Let's not place our soldiers on a pedestal (McCain, Iran, Iraq)
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Sounds like several on here are harboring some petty jealousies. You really have a problem with recognizing someone who serves our community or country? Wow.
I'm with you, let's bring back the draft and then see who feels entitled.
Sounds like several on here are harboring some petty jealousies. You really have a problem with recognizing someone who serves our community or country? Wow.
Read the original post, this is about families (people who haven't served 1 second in the military) demanding "free goods" because they're related to or know someone in the military and then acting like You're an ingrate if they don't get what they want.
Sounds like several on here are harboring some petty jealousies. You really have a problem with recognizing someone who serves our community or country? Wow.
Wars in the Middle East don't do anything for our country. The soldiers are puppets, killing for a steady job under the delusion that they're somehow protecting the rest of us. My life has never been threatened by a foreign force or protected by anyone in the military.
We're using soldiers as a defense against soldiers. War is the problem and we need to treat this problem with peace.
Wars in the Middle East don't do anything for our country. The soldiers are puppets, killing for a steady job under the delusion that they're somehow protecting the rest of us. My life has never been threatened by a foreign force or protected by anyone in the military.
We're using soldiers as a defense against soldiers. War is the problem and we need to treat this problem with peace.
Things are more interconnected than you think. Evil is the problem, and peace is prefered, but sometimes war IS the answer...
Soldiers desrerve our respect for what they do on our behalf, not adualation, but simple dignified respect.
A serviceman is doing something unique ( besides the dangers)
What other job are you required to sign a binding 4 or 6 year contract at a young age. That contract is legally binding and may result in prison time for breaking it.
I know of no policeman or fireman who can't quit at ANYTIME if they decide they want to.
You can't call in sick, either.
You can't refuse a transfer and say..........." no thanks, I quit"
I've never had any more respect for military personnel than anyone else just based on their occupation. I think putting them on a pedestal is due to nationalism, whether you want to admit it or not. While people will criticize what we do overseas, it seems that if you don't "support the troops" you're the devil. Ridiculous really. I've always been an advocate of personal responsibility. "Just following orders" didn't work 70 years ago and it doesn't work today.
entitlement mentality??? why not go after the 30-35% of americans receiving some sort of welfare from the government nipple ....
why not go after the thousands of fraudulent disabilities, all the people milking the welfare system,,,,,and working under the table so they don't pay taxes...
instead go after the military?? seriously??
what a Moderator cut: language spoiled mentality some people have ...
I am thankful for most all the military because I never joined..... I have never woke up in the morning and prayed that I don't get shot, blown up, or in a battle I don't make it out of ... im lucky not to have knots in my stomach, hoping my actions or inactions don't kill one of my buddies.
a bad day for someone in the military is getting killed or losing a leg, a bad day for me is ...getting chewed out by my boss...or I get stuck in traffic.
the military provides the safety blanket/shield, so the rest of us can live our daily lives in freedom
ive never seen an entitlement mentality from vets ..
the military was spit on by the low life Moderator cut: language in the 70's ... that was wrong.....
so when I see any type of given respect, when I see people clapping in airports,,,, I love it,, and it doesn't matter if they were on the front lines or not,,,
Last edited by Oldhag1; 03-25-2015 at 07:22 AM..
Reason: If you have to alter a word to get it past our filters you aren't allowed to use it
I'm personally getting "compassion fatigue" for the military. I am very grateful for their service. That said, why are they put on a pedestal more than any other group who have difficult jobs that save and serve public lives such as police officers and nurses?
We have gone to great lengths to "over correct" for how we treated our Vietnam vets. It's apples and oranges. One group was (primarily) drafted and another group signed up willingly, knowing that war at any time was a possibility.
I have particular "compassion fatigue " regarding veterans and PTSD. No other groups exposed to trauma are treated with such compassion and dignity in our society. All victims of trauma deserve such respect.
I have a graduate degree in psychology and it still took me until I started graduate school to understand that "trauma" was not *just* related to international wars. Trauma includes sexual assaults, domestic violence, child neglect, etc. Where is our empathy as a society for these groups of people?
