Is the, "Thank you for your service!" a recent thing (a few years perhaps) or has it been like that for a long time? So we are at a health fair today and many of the vendors had veteran perks. My wife would state my husband is! I realize in that environment they are probably programed to say that but it happens all the time. What really made think about it, I go into a Sheetz for coffee Monday and this couple is leaning against their car next to my truck. They had scowls on their faces and I'm thinking, "Now what did I do?" They knew I was a vet because I have a PA purple heart vanity plate. I digress! I broadcast it merely for mercy since I occasionally exhibit a lead foot. Does it work? I'll take the 5th! Anyway, they were waiting to thank me! I just don't remember the frequency of it now days! Relative to the 5th, I'll give you an example anyway. I'm heading south from the Buffalo airport recently. Dusk is closing. Leading into the I-90 tollbooth is this long sweeping curve. I floor it to get ahead of two semis, knowing they all use eazypass lanes as I do. There in the medium is a statey. I didn't really want to hit 88 but I actually noticed it. He followed me thru the tollbooth to a big pull off. Asks "Do I know?" I answer yes sir I was speeding. Comes back with my owners and license and asks if I am the one that was in the CAV and when? I answered and he handed them back saying, "Drive safely!"
Question for older veterans!
- Thread starter emrtmakesshiteup
- Start date
i despise it when a customer service representatives located in another country, thanks me for my service. I don't like it when US customer service reps like Macaws, in a voice with no affect or sincerity recite the words 'thank you for your service' because their employer told them to do it.
I elected to serve. It was my choice. I don't need anybodies thanks. I served in the most positive way I could think of serving and seriously don't like automatons spewing out sales pitch lines to me. If they are Americans, I ask them please to move on and get to the point at hand. If they are overseas and do it... I just laugh and tell them I am not interested in any product or service that the company they represents provides.
I elected to serve. It was my choice. I don't need anybodies thanks. I served in the most positive way I could think of serving and seriously don't like automatons spewing out sales pitch lines to me. If they are Americans, I ask them please to move on and get to the point at hand. If they are overseas and do it... I just laugh and tell them I am not interested in any product or service that the company they represents provides.
It's a fairly new thing and I hate it. It is said so often it has become meaningless, similar to "Have a nice day." I'm now careful not to mention I'm a vet.
Prior to 9-11-01 I rarely heard that expression used. In fact, my generation would be more accustomed to hearing jeers than cheers or the middle finger opposed to "Thank you for your service." Since 9-11 the "Thank you" seems to be the popular take by those that recognize your military service.
It’s not that new — mostly since post 9/11 attitudes created veteran discounts, etc. I’m not a big fan in general, but I’m not turning down the discounts and free meals on Veterans Day. And I also have an Army veteran plate hoping it saves me from a fine someday.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
I opted for PSU plates over veteran plates. I don’t get into the free meals and stuff but my FIL is a reserve retiree and plans his week around the free meals. My MIL has a spouse retiree military ID and gets the meals too. I think it’s tacky.
So I didn't imagine it! Relative to regular folks realizing it, I appreciate that they feel that way. I'd never be a shmuck about it! That would be like the girl/women that a recent poster referred to that made an insulting remark to them while holding a door. Think a lot of herself did she? I hold and open doors for men and women all of the time and 99.9% sincerely thank me! Oh, and I never use it for free anything. Hell, I could get a free coffee every day at Sheetz!
I only get the free meals on 11/11. But I’ll always get the discount from the big box stores that offer.
A couple of examples for you. Sorry, a little long.
I started and ran a Veterans Day program in my middle school my last three years of teaching. It continues today.
We did bios on the Veterans and read them. Not all Veterans had a bio read so we had all of them stand and give basic info about the service time.
Many, easily the majority of the @35 or so said all they wanted was recognition or a "thank you" for their service. My father said when he returned from stateside service during Korean War, he received little to no recognition.
