How to really thank a veteran. (Rant)

Freedom1Man · Jul 7, 2015

I am a veteran and when people learn this they (most often) thank me for my service. Being as surly as I can be I will ask what it was that I did. The most common response is that I was defending their freedom. I ask how did I do that. Most people cannot answer that question.

What is really interesting is how many of these people who thank me are liberals/progressives/anti-gun (rights) individuals.

So, what is the best way to thank a veteran for defending your freedom? Well, if you vote for anti-freedom laws the best way to thank me is to write an apology note and then off yourself. *frustration speaking*

In reality, the best way to thank the veterans, who are like me, is to start using your brain and not emotion when voting. Start voting for those you want fewer laws, less government, and stop voting for any tax increases. Also read the constitutions, the one for your state and the one that the states agreed to abide by (the federal constitution).

Start recognizing equal rights for everyone. If one group is protected and another is not, that is not equality that is legal segregation.

Start defending the rights of others.

Start taking responsibility for the defense of yourself, your liberty, and your property. Also if you are civil then offer to assist others in their defenses.

What other ways, would you say, can people truly thank veterans?

Thanks for reading my rant.

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HPmatt · Jul 7, 2015

I would say giving up a few to many years serving to support the military - a lot more time than I have ever done.

Here back at home I just pay my taxes to buy all those neat weapons systems that might not work, but create a lot of jobs and profits for defense contractors, and technology the ChiComs can hack in and steal for next to nothing. But that gets into criticism of military management and federal drones and politicians. Armed Forces sure have a lot more supply clerks than soldiers, so whatever you did - thanks for doing it instead of me.

PS - I'm a conservative, and when I was out at DFW greeting troops returning from Iraq & Afghanistan, I didn't see 1 liberal in line - I saw a bunch of veterans from Viet Nam, families of servicemen, and other normal folks, but no-one from Westboro Baptist....

skidmark · Jul 7, 2015

But then they would not be thanking you. They would be acting so as to make this country better (as opposed to "a better country").

Can't have that, you know.

There have been a few times when I have been tempted to say something like "In your case it was a huge mistake."

How to thank a veteran? Stop making "heroes" out of folks who were just doing their jobs - sometimes with less than altruistic purposes like getting the training, the educational benefits or even just three hots and a cot without too much actual risk. It's not true that deep down inside everyone is an infantryman. Some veterans I have come in contact with were very content to be a supply weeny who never went outside the Hesco walls.

Thank us by quitting making tut-tut noises and putting some actual pressure on Congress to get the VA system to clean up its act.

Thank us by putting pressure on TPTB to stop getting rid of the real servicemembers while retaining those who know how to be PC and play the political suck-up game.

Thank us by doing something tangible to support our families while we are on deployment, instead of coming to the airport to clap as we get off the plane and head home.

Rant? Heck, I haven't even begun to get wound up yet.

stay safe.

skidmark · Jul 7, 2015

HPmatt said:
so whatever you did - thanks for doing it instead of me.

Somebody call Diogenes! We just might have found an honest person.

stay safe.

OC for ME · Jul 7, 2015

Surly? Me thinks a 8 year old kid would likely walk away thinking something other than "your surly" when he thanks you for your service.

No good deed shall go unpunished!

I wonder about some of the folks around here sometimes.

MSG Laigaie · Jul 7, 2015

Freedom1Man said:
I am a veteran and when people learn this they (most often) thank me for my service.

Double edged. I am a Vet, so is my Sweet Baboo and my Daughter and Son. It is the family business.

It has been a long time since I have heard a heartfelt "thank you for your service". It is usually mechanical, dry, and insincere. I understand that they feel politically driven to use the phrase, but I really get tired of hearing it. Usually just a "thanks (also insincere) from me and we go on.

Freedom1man has it right.
Words, in this case, do nothing. You know nothing of me or what I did in the Military. I could be bo bergdahl or I could be Chris Kyle, you don't know me.
Actions are needed. The list is long. If you choose to support your Military, do something, don't say something. Citizenship is a Verb

Logan 5 · Jul 7, 2015

Freedom1Man said:
I am a veteran and when people learn this they (most often) thank me for my service. Being as surly as I can be I will ask what it was that I did. The most common response is that I was defending their freedom. I ask how did I do that. Most people cannot answer thay question.

What is really interesting is how many of these people who thank me are liberals/progressives/anti-gun (rights) individuals.

So, what is the best way to thank a veteran for defending your freedom? Well, if you vote for anti-freedom laws the best way to thank me is to write an apology note and then off yourself. *frustration speaking*

In reality, the best way to thank the veterans, who are like me, is to start using your brain and not emotion when voting. Start voting for those you want fewer laws, less government, and stop voting for any tax increases. Also read the constitutions, the one for your state and the one that the states agreed to abide by (the federal constitution).

