Posted on 09/22/2019 8:07:08 AM PDT by bgill
DEAR ABBY: I am a veteran, and something gnaws at me every time I hear it. It’s the expression, “Thank you for your service.” Having lived through the ’60s and ’70s, I remember all too well seeing many soldiers bad-mouthed and worse during those times. Since 9/11 many of the same people who were critical of us then are now thanking us. It rings hollow to many of the vets I have talked to. We did our job, some to the ultimate level. We never asked for thanks, and we still don’t. We respect the rights given to those who wish to abuse them because we believe in them. Some of us even died so all could enjoy these rights. If a person truly wants to thank a vet, DO something for him or her instead of just offering lip service. Cut their grass, offer to help carry in their groceries, etc. While words are appreciated at times, hearing them too often becomes hollow. Showing appreciation is always welcome. -- A VETERAN IN THE MIDWEST
(Excerpt) Read more at al.com ...
Me too. I’ve known dozens of men who survived combat and they always told me “The real heroes are the guys that never came back’’.
I’ve picked up an entire 20 person table across the street from my office. Must have been a promotion party, or going away. They all looked like such decent folks. I’m very close to a very large base. That bill was in the many hundreds of dollars, I didn’t care.
Another time I picked up the tab a couple guys met for the first time since a pretty serious combat related deployment. I could feel the history of their time overseas.
Whenever I see folks that were/are military I always thank them for their service. They typically are thankful and appreciative of those words. Sometimes I just salute them.
Color me a greedy SOB. NM DMV will give Purple Heart recipients a license plate that never expires or has to be re-taxed. I jumped at it. Wish I would have known that the first 30 years after I got out of the Army.
yea because the guy who issues bed sheets out is in just as much harms way getting dirty as the infantry who goes out on patrol , give me a break.
Also I know one vet who issued bed sheets out for 3 years. He wears his vet hat, and wants his discount flies his Dominion flag, and now claims disability. His disability is IBS. Like hell does he get the same respect as those guys who are in harms way
I think that one of the best thing conservatives have managed to do since 9/11 is make it taboo to abuse military personnel. Libs might not like it, but they have to keep their filthy mouths shut. Vietnam vets got a raw deal and frankly they should be happy for younger vets that we are not repeating that mistake.
If you do not go out, asking for your discounts, give war stories , and pretend you were shot at, and saw your pals die form IEDs then good enough. There are vets out there who only joined for the benefits, took the easy road, and now wants all the credit for their safe easy road 3 years
sounds like you have a complex, did I hit a nerve?
"Spit on" is another old cliche' I detest. WW-II and the Korean vets were never disrespected and instead were honored.
I would ask him why he wears his Korea cap if not for all the free stuff that people are giving him? I prefer to remain anonymous in my military service......I ask for nothing and I expect nothing.
By all means it rubs me, with the same vacuous stare and emptiness as, “happy holidays”, or, “thoughts and prayers” do!!
Twenty ish year old kids say it, and I have shot back with, “OK, Now its your turn to put on the uniform of your country!” Talk about cockroaches losing a 10 yatd dash in the kitchen!!
I agree totally with you. I am always pleasantly surprised when someone approaches me and thanks me for my service. And I always thank them for their thoughtfulness. Each time it happens, and it happens a lot in Tennessee, it warms my heart.
Both of my grandfathers served in the Navy between WWI & WWII.
My Father did 22 years in the Air Force so I know the PCSing and leaving schools in the middle of the year thing quite well. Daddy went to Vietnam when I was 8 years old. He came home in November of 1972, flying into San Francisco International. They were required to change out of their uniforms before landing so there wouldn’t be any incidents in the airport. He still doesn’t talk about it.
I married an airman. My sister and brother both served. I have cousins on both sides who served.
Next to youngest son is still in after 5 tours in combat. He is making a career out of the Army even though it is hard on his wife and children when he deploys. Youngest son joined the Army also. He did two tours in Iraq before getting out and using his GI Bill to get an education. Ours is a military family.