I worked the counter at a small meat store after retiring from teaching. When Veterans would come in wearing their respective hats, I'd hand them the receipt from the transaction, shake their hand and thank them for their service. I never received a dirty look or poor response. Opposite. A sheepish look often, a smile often and a Thank You every time. (Really gratifying to recognize the WWII Veterans).
OL
I started and ran a Veterans Day program in my middle school my last three years of teaching. It continues today.
We did bios on the Veterans and read them. Not all Veterans had a bio read so we had all of them stand and give basic info about the service time.
Many, easily the majority of the @35 or so said all they wanted was recognition or a "thank you" for their service. My father said when he returned from stateside service during Korean War, he received little to no recognition.
I worked the counter at a small meat store after retiring from teaching. When Veterans would come in wearing their respective hats, I'd hand them the receipt from the transaction, shake their hand and thank them for their service. I never received a dirty look or poor response. Opposite. A sheepish look often, a smile often and a Thank You every time. (Really gratifying to recognize the WWII Veterans).
OL
I pretty much agree with what others have said. I do have a Navy sticker on the car and a Navy plate holder on the bike- in the hope that maybe I get cut a little slack on a ticket if I get stopped. I find the "thank yous" to be mostly insincere, too.
Air Force 1977-83. I never was thanked for my service until after the first Gulf War, and then certainly after 9/11.
Part of it was the all-volunteer military. No one thanked the conscripted Vietnam Vet for his or her service. In many cases, they were vilified. Only when warfare was considered more noble, like the Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism, was military service appreciated.
Part of it was the all-volunteer military. No one thanked the conscripted Vietnam Vet for his or her service. In many cases, they were vilified. Only when warfare was considered more noble, like the Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism, was military service appreciated.
I dislike it. How are you supposed to respond? "You're welcome"?
Home Depot only offers the discount to Active Duty and Veterans with a VA ID. Lowes made it so difficult to get the discount now (you have to send a copy of your DD214 for them to add the discount to your MyLowes Card)… no thank you. I took my DD214 to the MD DMV and had the notation added to my drivers license... that is as far as I need to go.
Home Depot only offers the discount to Active Duty and Veterans with a VA ID. Lowes made it so difficult to get the discount now (you have to send a copy of your DD214 for them to add the discount to your MyLowes Card)… no thank you. I took my DD214 to the MD DMV and had the notation added to my drivers license... that is as far as I need to go.
And now we've come full circle and all war is being vilified in the media and Democrat circles again. I keep it to myself these days.
That’s exacrly what I say and it doesn’t pain me one bit. I showed Lowe’s my military ID at the customer service desk and they entered me into their system. They’re more formal than Home Depot but I don’t mind telljng them my name at the register for the 10%. Saved me a bundle on new appliances and a new gas grill. Your mileage may vary.
That's literally a shame you feel that way. Since I was younger when I saw someone wearing a hat or or something to identify themself I always try to strike up a brief conversation. I remember one older gentleman who served on the San Fran. He was with his wife at McDonalds I just went up and thanked him. And he said for what i replied for being a great American. I asked him if could ask him about his time and he said yes so I said were you at the Canal and he said no. He then went on to tell me what a great ship she was. All the battle stars. When I got up and left his wife said wasn't that nice and he said it was. I got more out of that conversation than he did but i felt he appreciated it. Some thing this past summer at a Senators game. At my sister's wedding I met a gunner on the Missouri. I don't remember the wedding but I remember that man his wrinkles. And his hand shake.
I try to pick up a coffee or just say hi and say thank you and I mean it. I say all the time to people who haven't served no matter how successful we are in our business it doesn't matter because we haven't done anything in our life that matters.
I'm sure people say it as a catch phrase but there are people that generally mean it. I hope I bump into because I would love to chat.
It's a well-meaning but cheap form of patriotism. We've got a military fighting endless and useless wars these days, with guys doing multiple tours of duty in combat zones. But that's OK, it only affects less than 1 percent of the population and their families, while the other 99 percent gets by with "thank you for your service."