Start recongizing equal rights for everyone. If one group is protected and another is not, that is not equality that is legal segregation.

Start defending the rights of others.

Start taking responsibility for the defense of yourself, your liberty, and your property. Also if you are civil then offer to assist others in their defenses.

What other ways would you say people can truly thank veterans?

Thanks for reading my rant.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

Dude, that is gospel! Likely to be one of the best posts I've seen in OC!

Freedom1Man · Jul 7, 2015

MSG Laigaie said:
Double edged. I am a Vet, so is my Sweet Baboo and my Daughter and Son. It is the family business.

It has been a long time since I have heard a heartfelt "thank you for your service". It is usually mechanical, dry, and insincere. I understand that they feel politically driven to use the phrase, but I really get tired of hearing it. Usually just a "thanks (also insincere) from me and we go on.

SNIP
If you choose to support your Military, do something, don't say something. Citizenship is a Verb

Thank you. I know that feeling about being insincere and that is just not in my nature. This rant was a bit of uncorking of that frustration that you're expressing with your insincerity when you say "thank you."

skidmark said:
But then they would not be thanking you. They would be acting so as to make this country better (as opposed to "a better country").

Can't have that, you know.

There have been a few times when I have been tempted to say something like "In your case it was a huge mistake."

You're tempting me now, friend.

How to thank a veteran? Stop making "heroes" out of folks who were just doing their jobs - sometimes with less than altruistic purposes like getting the training, the educational benefits or even just three hots and a cot without too much actual risk. It's not true that deep down inside everyone is an infantryman. Some veterans I have come in contact with were very content to be a supply weeny who never went outside the Hesco walls.

Thank us by quitting making tut-tut noises and putting some actual pressure on Congress to get the VA system to clean up its act.

Thank us by putting pressure on TPTB to stop getting rid of the real servicemembers while retaining those who know how to be PC and play the political suck-up game.

Thank us by doing something tangible to support our families while we are on deployment, instead of coming to the airport to clap as we get off the plane and head home.

Rant? Heck, I haven't even begun to get wound up yet.

stay safe.

HPmatt said:
I would say giving up a few to many years serving to support the military - a lot more time than I have ever done.
SNIP

Finally some honesty. That is a breath of fresh air for, at least, this veteran.

Logan 5 said:
Dude, that is gospel! Likely to be one of the best posts I've seen in OC!

It was not meant to be, thank you for reading and understanding.

Citizen · Jul 8, 2015

Freedom1Man said:
SNIP I am a veteran and when people learn this they (most often) thank me for my service. Being as surly as I can be I will ask what it was that I did. The most common response is that I was defending their freedom. I ask how did I do that. Most people cannot answer that question....

In reality, the best way to thank the veterans, who are like me, is to start using your brain and not emotion when voting. Start voting for those you want fewer laws, less government, and stop voting for any tax increases. Also read the constitutions, the one for your state and the one that the states agreed to abide by (the federal constitution).

Start recognizing equal rights for everyone. If one group is protected and another is not, that is not equality that is legal segregation.

Start defending the rights of others.

+1!

Nice to hear that viewpoint from a fella who wore the uniform.

Signed,

Former US Marine

georg jetson · Jul 21, 2015

Something happened to me this weekend relevant to this topic, but with an interesting twist.

I was fueling my jetski, getting ready for a day on the river, and the gentleman fueling his truck on the other side of the pump asked me if I was a leo. I shook my head "no" and he quickly responed "thank you" as he gestured toward my sidearm. He continued by saying he just lost some brothers in Tennessee which prompted me to guess, out loud, that he was military. He said yes and repeated his thanks for me carrying and then our imediate tasks caused the conversation to end there.

Reflecting on the exchange as I drove away, I realized I may have been thanked by a veteran for exercising a right he may have had a small hand in protecting. Pretty cool stuff.

DrakeZ07 · Jul 21, 2015

"How to really thank a veteran..."

Here's how I 'thank' veterans. By ignoring them.

Why the heck should anyone thank someone for doing a job they signed up for? No one ever thanked me for doing my job when I was an EMT, nor when I worked a friggen sweat-shop factory job making parts for Toyotas and Fords. It's the same thing, I voluntarily worked in a crap job, for a crap wage, in a crap working environment, for 10 hours a day, six days a week. No one with a brand new toyota ever thanked em for assembling their fuel pump when I said what I did. No one ever came up to me, after I and a partner, worked damned hard, sweat dripping from our brows, arms tired and sore, after providing CPR and BLS to a heart-attack victim, nor has their families every said thanks. No one I know of who has been a firefighter, has ever been thanked for putting out a house fire, or going into a building with a gas leak, to make sure there's no one inside unconscious.

