For Veterans, Is Thanx for Your Service Enough????

[reformeddaytrader]

For veterans, is ‘thank you for your service’ enough?
By Phillip Carter, Published: November 4
I remember the first time I was thanked by a stranger for my military service. It was February 2006, and I was on the way home for mid-tour leave with a planeload of other troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. Our plane stopped in Bangor, Maine, like thousands of similar flights before and after ours. One by one, garbed in dusty camouflage, we walked into the terminal.

I was expecting an empty airport, but instead we were met by a platoon of older volunteers decked out in red-white-and-blue, welcoming us home with cookies and cellphones so we could call our families and let them know we were back stateside. One by one, the volunteers thanked us, shaking our hands or hugging us.

The display of patriotism and gratitude surprised me, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. Just a few days before, I had been living with my team in squalor on a small compound in downtown Baqubah. Now, I was in a comfortable suburban airport, being handed treats by somebody’s grandparents and treated like a returning hero. I couldn’t understand why they were thanking me, with only half my tour done and a great deal of work left in Iraq before we could rightfully claim success. I stuffed those feelings away, though, muttered something to myself about focusing on the vacation ahead and quickly found a corner of the airport where I could wait with other soldiers for our flight to resume its journey to Dallas, where we’d all catch connecting flights home.

Several months later, my team and I came home from Iraq for good. Once again, the thank yous began, except this time they hit me differently. The first came from a general who spoke to our welcome-home ceremony at the airfield at Fort Campbell, Ky. I heard him offer several platitudes — thanking us, calling us “heroes” — that seemed like the sort of thing a general is expected to say at such a moment, but they also felt disconnected from the state of the war. The “hero” label, in particular, didn’t feel right to me. Most of us did nothing heroic in Iraq; we merely volunteered to serve and went to war, in the same way that a firefighter volunteers for work and then runs into a burning building. We came home just before Gen. David Petraeus took over and the troop surge began, at a time when thousands of Iraqis were dying each month in a hellish civil war. If we were really heroes, why was the war in Iraq going so badly?

Continued Below:


www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/for-veterans-is-thank-you-for-your-service-enough/2011/11/03/gIQA67hZmM_story.html?hpid=z5

[reformeddaytrader]

For Veterans, Is Thanx for Your Service Enough?

No!

[mmhmm]

This seems more suited to the All Things Military board than to general politics and market matters, so I've moved it here.

mmhmm, P&M Moderator

[deziloooooo]

Nov 6, 2011 10:02:13 GMT -5 @reformeddaytrader said:

For Veterans, Is Thanx for Your Service Enough?

No!

so in your opinion , what else??

[decoy409]

toughtimes,although I respect your input I have to side diffferently with the last above. Don't forget old Lehman,Insurance purchased on the buildings before hand,airline stock action,gold below,who installed what in the building prior to,and more than a couple of thousand 'experts' in controlled demolitions and their findings.
This country was BROKE prior to the buildings going down and war has been no more than support for that cover of.

Look at Flow5 and the last paragraph to his last entry. And who is running the country??? Certainly not goverment but corporation.

[reformeddaytrader]

I always thank a man in uniform for his service

Most Veterans don't want a hand out but do like being thanked for their service. However, I would like to see congress pass a jobs bill being debated that will give businesses tax credits for hiring veterans.. I know many veterans today who are turned down by some companies because their military experience doesn't meet most company job openings.

Americans are doing more than just saying "Thanx for your service" they have helped to construct homes for veterans (homesfortroops.com) they have offered transportation for our wounded vets to the VA(dav.org/volunteers) and they have contributed to our wounded warrior project, and shared their expertise with financial services, job search, and legal service. I like what I see these days for our veterans compared to what I saw when I returned home from the military but that was then and this is now.. Some of the professional athletes have devoted their time and energy to mentoring programs for children with parents in the military.

And my favorite is Record a Story in some schools with students who are trying to record stories of old soldiers and some have been so good they now have their own website (loc.gov/vets)

Some grade school kids are putting together pictures and war stories about what members of their family have done when they served in the military for the 11 November Veterans Day.. I happen to know something about this project and hope it catches on in more grade schools since the number of the WW2 and Korean Veterans is diminishing each day

[reformeddaytrader]

toughtimes....good stuff in your reply #7 very impressive.....Btw did you read the story called "the guy in the red bandanna"?? He lost his life in the Twin Towers, but was credited with saving quite a few of his co workers

His name is Welles Crowther

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

It's more than enough- it's more than I signed up for. It's called service. It was an honor to do it, I expect nothing in return-- though, I'm not gonna try to pretend I didn't like the GI Bill.

[reformeddaytrader]

Nov 7, 2011 15:13:51 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

It's more than enough- it's more than I signed up for. It's called service. It was an honor to do it, I expect nothing in return-- though, I'm not gonna try to pretend I didn't like the GI Bill.

I don't think this article was about all veterans but rather those who served after Desert Storm or in Iraq and Afghanistan because many of them are having a rough time.

[txbo]

Nov 7, 2011 15:13:51 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

It's more than enough- it's more than I signed up for. It's called service. It was an honor to do it, I expect nothing in return-- though, I'm not gonna try to pretend I didn't like the GI Bill.

I have never seen so many heroes as we have now, will the hero shit ever end.

[kent]

Nov 7, 2011 15:13:51 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

It's more than enough- it's more than I signed up for. It's called service. It was an honor to do it, I expect nothing in return-- though, I'm not gonna try to pretend I didn't like the GI Bill.

I'm a vet and feel exactly the same way. And, like Paul, I think the GI Bill was more than enough "appreciation" for my service.