Oh that's right, I forgot, with a volunteer military, everything's good. We pay them after all.
Sorry, I'm still a little bitter. I served in the Marine Corps in the mid-70's. Never saw combat, but some of my comrades did before me -- in Vietnam. And after their tours in Hell, in a war they weren't allowed to win, they were ignored or pitied...or even spit on.
And the people who did the spitting? Well, an awful lot of them are in positions of wealth and privilege now. Hell, some of them are running the country. And they think saying "thank you for your service" relieves them of their guilt and makes everything alright.
Well, it doesn't.
We need a draft. Let everyone share the burden for defending our country and fighting its wars. Then, "thank you for your service" will ring a little more true. In fact, the words may no longer be necessary.
Why not respond by nodding to acknowledge the thanks and saying something like "I was proud to serve."
PA now puts veteran status on driver's licenses. I got out of the Army in '75. Nobody thanked me then, nobody needs to thank me now.
I do it in airports all the time to active and vets. Always get a proud "Thank you sir!" in return.
Liked your post except the bolded part. I don’t care about “success” in business - work is a means to an end, but I’m raising 2 boys with special needs as a single dad. I never dropped the ball and these vulnerable boys know they’ve always got me to fight for them - even if others let them down. You better believe that ****ing matters .
I was only in 02-09, so pretty recently. That said, I've always felt awkward when someone would say it to me. I always looked at it as I was just doing my job, and if you wouldn't thank the person at McDonalds or wal mart, why thank me? Wife is always big on me accepting praise for it as well. Case in point there are a few concerts we go to occasionally when the band on stage asks for the veterans to raise their hands, and she always goes crazy for me. I guess i've just never been the one to like praise. However whenever someone said it to me, I was always courteous and said "I appreciate that" and would have no problem talking about it. I've also noticed that you don't hear it as much in military towns. When I would come to PA to visit the family, I'd hear it quite a lot, but when I would get back to wherever I was, I would rarely hear it.
I agree with you 100 percent. I don't want to come off as saying "if you didn't serve.... nothing matters" I'm saying me personally nothing I do really matters in perspective. I think I am a pretty good and decent guy there to help when needer. I m not half the man of a vet or a father like you. And i have no problem admitting that.
I did serve and totally disagree. Milton said, "They also serve who only stand and wait." We could debate his meaning, but I believe it means we all have a purpose in this life and if we fulfill that purpose, or try to, we are no less worthy of praise than he who stands in harms way on a battlefield.
I served, only because I was drafted, but it's nothing I'm particularly proud of. It's something I rarely mention. In fact, I don't even bother getting up at those sporting events when they ask veterans to stand up so they can be thanked. I view it as pure BS - just a bit of self promotion by the home team wrapped up in the guise of patriotism.
Joe, I agree with your sentiments except for your opening. Stop fighting the "endless and useless" wars and the war will come to the homeland. That's the nature of the beast. It's a new enemy, unconventional in every aspect is the religious zealot. The only alternative is to tighten up our borders so that almost nobody can get in. Pick your poison.
That said, we have a mercenary class doing the bidding for 99% and not only don't they appreciate it but they despise them. I'm not sure forcing conscription upon ANTIFA types will change attitudes. I have other ideas on how to solve it, but I don't want to get my post deleted.
Semper Fi.
I served during the Vietnam War but, because of some of the ugly, insulting things I heard from civilians during those days, I never bring up my service time nor the duties I preformed. If I'm at a social function and someone approaches me because another guest knows about my life experiences I don't deny it but try to steer the conversation in a different direction. I'm not ashamed of my service time but just don't want to dwell on some things from many years ago. If they say "thank you for your service" I just say it was my honor and leave it at that.
I just missed the end of Vietnam by an eyelash and my draft # was 64 so I was going. In the meantime I had an accident and my doctor told me I would have been rejected on a physical immediately anyway.
