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Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”?
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Gotta admit, having folks come up to me and thank me for my service makes a bit uncomfortable. My reasons for serving were far from altruistic....flying (or flying in as a Weapons Systems Officer) high performance jets was a dream of mine since the time I was 5 years old, and the military had the coolest airplanes. I served primarily because it was fun and I deeply enjoyed the camaraderie of doing something few other people did and was sometimes a bit dangerous....the adventure of the whole thing was really addictive, especially flying in combat. It never occurred to me that I was sacrificing or doing something noble, since just being allowed to fly in a B-1 and getting paid to do so was ample enough reward for me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m about as true blue American as you can get, but getting thanked all the time for doing something I had a blast doing seems to put me on a pedestal that I really don’t think i deserve.

Anyway, curious as to how other vets feel when they are thanked for their service.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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Mixed. I like the fact that people are recognizing military service. But, like you, I did it for personal reasons and don't feel I, personally, need to be thanked for doing something I really enjoyed. It does make me a little uncomfortable at times and I often stumble about how to respond. I know you are supposed to say, "thank you for your recognition," but I often blubber out a "thank you," which sounds awkward at times. When people ask, or comment about me being in the Army, I guess I would prefer "oh, that's cool," to "thank you for your service."

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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Not a vet. Haven’t thanked any today and I won’t.

I don’t like to be told what to do and today is the day we are told to do this.

I say/do nice things for people who have served on my own terms.

BTW, Thank you, JSA, for your service...

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [Duffy] [ In reply to ]
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Duffy wrote:
Not a vet. Haven’t thanked any today and I won’t.

I don’t like to be told what to do and today is the day we are told to do this.

I say/do nice things for people who have served on my own terms.

BTW, Thank you, JSA, for your service...

Yeah, that makes it even weirder. I was in a public library today, and they had a nice little Veterans Day display thing going. There were Boy Scouts in there, and they were logging how many vets they could say “thank you” to like it was a contest to collect the most. Seriously...some little kid thanked me and then turned around to say “that’s 5!!”

I should note that I am in no way denigrating anyone who says “thanks” to me for my service, just trying to explain my feelings about it.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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I thanked JSA, not you.


















:)

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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spot wrote:
Gotta admit, having folks come up to me and thank me for my service makes a bit uncomfortable. My reasons for serving were far from altruistic....flying (or flying in as a Weapons Systems Officer) high performance jets was a dream of mine since the time I was 5 years old, and the military had the coolest airplanes. I served primarily because it was fun and I deeply enjoyed the camaraderie of doing something few other people did and was sometimes a bit dangerous....the adventure of the whole thing was really addictive, especially flying in combat. It never occurred to me that I was sacrificing or doing something noble, since just being allowed to fly in a B-1 and getting paid to do so was ample enough reward for me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m about as true blue American as you can get, but getting thanked all the time for doing something I had a blast doing seems to put me on a pedestal that I really don’t think i deserve.

Anyway, curious as to how other vets feel when they are thanked for their service.

They should go to a veterans cemetary and find the ones who were KIA and/or go to any VA hospital and visit the ones wounded and hurt during their military careers and thank them for their service, because they're the ones who truly served their country. My own service was small and insignificant compared to theirs and I don't feel like anyone should be thanking me for my time in the military.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [Duffy] [ In reply to ]
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Thank you for not thanking me.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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I avoid being identified as a vet as much as possible. No hats, no shirts, nothing on my car, etc. NY let's you put it on your license - nope. I have a picture of my last unit on my shelf at work, and most know what I did, but it's rarely discussed. I don't do the free meals, special offers, or discounts. I have a VA loan and Chase gives me a free checking account and a free safety deposit box and that's about as far as I go.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [AutomaticJack] [ In reply to ]
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AutomaticJack wrote:
I avoid being identified as a vet as much as possible. No hats, no shirts, nothing on my car, etc. NY let's you put it on your license - nope. I have a picture of my last unit on my shelf at work, and most know what I did, but it's rarely discussed. I don't do the free meals, special offers, or discounts. I have a VA loan and Chase gives me a free checking account and a free safety deposit box and that's about as far as I go.

Same here. No identifying anything, and I don't even keep my retiree ID card in my wallet.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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spot wrote:
Thank you for not thanking me.