Screw veterans. Isn't it enough tens, if not hundreds, of millions of Americans hero-worship anyone who has been in a uniform? Isn't it enough that my hard earned money gets taxed, to pay for their medical expenses while in the service, and after the service in the form of the VA? Isn't it enough that veterans get preferential treatment, BY LAW, when they fill in a job applications? Isn't it enough that veterans' families don't have to actually WORK for their money when their partners are on deployment for a job THEY VOLUNTEERED for, and get a wealth of aide from the government? I guess not, because the veterans get a hair up their butts every time someone doesn't stop and take time from their day to say "Oh, mister soldier man, thank you for your time and service and hard-work in a job you signed up for, and are set for life with my tax dollars, thank you for gracing my pitiful day with your presence, please, allow me to worship you like you're a god and I'm a pitiful pleb.".

Sign up for the military, get a guaranteed source of money to get a college degree, get a sign-on bonus, get a free meal, and a free room, and free travel across the world, free ammo, free weapons to use at the range, get immunity for KILLING PEOPLE, get this document that says you're worth is greater than that of a citizen who didn't sign-up, get life-time medical benefits from the VA, get a travel reimbursement check for coming to the VA.

I have a two big middle-fingers for anyone who was a veteran, and for anyone who expects me to stop and pay tribute to people who have worn a military uniform.

Where's MY free life-time medical benefits, sign-on bonus, free room, free bed, free meal, and free college expenses, for my work as an EMT in a dirt-poor county, seeing crap that my brother, who was a medic in iraq, gets green over when I would tell him about some of the crap I had to deal with on the job, huh?! NO WHERE. If my tax dollars are going to be taken and used to support a voluntary job field, I want to have a say in WHICH field it should go to, because I'd put every penny of my tax dollars into EMS, and my EMS brethren.

So what, now we're expected to help the families of people deployed in combat? WHY?! They are perfectly healthy people, THEY CAN GET A JOB! Can't afford that home you're renting, or paying the mortgage for? Don't expect me to pay for it, MOVE TO A CHEAPER HOME! Can't afford that brand new shiny 2015 Dodge Challenger? SELL IT AND GET A 1970-Something Datsun.

Now THAT'S a rant.

twoskinsonemanns · Jul 22, 2015

DrakeZ07 said:
Screw veterans....THEY VOLUNTEERED

I have a two big middle-fingers for anyone who was a veteran

How repugnant.
In our short history many millions of men have been forced into fighting our wars under threat of imprisonment.
You make me sick.

J_dazzle23 · Jul 22, 2015

DrakeZ07 said:
"How to really thank a veteran..."

Here's how I 'thank' veterans. By ignoring them.

Why the heck should anyone thank someone for doing a job they signed up for? No one ever thanked me for doing my job when I was an EMT, nor when I worked a friggen sweat-shop factory job making parts for Toyotas and Fords. It's the same thing, I voluntarily worked in a crap job, for a crap wage, in a crap working environment, for 10 hours a day, six days a week. No one with a brand new toyota ever thanked em for assembling their fuel pump when I said what I did. No one ever came up to me, after I and a partner, worked damned hard, sweat dripping from our brows, arms tired and sore, after providing CPR and BLS to a heart-attack victim, nor has their families every said thanks. No one I know of who has been a firefighter, has ever been thanked for putting out a house fire, or going into a building with a gas leak, to make sure there's no one inside unconscious.

Screw veterans. Isn't it enough tens, if not hundreds, of millions of Americans hero-worship anyone who has been in a uniform? Isn't it enough that my hard earned money gets taxed, to pay for their medical expenses while in the service, and after the service in the form of the VA? Isn't it enough that veterans get preferential treatment, BY LAW, when they fill in a job applications? Isn't it enough that veterans' families don't have to actually WORK for their money when their partners are on deployment for a job THEY VOLUNTEERED for, and get a wealth of aide from the government? I guess not, because the veterans get a hair up their butts every time someone doesn't stop and take time from their day to say "Oh, mister soldier man, thank you for your time and service and hard-work in a job you signed up for, and are set for life with my tax dollars, thank you for gracing my pitiful day with your presence, please, allow me to worship you like you're a god and I'm a pitiful pleb.".

