"Thank you for your service."

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

I'm sure the people who do it at the grocery store are doing it in part to make themselves feel more virtuous when they don't do shit for veterans, active duty, and their families at other times.

This. If you really want to show your appreciation, volunteer at a veterans hospital, adopt a soldier, or donate money to people who have a family member serving overseas. Make a difference, rather than simply going out of your way to say something that the rest of us are already thinking, and which that soldier probably already knows.

[WhiteRose1912]

Originally Posted by KDCat

I've seen people who are just trying to grab a gallon of milk get chased down by some guy in the grocery store who wants to say "Thank you for your service." Dude, that's great, but the person you are thanking really needs to get some milk and get the kids from aftercare before it closes. Quit bugging him/her.

I started this thread mostly to see if anyone else had this issue. I also live in a base town. Husband's in the military. He used to work RIGHT BY the grocery store but would refuse to swing by there on the way home for fear of well-intentioned people stopping him while he was trying to pick up some dinner ingredients. I had no idea it was such a constant thing before dating him. I've had people come up and thank me when we're out together.

Like ASTalumna06 was saying, he is of the mind that it is a job same as any other and he doesn't like the gratitude. How are you supposed to respond?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by WhiteRose1912

How are you supposed to respond?

*LOVE* hahaha

I should suggest to my brother that he respond this way!

[33girl]

Wow, when this country overcompensates, we REALLY overcompensate.

There is a happy medium between spitting on the guys coming back from Vietnam and gushing all over a complete stranger in the pasta aisle.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Wow, when this country overcompensates, we REALLY overcompensate.

There is a happy medium between spitting on the guys coming back from Vietnam and gushing all over a complete stranger in the pasta aisle.

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.

Now maybe people are overcompensating for how the soldiers were treated back then.

But the soldiers of today aren't the ones who fought in Vietnam. Some may have read history books about the subject, but they have no first-hand experience of what it was like to return from war at that time. And now they're being thanked, and they don't know what to do with that.

I wouldn't either.

[WCsweet<3]

I wonder if there is a correlation between children of maltreated vietnam veterans and the gushers.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by WCsweet<3

I wonder if there is a correlation between children of maltreated vietnam veterans and the gushers.

.. or even between Vietnam protestors and the gushers.

(maybe they had a change of heart)

[Shellfish]

Originally Posted by 33girl

spitting on the guys coming back from Vietnam

I thought that was a myth.

[carnation]

No.

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by Shellfish

I thought that was a myth.

I heard they even had urine thrown at them.

[thetaphirose]

I do on very rare occasion. It's rarer now that I moved out of a base town and rarely see men or women in uniform. The one I used to hear occasionally that really bothered me was when someone would start up with "No one appreciates what you guys do..."

Really? No one?

[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.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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.

I feel like this time around, people realize you can disagree with the war and still support the vets.

[dekeguy]

One thing to remember is that we have an all volunteer military, regular and reserve/guard. No one expects thanks for doing the job we all chose to do. If I see a soldier in uniform I will nod but not engage in conversation unless there is a reason to do so. On the other hand, if I see a soldier or a veteran who is wounded I will often say something like 'tough break man, but thanks for laying it on the line when it counted".
dekeguy
MAJ, USAR

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

I feel like this time around, people realize you can disagree with the war and still support the vets.

This is more what I was aiming to portray. I'm not saying by any means that ALL soldiers were treated poorly, but more that the general feelings toward the soldiers then was completely different than they are now. A person's level of support for the war doesn't directly correlate to their support for the troops.

And if anyone tried to protest at the airport today, I'm pretty sure they'd be looking at a punch in the face, at the very least.