I’d say “you’re welcome” but it would just seem too forced.

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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big kahuna wrote:
They should go to a veterans cemetary and find the ones who were KIA and/or go to any VA hospital and visit the ones wounded and hurt during their military careers and thank them for their service, because they're the ones who truly served their country. My own service was small and insignificant compared to theirs and I don't feel like anyone should be thanking me for my time in the military.
Saying, "Thank you for your service" allows people to do something, but it's pretty effortless on their part.

I can do without it, but it's OK.

However, like you're saying, if someone would simply mow the lawn, rake the leaves, shovel the sidewalk, buy a beer at the bar, etc. for a veteran, that would be cool.

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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I carry mine INCONUS, but it stays on the dresser when I leave the country. Robert Stethem gave his life, the least we can do is learn the lesson.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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This is an interesting thread. My dad is a veteran. But it’s never been a big deal other than funny stories and history lessons (he guarded Truman’s plane before they had Air Force one). Now he lives in an assisted living and they are so into anything to do with veterans. It feels really strange because they are always trying to make a really big deal out of it and he is just kind of uncomfortable about the whole thing. He says they asked for volunteers to go to the Indochina war and he was the only one who raised their hand. So they pulled him aside and said that was the attitude they were looking for and and sent him to DC to guard a plane.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [Alvin Tostig] [ In reply to ]
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Alvin Tostig wrote:
big kahuna wrote:
They should go to a veterans cemetary and find the ones who were KIA and/or go to any VA hospital and visit the ones wounded and hurt during their military careers and thank them for their service, because they're the ones who truly served their country. My own service was small and insignificant compared to theirs and I don't feel like anyone should be thanking me for my time in the military.

Saying, "Thank you for your service" allows people to do something, but it's pretty effortless on their part.

I can do without it, but it's OK.

However, like you're saying, if someone would simply mow the lawn, rake the leaves, shovel the sidewalk, buy a beer at the bar, etc. for a veteran, that would be cool.


These are the military veterans deserving of our thanks:

2006:

"U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment and Iraqi soldiers inspect the wreckage left from a suicide truck bomber against one of the Marines' forward operating bases along the Iraqi-Syrian border, July 13, 2006. All that remains of the incident is a burnt chassis. The car bomb was described by Lt. Col. Nicholas F. Marano, the battalion's commanding officer, as possibly the largest IED attack against Marines deployed near the border. One Marine, 24-year-old Lance Cpl. Lawrence F. Hiller of Austin, Texas, is credited to stopping the suicide bomber from breaching the Marines' outpost and causing further damage. Hiller's actions quite possibly saved lives, according to Marano. Had Lance Cpl. Hiller not been alert at his post, this incident could have easily become catastrophic, said Marano. Since the battalion arrived here four months ago, the Marines have encountered mostly IED attacks, they say. Firefights between insurgents and Marines in this area have become rare since a large-scale offensive operation was launched in November 2005 to hamper the terrorists' control of the area. Back then, a previous Marine unit fought face-to-face daily with enemy forces during the four-week operation, which resulted in an estimated 150 insurgents killed or captured." Photo by: Cpl. Antonio Rosas



"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Last edited by: big kahuna: Nov 11, 17 15:52
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [AutomaticJack] [ In reply to ]
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AutomaticJack wrote:
I carry mine INCONUS, but it stays on the dresser when I leave the country. Robert Stethem gave his life, the least we can do is learn the lesson.

I was over in that area back when that TWA flight was hijacked and Stethem lost his life. We all learned a hard lesson that week and it's stayed with me my whole life. One reason among several why my military ID stays home and why I don't have a DoD sticker on my car or one of those vanity plates on my car. My wife's also Guard and we don't want her standing out in a crowd, so to speak.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [Moonrocket] [ In reply to ]
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Moonrocket wrote:
This is an interesting thread. My dad is a veteran. But it’s never been a big deal other than funny stories and history lessons (he guarded Truman’s plane before they had Air Force one). Now he lives in an assisted living and they are so into anything to do with veterans. It feels really strange because they are always trying to make a really big deal out of it and he is just kind of uncomfortable about the whole thing. He says they asked for volunteers to go to the Indochina war and he was the only one who raised their hand. So they pulled him aside and said that was the attitude they were looking for and and sent him to DC to guard a plane.