Sign up for the military, get a guaranteed source of money to get a college degree, get a sign-on bonus, get a free meal, and a free room, and free travel across the world, free ammo, free weapons to use at the range, get immunity for KILLING PEOPLE, get this document that says you're worth is greater than that of a citizen who didn't sign-up, get life-time medical benefits from the VA, get a travel reimbursement check for coming to the VA.

I have a two big middle-fingers for anyone who was a veteran, and for anyone who expects me to stop and pay tribute to people who have worn a military uniform.

Where's MY free life-time medical benefits, sign-on bonus, free room, free bed, free meal, and free college expenses, for my work as an EMT in a dirt-poor county, seeing crap that my brother, who was a medic in iraq, gets green over when I would tell him about some of the crap I had to deal with on the job, huh?! NO WHERE. If my tax dollars are going to be taken and used to support a voluntary job field, I want to have a say in WHICH field it should go to, because I'd put every penny of my tax dollars into EMS, and my EMS brethren.

So what, now we're expected to help the families of people deployed in combat? WHY?! They are perfectly healthy people, THEY CAN GET A JOB! Can't afford that home you're renting, or paying the mortgage for? Don't expect me to pay for it, MOVE TO A CHEAPER HOME! Can't afford that brand new shiny 2015 Dodge Challenger? SELL IT AND GET A 1970-Something Datsun.

Now THAT'S a rant.

Ok.

Now tell us how you really feel?

But on a serious note. Not all veterans have this cush living you are describing.

My uncle, for example, will always be scarred and wrecked for life due to seeing and experiencing crap in the war he didn't have a choice in going to in the first place.

There are many others like them.

Not everyone to wear a uniform did it for the room and board, and I can list about 100 jobs off the top of my head that pay better than the average military job.

Should we worship these guys? Doubt it. But respect for all our fellow men should be shown, imo, based on their own merits, some of which these guys have much.

OC for ME · Jul 22, 2015

DrakeZ07 said:
"How to really thank a veteran..."

Here's how I 'thank' veterans. By ignoring them.

Why the heck should anyone thank someone for doing a job they signed up for? No one ever thanked me for doing my job when I was an EMT, nor when I worked a friggen sweat-shop factory job making parts for Toyotas and Fords. It's the same thing, I voluntarily worked in a crap job, for a crap wage, in a crap working environment, for 10 hours a day, six days a week. No one with a brand new toyota ever thanked em for assembling their fuel pump when I said what I did.

Carping about crap jobs...that you signed up for. PRICELESS!!!

Liberals...can't see past their own upturned noses.

Freedom1Man · Jul 22, 2015

DrakeZ07 said:
"How to really thank a veteran..."

Here's how I 'thank' veterans. By ignoring them.

Why the heck should anyone thank someone for doing a job they signed up for? No one ever thanked me for doing my job when I was an EMT, nor when I worked a friggen sweat-shop factory job making parts for Toyotas and Fords. It's the same thing, I voluntarily worked in a crap job, for a crap wage, in a crap working environment, for 10 hours a day, six days a week. No one with a brand new toyota ever thanked em for assembling their fuel pump when I said what I did. No one ever came up to me, after I and a partner, worked damned hard, sweat dripping from our brows, arms tired and sore, after providing CPR and BLS to a heart-attack victim, nor has their families every said thanks. No one I know of who has been a firefighter, has ever been thanked for putting out a house fire, or going into a building with a gas leak, to make sure there's no one inside unconscious.

Screw veterans. Isn't it enough tens, if not hundreds, of millions of Americans hero-worship anyone who has been in a uniform? Isn't it enough that my hard earned money gets taxed, to pay for their medical expenses while in the service, and after the service in the form of the VA? Isn't it enough that veterans get preferential treatment, BY LAW, when they fill in a job applications? Isn't it enough that veterans' families don't have to actually WORK for their money when their partners are on deployment for a job THEY VOLUNTEERED for, and get a wealth of aide from the government? I guess not, because the veterans get a hair up their butts every time someone doesn't stop and take time from their day to say "Oh, mister soldier man, thank you for your time and service and hard-work in a job you signed up for, and are set for life with my tax dollars, thank you for gracing my pitiful day with your presence, please, allow me to worship you like you're a god and I'm a pitiful pleb.".

Sign up for the military, get a guaranteed source of money to get a college degree, get a sign-on bonus, get a free meal, and a free room, and free travel across the world, free ammo, free weapons to use at the range, get immunity for KILLING PEOPLE, get this document that says you're worth is greater than that of a citizen who didn't sign-up, get life-time medical benefits from the VA, get a travel reimbursement check for coming to the VA.

I have a two big middle-fingers for anyone who was a veteran, and for anyone who expects me to stop and pay tribute to people who have worn a military uniform.