I remember seeing friends of friends spat upon in airports coming home, removing their uniforms as soon as possible to aovid the negative issues involved with military service in Vietnam. Draftees forced into service by an unthankful public/government to be slaughtered and then not allowed to finish a war they had won. The NVA was ready to back off when they observed the media in the USA stirring up the natives who willingly participated, not all that unnecessarily, in violent protests. At that the the North Vietnam officials dug in and held on to a stalemate.
WWII combat vets. European vets generally would speak about their service but I never could get a word out of a Pacific theater serviceman other than my wife's uncle who never saw a day's combat in his life. The Pacific was hell, moreso than Europe overall from what I surmise.
Korean vets, many fewer to sample but they would disucss the war to a point. Still pretty gritty. Combat vets had it bad no matter the war.
Vietman vets, it is so horrid that most didn't want to discuss it. A few would but they were not in direct, live fire combat positions. A friend loaded bombs on bombers, he would laugh at the top secret black board covered by a cloth. Too absurd not to laugh about. These vets returned to hell as well. The only parades they got were parades of dirision from hippies, for what? They didn't start the war nor want to go there, they were called and served as men, and women. For that they were derided by the people who refused to go. Sort of upside down. The government was at fault if there was to be fault assigned, not the men and women who served. They were never thanked but vilified.
Then we come to the modern era soldiers, parades before they go off to war, parades when the come home. Interviews, sympathetic interviews and sweet videos of surprise school room visitations including tears flowing. Oh how the TV rating climb. I can't imagine how the Vietnam Vets. must grind their collective guts watching this stuff. Must we overcompensate for everything? Why not bring back the men and women you ignored and villified for some past due honor? A memorial in D.C. is not enough.
I won't go on but it is a wide ranging subject with many opinions and shades to it. A lot of truth has been printed above this post and it won't make a bit of difference as the war on terror will work nearly as well as the war on drugs has or the war on alcohol did during prohibition.
My hat is off to all combat vets who faced death on the field of battle, in the air on the sea. I never felt what you know and I hope you have been able to put most of it in the past for your sake. God bless you.
I remember seeing friends of friends spat upon in airports coming home, removing their uniforms as soon as possible to aovid the negative issues involved with military service in Vietnam. Draftees forced into service by an unthankful public/government to be slaughtered and then not allowed to finish a war they had won. The NVA was ready to back off when they observed the media in the USA stirring up the natives who willingly participated, not all that unnecessarily, in violent protests. At that the the North Vietnam officials dug in and held on to a stalemate.
WWII combat vets. European vets generally would speak about their service but I never could get a word out of a Pacific theater serviceman other than my wife's uncle who never saw a day's combat in his life. The Pacific was hell, moreso than Europe overall from what I surmise.
Korean vets, many fewer to sample but they would disucss the war to a point. Still pretty gritty. Combat vets had it bad no matter the war.
Vietman vets, it is so horrid that most didn't want to discuss it. A few would but they were not in direct, live fire combat positions. A friend loaded bombs on bombers, he would laugh at the top secret black board covered by a cloth. Too absurd not to laugh about. These vets returned to hell as well. The only parades they got were parades of dirision from hippies, for what? They didn't start the war nor want to go there, they were called and served as men, and women. For that they were derided by the people who refused to go. Sort of upside down. The government was at fault if there was to be fault assigned, not the men and women who served. They were never thanked but vilified.
Then we come to the modern era soldiers, parades before they go off to war, parades when the come home. Interviews, sympathetic interviews and sweet videos of surprise school room visitations including tears flowing. Oh how the TV rating climb. I can't imagine how the Vietnam Vets. must grind their collective guts watching this stuff. Must we overcompensate for everything? Why not bring back the men and women you ignored and villified for some past due honor? A memorial in D.C. is not enough.
I won't go on but it is a wide ranging subject with many opinions and shades to it. A lot of truth has been printed above this post and it won't make a bit of difference as the war on terror will work nearly as well as the war on drugs has or the war on alcohol did during prohibition.