I have to confess that I'm personally uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed when someone says to me "Thank you for your service." I'm not ashamed of my time in the military, believe me (as anyone here will tell you ;-). I just think that there are many, many more military veterans deserving of that lawn care, or beer-in-a-bar or handshake that Mr. Tostig explicated than I am.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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big kahuna wrote:
Moonrocket wrote:
This is an interesting thread. My dad is a veteran. But it’s never been a big deal other than funny stories and history lessons (he guarded Truman’s plane before they had Air Force one). Now he lives in an assisted living and they are so into anything to do with veterans. It feels really strange because they are always trying to make a really big deal out of it and he is just kind of uncomfortable about the whole thing. He says they asked for volunteers to go to the Indochina war and he was the only one who raised their hand. So they pulled him aside and said that was the attitude they were looking for and and sent him to DC to guard a plane.

I have to confess that I'm personally uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed when someone says to me "Thank you for your service." I'm not ashamed of my time in the military, believe me (as anyone here will tell you ;-). I just think that there are many, many more military veterans deserving of that lawn care, or beer-in-a-bar or handshake that Mr. Tostig explicated than I am.

That’s exactly how i feel. I’m proud of my military service, but feel that what I did pales in comparison to what so many others did....for example, anyone who was on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan had a shitload more on the line than I feel i ever did. Not to even mention what any WWII vet went through.

___________________________________________________
Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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I think this part of the premise of the movie The Messenger, where the death-notification officers are constantly told "Thank you for your service" while travelling through airports, etc, and they feel guilty because they don't feel the phrase is justified on their riskless (but still hard) job.

I haven't seen the movie, though.
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [trail] [ In reply to ]
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trail wrote:
I think this part of the premise of the movie The Messenger, where the death-notification officers are constantly told "Thank you for your service" while travelling through airports, etc, and they feel guilty because they don't feel the phrase is justified on their riskless (but still hard) job.

I haven't seen the movie, though.

I was a casualty assistance calls officer (CACO). At that time, "thank you for your service" was almost never said to any military service member or veteran that I remember. I can see where the guilt would come from. You see a little of that explored in the movie "Taking Chance," with Kevin Bacon. I can't recommend that movie enough for those who wonder what military escorts experience as they take deceased military members home to their families.

"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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I think you were accused of thank you appropriation

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [big kahuna] [ In reply to ]
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Last sunday i took my kids to the US military cemetary in dragunian (sp?) france

My 2 year old liked the grass but i can start to explain to my 4 year old about europes history

Their great grandmother lost siblinga at arnhem.

I have not served but it always strikes me as just a little obsequious when someone says it because whilst i am sure many mean it, it really can sound trite and it is easy to say.

I also think its slightly weird that you would make a point of thanking someone who was not conscripted for doing something they volunteered for.

I dont thank every doctor or nurse i meet for having chosen to spend all that time studying to help us. Or policemen and firemen.

I was thinking when i took my kids (and we will take them to normandy on the way back to thr UK in the new year) that their generation will almost certainly have no lasting memories of people involved in freeing europe or its history, and even Gulf 1 and 2 and Afghanistan will be (before their time) but the cemetaries, memorials and remembrence sunday are reminders that they need to be aware of from a young age that many people made huge sacrifices for them.
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Last edited by: windschatten: Nov 12, 17 1:02
Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [windschatten] [ In reply to ]
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I guess that's part of the problem. Is really open to interpretation and having spent a long time around people who publicly do one thing and privately another I suspect I am slightly jaded to pious public pronouncements

That said I take your point
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Re: Vets of the LR....how do you feel about “Thank you for your service”? [spot] [ In reply to ]
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My husband feels like most of you - mixed feelings, appreciated, but others have given so much more.

That said, when he was deployed a few years ago, I ran into a neighbor while I was juggling our then 9-month old son and a bag of groceries, along with work I had brought home. The neighbor asked how my husband was doing, then told me to “thank him for his service.” All I could think at that moment was, “What about my fucking service?!?!” So ... if you’re going to thank veterans for their service, please don’t forget the families who also sacrificed!
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