[clintonh8r]

I simply say, “It was a privilege to serve.”

[Hulka]

To those that actually mean it.

[FatherofFive]

I simply say, “It was a privilege to serve.”

I heard one guy one say, "You are worth it." Made me smile

[A Navy Vet]

"It was a privilege to serve."

Almost exactly what I say any time I'm thanked for my service. I say, "Thank you. It was my privilege".

[taxcontrol]

My reply is “Thank you for your support”

[cherry]

nobody on the street has every thanked me for working as a nurse for 45 yrs in a hospital all holidays, all shifts, all summers, with the contagious, disabled, immigrant,drug addicts, drunks, the dying, and the suicidal among other things....just saying...

my father and mother deserve thanks....my father left HS early to enlist, probably was a little underage...he never got a purple heart or a pension for PTSD, infact, hardly anyone from WW2 got that PTSD disability....seems about 20% of the modern day vets get them....

my deceased FIL was in the service for maybe one year....1946....he was awol for a month because he didn't have orders so he just left the base...I know once he got an extra check mistakenly and he kept it...

yet he wore his WW2 hat for all the free Vet day dinners like he was a war hero....

a lot of vets deserve our respect and our thx but there is a lot of pretenders out there too.......

[euram]

I have to admit, I spent 3 years in the Army stationed stateside, smoking a ton of pot. So, sometimes when someone says “Thank you for your service,” I say “it was a dirty job but someone had to do it.” Of course, they have no idea what I’m talking about, but it does make me laugh to myself.

[xrmusn]

I simply say, “It was a privilege to serve.”
= = = = = = = = = = =

I respond with, “My pleasure, THANK YOU!!” and keep moving.
The women seem more sincere and the VETs usually just nod and the VN age give the ‘Welcome home’ salute.
Probably just me but sort of figure the average ‘Joe’ that thanks probably didn’t serve (draft rescinded in 1973)

I used to ‘do poppies’ and the best ‘customers’ were women who mostly would smile and say they remember their Dad(or Grandfather) doing it.

[sschatz]

Same. I think this is simple and to the point. Although the word “privilege” has been twisted into a negative context these days. Those who choose not to serve probably can’t quite comprehend the notion anyhow.