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I'm sorry, but I disagree with you....
It is fat old men who send our young people to war....
and its been going on for a very very long time.
I made the mistake once, on here, to thank Veterns, and I got my arse torn apart by a disabled Vet, a woman....who said the same thing...
well, I have couple of combat friends who are disabled too. They say "you are welcome" every single time when civilians came up to them thanking them for their services.
Just because you are disabled, doesn't mean you ought to lose your temper and take your frustration out on civilians simply because they acknowledge the sacrifices you made.
Sheesh
I posted earlier, who are the civilians (I say civilians, not civilian politicians) volunteer at VA hospital? Who are the civilians fight for veterans' benefits? It is the "thank you for your service" crowd. Is it not?
PS - as we approach Memorial Day, I hope folks really take the time to think about what it means to send young people off to fight wars, that you aren't willing to fight in.
I thought about it a lot, which is why I opposed the war in Iraq from the get-go.
I taught my sons while they were growing up (including one who served two tours in Iraq) that if you say something with a good heart or you try to do something good and positive, it is never wrong. Regardless of how it is perceived by others.
Unless a vet such as the OP wears a sign around his neck saying "don't bother to thank me" there is no way of knowing ahead of time that thanking him for his service will not be well received. An understanding adult would appreciate the sentiment behind the thank you. A classy adult would empathize with the feelings behind the words, appreciate the fact that there are still citizens in this country that honor his service, and move on.
Throwing out "don't bother to thank me" posts right around dates related to honoring service men and women is just one more way to try and scare people into keeping their mouths shut out of "fear of offending" If you're offended because I tried to say something nice to you, you can keep your OWN mouth shut.
Interesting topic. Personally, I don't do the "thank you for your service" thing. I don't have an opinion on it , either way. Do it, or not, same to me. That said, I do have my feelings about those who fought, and were wounded or killed. My Father was a veteran of both Korea and Viet Nam. Viet Nam, I remember , all to well. This has a lot to do with my present take on the "thank a vet" thing. I look at someone's time in and time "over there" as their, personal , business, SK, its not a subject I will bring up with a vet. In any way. If they open up to me, I will listen, not likely to comment, but I will listen.
That's how it was with my Dad. IG he got into talking about his time in and wartime experiences, that was fine, but its not something I would approach or ask questions about. Dad talked about combat a few times. I think, mainly, to shed reality on what war is really like. Since I was determined to enlist, when I came of age, he just wanted me to go in eyes open. Other than that, I came to view asking questions about his combat time as an invasion of privacy. A lot like asking questions or making comments about someone's sex life, who you might not even know, personally.
So to summarize, I mean no affrontery if I don't "thank a vet" , quite the opposite. I simply look at their service as their, highly personal, business. So, just like talking politics or religion, its not something I bring up, in any way, especially with someone I don't know. And know well.
well, I have couple of combat friends who are disabled too. They say "you are welcome" every single time when civilians came up to them thanking them for their services.
Just because you are disabled, doesn't mean you ought to lose your temper and take your frustration out on civilians simply because they acknowledge the sacrifices you made.
Sheesh
I posted earlier, who are the civilians (I say civilians, not civilian politicians) volunteer at VA hospital? Who are the civilians fight for veterans' benefits? It is the "thank you for your service" crowd. Is it not?
"Just because you are disabled?" I really feel you fail to see the horror in being disabled for the rest of your life, that isn't a small thing...
honestly, you nor I know how we'd feel if we were in a wheel chair for the rest of our lives...this country should do more for them then say thank you, they should stop giving money to foreign countries and do so much more for our vets....
First. I didn't join the U.S. military to fight for your freedom. I didn't really join to fight for anyone's freedom, it just seemed at the time like the thing to do. So I don't deserve anyone's thanks and I especially don't need or want the thanks of folks who didn't.
No thanks for your service, because as you said, you really didn't mean it. Now stop acting like a vet and stop talking to others about their service, please, because you are obviously not proud of it.
"Just because you are disabled?" I really feel you fail to see the horror in being disabled for the rest of your life, that isn't a small thing...
honestly, you nor I know how we'd feel if we were in a wheel chair for the rest of our lives...this country should do more for them then say thank you, they should stop giving money to foreign countries and do so much more for our vets....
WOW
I think you are missing a very important point.
Respect is earned and it is also a two way street.
I don't mean to brag, but I can tell you what I PERSONALLY do for the veterans.
1. volunteer at a local hospital for 3.5 years
2. Donated thousands of dollars to wounded warrior project
3. study to be a trauma counselor, because i want to help those who suffer from PTSD
4. baby sit for my disabled friends
5. used my own money to pay for my wounded friend's custody battle
Yes, I earned it too. When I say "thank you for your service" I do not need ANYBODY else to tell me to
F off
wear a sign around the neck says "I served, don't thank me" People will respect your boundary. This is really ALL you (the general term you) need to do.
Last edited by lilyflower3191981; 05-26-2015 at 10:56 AM..
All this attention and praise lavished on veterans was engineered by the warmongers themselves (most of whom never wore a uniform), it is so cynical at its core, because the real meaning behind it is to make ones service in some hell hole of a war zone the U.S. government created to be so sacrosanct that speaking out against war is considered something akin to treason, and peer pressure works. Make the brave soul who speaks out isolated, while all those around him/her are busy thanking vets and putting magnetic ribbons on their cars. Make churches places where it is better to praise and pray than to speak out against the inhumanity of war.
It has worked to perfection in this country.
Quoted for truth. That's the most succinct description I've seen.
As a civilian, quite frankly I resent the implication in the OP's post - that everyone who didn't serve is somehow a secret war-monger, eager to send "somebody else" to war to die, and then trying to make themselves feel better by saying "thank you for your service."
It's a sad state we've reached when we can't even honestly thank somebody for their sacrifice without having idiotic accusations made against us.
Those who want the endless wars are the people in power - most of the civilian population has not supported "war without end" in years. Understand that before basically accusing your countrymen of all being cowards, eager to start wars and then have somebody else fight them.
If you want to confront somebody, look to the warmongers in DC vs. posting a rant against your fellow Americans on a random messageboard.
Oh, and thank you for your service.
This is the best post.
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