My hat is off to all combat vets who faced death on the field of battle, in the air on the sea. I never felt what you know and I hope you have been able to put most of it in the past for your sake. God bless you.
During my service in the Army from 96-99 I never heard, “Thank you for your service”. Post 9/11 is when I really started to hear it.
My wife gets angry with me because I never ask about Veterans Discounts. Always makes me feel uncomfortable...same way it would make me uncomfortable when a restaurant would offer me a discounted meal when I was a uniformed police officer.
My wife gets angry with me because I never ask about Veterans Discounts. Always makes me feel uncomfortable...same way it would make me uncomfortable when a restaurant would offer me a discounted meal when I was a uniformed police officer.
88, take it to the service desk and you'll get added on. I get 10% anytime I go and additional email discount coupons. It's more than worth it dollar wise.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Virginia offers a 'Veterans ID' card you can get at the DMV; it has your branch and dates of service. It's nice to have if a place offers a discount to vets (and there are lots in DC/VA/MD). My wife loves telling folks I served and is very proud of me for it (noting we met when she was a JAG intern and I was stationed in Germany). I also use USAA bank and just showing my debit card when making a purchase has gotten me a few free drinks on planes and the like.
As for the 'thank you for your service,' I think people mean well and I hear it a lot from family and friends on Veteran's Day. I just say thanks; it's nice to hear I but I do think of my uncles who served in 'Nam and who came home to vilification and protests - they deserved so much better.
To everyone here who served - a sincere, thank you.
so one of my fiancee's co workers got pissy with me about something (I forget which) and told her the next day, "tell him 'thank you for your service' but I don't ever want to speak to him again."
LOL
we've since kissed and made up, but this is now a running joke among a group of friends who are all vets.
"Thank you for your service" has become our stand in for "f**k you"
LOL
we've since kissed and made up, but this is now a running joke among a group of friends who are all vets.
"Thank you for your service" has become our stand in for "f**k you"
Thanks fair, that is more appropriate than a "You're welcome."
I don't know... I remember growing up and hearing the stories my father told. I also remember the first time I saw my father cry in anger. We were watching the news when Jimmy Carter pardoned those who fled to Canada to avoid the draft. It was also just a few short years ago that my parents came to visit for The Cherry Blossom Festival. We were walking The Mall and I asked him if he wanted to visit The Wall. He said he didn't think he could, but as we got closer he said he wouldn't feel right not going and paying his respects. We stopped at the book, found his friend from HS, and walked the panels. We found his name... never saw my dad like that... just can't describe it. The pain and anguish they experienced and then be treated the way they were when they came 'home' just makes the 'thank you for your service' a bit insulting... I never heard anyone thank him.
Georgia offers a free license to Veterans, as well as a free tag for your vehicle. It took me 20 years to actually take the State up on their offer.
The new Pa drivers license has a vet designation for the first time as I can recall. Who knows, maybe it will get me out of a ticket one day, although I haven’t been stopped in 30 years.
Thanks, Cosmos.
Personally, I'd go with your "only alternative," which is tightening the borders. Not so nobody gets in. Rather, so only the people we want and need get in.
I mean, having a country means having borders. Ain't no country in the history of the world that didn't have borders. However, the very concept of borders has apparently become a radical idea in the minds of some.
Re forcing conscription on Antifa types, right, they'll all have a temper tantrum, and if we're lucky, they'll flee the country.
But if they stay here and refuse to serve, I'd round their butts up and prosecute them for breaking the law.
Granted, this is an Alternative Universe I'm describing. Never going to happen in our Brave New World of America 2018.
Anyway, Semper Fi back atcha, man. My Dad, the best man I ever knew, was a Marine -- and he died young. So to honor his memory, I went into the Marine Corps straight out of college.
Best thing I ever did. In fact, it laid the groundwork for the rest of my life.
That said, it ain't remotely the same Marine Corps now. How could it be in a country that ain't remotely the same America.
I'm going to do the same with my MD DL. Do you need the original DD214, or will a copy suffice? How long did it take?