Tell any of them “Thank you for your service” and they will say “Thank you, but I didn’t do anything special”. Whether they, or anyone else, admits it, they did do something special. No they didn’t lose their lives or their limbs, but they have friends who did.
Used to be that 25% of our nation had served in the military, now most people do not know anyone who has served. Perhaps this nation would be better off if we did like Israel and had everyone serve two years. Might make these snowflakes appreciate their great nation.
This just makes my day!
It used to bother me until I realized that my existence was pissing off another loser without me having to put any special effort into it. Now I relish those moments as I walk out to the car.
*************
LOL! Love it.
We won’t have to wait long for the next encounter with a loser. There are plenty of them in this country.
I spent most of my life on active duty, enlisted for a decade and more than that commissioned. My craving is to see our nation defended against all enemies foreign and domestic. More hazardous and combat deployments , long and short overseas tours than fingers (I still have all 10 those), yeah what was your point again?
Indeed, folk often recognize me as a vet as well, but I never intentionally make it obvious.
And, would never denigrate anyone who thanked me or inquired about the nature of my service to country.
I don't blame you at all. I dont have anything normally that identifies my military status but everyone can see Im getting older. Whether Im a grand elder among the middle aged or a baby among our more seasoned citizens apparently has a great deal to do with how well a restaurant does on Tuesday nights. At first it bothered me a bit but now Ill drink all the free senior coffee they have to offer. I was buying some items somewhere else and the young lady rang me up with a big discount and told me without my asking that it was some kind of senior special day.
Im doing it for them you know, its makes them feel better and Im just that kind of guy that wants them to feel good. ;)
My father and many of his friends fought in WW II. The all mowed their own lawns. The Dear Abby correspondent is a goof.
Hardly, but you sound just like the whiny little bitch you are.
Chainmail,
Thanks for your service. Draftee or volunteer matters not.
I was a kid when you were serving. I spent most of my adult life a volunteer, combat arms, 11 and 21 enlisted and commissioned. I too leaked and left small parts elsewhere. I certainly understand your experience from history, and make it policy to thanks other vets when the opportunity to do presents.
I’d just rather be the one offering thanks than being thanked.
As to whether or not folk who advertise their service bring wrong, not at all. The OP seemingly has a complex, first somehow he IDs publicly as a vet then complains about trite recognition etc. That guy , real or conceptual, had a problem, and my comments were to that mentality.
Btw, usually we went and returned w/o fanfare from and to an AAF, or, if a charter to a comm Apt, to buses on the flight line. Only once as an individual passenger, I flew general commercial once stateside and in civvies as required. Did I thank you for your service? Not everybody was contrary to you guys during the Vietnam eta. My family supported uncle’s and cousins. Funny though, I am the only one in my generation that served.
I also believe that the original letter writer was a whiner: if somebody thanks you for serving (while you are advertising said service), be gracious, not stupid.
Combat service has become somewhat rare since WWII: back then we had many more troops, used somewhat wastefully, and since most everyone was serving, we had many more combat veterans vis a vis the population. When Korea rolled around, they made do with far fewer and since it ended in stalemate, the vets of that one were ignored for the most part.
Then Vietnam came about. We had the Cold War going, the Civil Rights crisis exploding, an aggressive and expensive Space Race - and a media pushing for us to do something as an ally was being subjected to terrorism and invasion while being supported by the combined logistic might of the Warsaw Pact and China.
But. Overnight the Left ramped up their network of propaganda and activists and once we were fully committed to fight the NVA and VC, worked from the rear to sabotage us. Those of us who fought, volunteer and draftee, did damn well and I hope that you'll overlook us "old guys going into Walmart" wearing our hats - because we did our best over there, of the very few who took the chance to be involved. The only shameful part of that whole period was how once we were committed, we allowed an active 5th Column to undercut us and push the narrative that we were somehow different than all of the great American fighting men of before.
So, we wear our hats. We greet each other when we see each other and quietly enjoy the grim looks or averted eyes of the guys our age who chose not to join us.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.