If a woman walking home from a bar gets raped, we as a society immediately wonder, "What was she wearing and what did she expect walking home alone so late at night?" Can you imagine the response that one would get for questioning a serviceman, "What do you expect when you join the military?" Both groups are putting themselves in harms way and only one gets any societal empathy. In the other group, we blame the victim.
And speaking of PTSD, there is also the issue that it is *today* (again, probably an attempt at over correcting as I know it was much more difficult in the past) much easier to be awarded disability benefits by the military for PTSD than by social security for the same disease. That validation alone is a major step towards recovery that only *veterans* are privileged to and not any other victims of trauma.
Its just a pity that we dont have to work and live in warzones.sleep in ditches or trenches,carry heavy kit and weapons for miles.. risk our lives almost every day.. perhaps come home one day blind or without limbs and to what...and thats some of the lucky ones... what an easy life these boys and girls in the military have and dont deserve our applause..
^
I'm sure that you realize that not *all* military are subject to these conditions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VJDAY81445
After witnessing the way servicemen were treated during the Vietnam era, I will never say they are treated too good today.
^
I completely understand your POV. Vietnam veterans were treated like scum from what I heard from people who served. Can you imagine there being any concept of a "military discount" in the 1970s?
We are over compensating now. But if I am having compassion fatigue and I'm one of the most empathetic people out there, to ALL disenfranchised groups, i do wonder how long it will take before there is backlash against this over correction. It can't last forever.
In the 1990s, there seemed to be a lot of compassion in the media for "sexually abused children." I don't see that compassion at all anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dizzybint
you dont risk your life for your country in Walmart or unblocking your toilet , behave, whats wrong with you people..
^
You certainly don't but one group is not *needed* anymore than the other. (Despite what politicians from both sides sell to us.)
I respect my grandfather who fought in WWII no more than my other grandfather who laid bricks and built people's homes.
I respect my uncle who fought in the Desert Storm no more than my aunt who stayed at home, raised kids and didn't work at all. My uncle who was a plumber and my aunt who is a CPA. All the same.
In fact, I'd go out on a limb and guess that NOT 100% of those in the military can be considered GOOD PEOPLE. (*gasp!*)
What you do for a living does not automatically make you a *good person* or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForLoveOnly
I am embarrassed by those of you that show a total lack of respect for those who fight for our freedom.
I support our troops 100% and I loath those that don't.
^
You made an interesting statement that I would love to see a definition for. "I support our troops 100%." A lot of people say that but what does it even mean? It's become a vague soundbite nowadays.
That if you owned a store you'd give them a discount? You would let one cut you in line or traffic? Would you let a homeless military family sleep on your floor for a week? A year? Would you give your child's college savings or scholarship away to benefit a soldier's child instead? Donate your living child's kidney to a vet in need?
I think that if you take the first 2-4 sentences, then most everyone "support the troops 100%
I agree we do too much military worship here in the US. Then again that's what America is proving to be about, wars and military--which I find appalling. The reasons I wouldn't offer discounts or not report the guy to police is that they're not defending America. They're being used to defend places like crimea and the middle east. While I guess it's admirable that the guy likes to fight and is now a full fledged lunatic, he has never defended me or my store. At that point, he's merely a terrorist, terrorizing the store.
The time is spent on the military because the government created a world where there are so few jobs left here, that men and women put their lives on the line (and risk their lives) to get a decent education after and maybe get a job where they won't be killed. I'd call it the US hawks and corporations passing a small mea culpa to those who served. It's not enough.
The guy at your store likely had PTSD. I have a therapy dog (sensitive little guy) and we went to the VA to help for a while. He started becoming really nervous around guys with caps and it took a year or so to first remove him from that environment and then to "normalize him." Our best guess was it was the amount of PTSD there. It's not the guy's fault for trying to survive with discounts he probably needs and it's not his fault he suffered so much that he/she's now a basket case. It is the governments fault for NOT supporting them (and he wouldn't be at your store asking for a discount).
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