"Thank you for your service."

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

This may be part of the problem right here. For the most part, the people I see running up to soldiers to say thanks are those who were alive during - and are old enough to remember - the Vietnam War, and the way that returning soldiers were treated. Instead of receiving cheers of support at the airport, they were met with protestors. They were called names and refused service at restaurants. Movies, television, and the news media portrayed them as monsters.

Not always by any means. Yes, there was indeed protesting, spitting, refusing service and other indignities -- enough that we were all aware of them -- but they weren't the norm in most places. And movies and television didn't always portray returning vets as monsters. As for the news, well it reminds me a little of the protests in the Muslim world now -- to watch some news shows you'd think everyone is protesting, rather than the small number of people it actually seems to be.

I'd say the bigger problem was indifference. People had such conflicting feelings about the war that when the vets came home, after having lived through some horrific circumstances. the general public just wanted to act like the whole thing hadn't happened. All too often, there were no parades, no "thank yous," no indications of concern for what the vets had gone through or what they needed, because the general public here didn't want to deal with it all. The result was that the only thing many of the vets did hear was the insults. But most often, Vietnam vets weren't demonized; they were simply ignored.

I think a lot of the motivation for "thank you for your service" stems from a determination not to let vets feel ignored again. I supsect that at least some of the gushers are just saying what they wish someone had said to them. But I completely agree that there are times when it is appropriate and times when it is way overboard.