Where's MY free life-time medical benefits, sign-on bonus, free room, free bed, free meal, and free college expenses, for my work as an EMT in a dirt-poor county, seeing crap that my brother, who was a medic in iraq, gets green over when I would tell him about some of the crap I had to deal with on the job, huh?! NO WHERE. If my tax dollars are going to be taken and used to support a voluntary job field, I want to have a say in WHICH field it should go to, because I'd put every penny of my tax dollars into EMS, and my EMS brethren.

So what, now we're expected to help the families of people deployed in combat? WHY?! They are perfectly healthy people, THEY CAN GET A JOB! Can't afford that home you're renting, or paying the mortgage for? Don't expect me to pay for it, MOVE TO A CHEAPER HOME! Can't afford that brand new shiny 2015 Dodge Challenger? SELL IT AND GET A 1970-Something Datsun.

Now THAT'S a rant.

It would seem that you are upset for being denied by a recruiter.

If you read my original post you would understand that it is those whom choose to not ignore the fact that I served that are the target.

At least one of my friends was drafted (conscripted) for service when there was not even a war. As for the job being cushy, you should give it a try for a few years. The "wonderful" medical coverage is sub-par, done often by those who could not make it in the civilian life as a doctor, plus sickcall now needs an appointment, and now the paperwork is total BS.

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skidmark · Jul 22, 2015

I'm not going to do a fisking of your post. Partly because I agree with you about the "Thanks for your service" stuff. See my previous post for details.

I will suggest that you may be poorly informed about the cushy life lived by folks on active duty, and in the last few years by folks in the Reserves/National Guard. I suspect the same concerning how life is after leaving active service.

Regarding your whines - did you take those jobs to get thanked? No? Then why are you whining about not getting thanked? Could it be that you are jealous? Could it be you wish you had a better PR department behind you? Do you actually believe that servicemembers and veterans expect to be thanked for their service? (Not many speak up and say it bothers them. That does not mean it does not bother them. I don't know anybody except the wannabes being outed by Stolen Valor and the like who are actively looking for adulation.)

I suggest you take your own advice and buck up, buttercup. Do your job to the best of your ability not because you want recognition but because it's what you should be doing. Spend some time reading Kelly Grayson's blog http://www.ambulancedriverfiles.com/ and buy/borrow his book if you want to get some insight on EMTs being thanked for what they do.

stay safe.

Bikenut · Jul 22, 2015

I'm not sure what causes me more dismay .... those who are unwilling to accept the gratitude of people who appreciate their service..... or those who think those who serve do not deserve any gratitude for their service.

FreeInAZ · Jul 23, 2015

Bikenut said:
I'm not sure what causes me more dismay .... those who are unwilling to accept the gratitude of people who appreciate their service..... or those who think those who serve do not deserve any gratitude for their service.

Just further proof of the slide into the toilet our country has taken, and this site... IMHO

Oh - anybody remember WWII? Yeah screw those veterans (many drafted), whom without, we may very well be speaking Deutsch or Japanese, depending on what side of the conquered country you lived in???

http://youtu.be/Chzhf7gQxIg

Freedom1Man · Jul 23, 2015

FreeInAZ said:
Just further proof of the slide into the toilet our country has taken, and this site... IMHO

Oh - anybody remember WWII? Yeah screw those veterans (many drafted), whom without, we may very well be speaking Deutsch or Japanese, depending on what side of the conquered country you lived in???

That war had zero to do with our country.

Our government did antagonize Japan into a shooting match as an excuse to attack Germany on behalf of the bankers. We had committed the act of war against Japan by way of sanctions.
So, no, we would not be speaking German or Japanese if we had kept out of that conflict.

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HPmatt · Jul 24, 2015

Maybe your parents were illegals that snuck in after WWII?

My research shows WWII involved all of America:

Profile of US Servicemen (1941-1945)
38.8% (6,332,000) of U.S. servicemen and all servicewomen were volunteers
61.2% (11,535,000) were draftees
Average duration of service: 33 months
Overseas service: 73% served overseas, with an average of 16 months abroad
Combat survivability (out of 1,000): 8.6 were killed in action, 3 died from other causes, and 17.7 received non-fatal combat wounds
Non-combat jobs: 38.8% of enlisted personnel had rear echelon assignments—administrative, support, or manual labor.
Average base pay: enlisted—$71.33 per month; officer—$203.50 per month

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/le...2-history/ww2-by-the-numbers/us-military.html

Personally affected both my parents that enjoyed rationing, and grand-uncle that served in Third Army..

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How to really thank a veteran. (Rant)

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