.
But Memorial Day isn’t just another beach weekend.
It’s not mattress sales.
It’s not boat drinks.
It’s not “thank you for your service” copy-pasted between beer ads.
It’s about people who never got the chance to come home and grow old with the rest of us.
The guys who would probably be sitting at this very bar today talking trash with their friends, arguing over music, chasing girls war stories, complaining about gas prices, ordering one more round they absolutely didn’t need.
Instead, their seats stayed empty.
So this weekend, while the beaches are packed and the bars are full, take one second to remember the people who paid for the freedom to enjoy all of it.
Raise a glass for the ones who didn’t make it back.
And if you happen to notice an empty stool at the bar… maybe it isn’t empty after all.