It led to putting me in a higher tax bracket than I'm sure I would have otherwise achieved so I guess in a way, I paid the money back?

[sgtjer]

Thanks is enough, but if more is offered, I'd say become politically aware of why the troops are put in harms way, and whether it's warranted or not.

[zibazinski]

DF and I always buy meals for them if we see them in uniform. They don't make as much as you think they do and they have to pay for everything now. The pay is higher but things that used to be free, like housing and meals, are not.

[gavinsnana]

If we are out, not only do we thank them, if they are having dinner, we have picked up their tab, its the least we can do.

Thank you to all our Military Service Men and Women! You are not forgotten!!!!!

[Sum Dum Gai]

It always felt weird to be thanked for my service honestly. It still feels weird now. I didn't storm a beach, I didn't man a foxhole, I never kicked in a door to conduct a raid. I maintained computers in classified buildings. As an example, imagine computers used to transmit live intel information from a satellite, camera mounted on a plane, or something like that, to some analyst somewhere who would decide if the grainy picture of a random middle eastern dude was the guy on some terrorist watch list. If it was, the coordinates would be forwarded to a pilot in Nevada, that was remotely flying a plane in Afghanistan, that would launch a missile to kill the guy in the grainy video. And we were all "heroes" when we'd go out in public.

People be crazy.

[stayput]

Thank You!? Are you guys kidding me? When I went into the FMF, the shocking reality of it slammed me like it did every other sucker who bought the BS they sell to get you to sign up to begin with. It is then that you hear the first slogan: Uncle Sam's Misguided Children (USMC). Then, you get to really see what the "Suck" truly is all about. You watch the ass kissing, brown nosing, dick sucking, back stabbing, most worthless pieces of crap, who would stab their own mothers in the back just to put another worthless stripe on their sleeve (or especially their GCM) go up the rank structure. You are then encouraged to play the game as well, but if you grew up to where honor is a way of life, and not a worthless buzz word being bandied around by a mass of people who will never understand the actual meaning of the word, then you are just incapable of playing that game. It is then that you are given an unofficial ultimatum. "Start playing ball, or forget any idea of a career." "I have to kiss ass and I'm an officer. Who the hell do you think you are?" Please people. Stop lying to your families and the general public.

Every time that I came home on leave, I refused to wear my alpha's, because I was so ashamed of what it really was all about, and I also made certain to tell everyone who would listen exactly what every sucker would be getting into if they even considered joining themselves. For me, honor was/is a way of life, and it is not to be found in any branch of the military. Everyone who comes out and tells you any different is either one of those filthy, worthless pieces of crap that I described above, or they are so ashamed of what they went through, that to try to make up for those precious lost years of innocence by instead choosing to live a lie, and hope to get something back for that lost chunk of their life.

I have done more for my country fighting non stop to preserve the U.S. Constitution (boots on the ground/money/etc) than I was ever able to do in four years of military service. You people want to thank someone? Go out and thank members of the NRA, Tea Party, and every other organization fighting every single day to keep us a sovereign nation/Republic. People fighting non stop to get Constitutional candidates voted into office, and getting all of the Socialists/Communists out, who have all but taken over our United States of America. Thank a cop who keeps you and your family safe from all of the bad guys. Thank a fireman who will be at your home in a moments notice.

[zibazinski]

I'm sorry your experience was so bad. I hope DDs is better.

[mmhmm]

I think it will be, zibazinski. While nobody wants to go to war, any experience is what one makes it. Your DD has you at home, cheering her on. She'll make the best of it and come out with new skills, and broadened horizons.

[gavinsnana]

I have done more for my country fighting non stop to preserve the U.S. Constitution (boots on the ground/money/etc) than I was ever able to do in four years of military service. You people want to thank someone? Go out and thank members of the NRA, Tea Party, and every other organization fighting every single day to keep us a sovereign nation/Republic. People fighting non stop to get Constitutional candidates voted into office, and getting all of the Socialists/Communists out, who have all but taken over our United States of America. Thank a cop who keeps you and your family safe from all of the bad guys. Thank a fireman who will be at your home in a moments notice.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

A sincere thank you is nice.

Top-notch VA health care/veterans benefits and less bureaucratic boondoggles would be even nicer!

And getting us out of Afghanistan ... that'd be nice, too.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

We almost had to hide the fact we were in the military during Vietnam.

[Phoenix84]

I'll put on my flameproof suit here....

I do think that sometimes the fawning over military is overdone. While I appreciate the work they do, I don't make a big show about it and don't see the point. Perhaps it's because I've worked closely with military throughout my career, and I'm friends with several, but I see how human they are. They aren't saints or really different from you or me, just everyday people who decided to volunteer for various reasons. They have an important job to do just like most of us here have.

And most military aren't combat soldiers anyway. As dark pointed out, the vast majority never see combat, spend the night in a foxhole or kick down the door. Most I know had regular office jobs. In fact, one of my co workers and I did exactly the same job, except he put on a green uniform every day and I didn't .

I think military service is something they should be proud of and something we should be proud of them for, but I don't get the big hohah over it. There are plenty of other ways to be a good American and contribute to your country. So yeah, I think a simple "thanks" is enough.

And I think the term "hero" is thrown around too much when talking about the miltiary. To me that's like calling everyone at microsoft a "genius." It's not really a knock against the miltiary, just when everyone a hero no one is.

[TonyTiger]

Nov 7, 2011 15:25:46 GMT -5 @reformeddaytrader said:

Nov 7, 2011 15:13:51 GMT -5 AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP said:

It's more than enough- it's more than I signed up for. It's called service. It was an honor to do it, I expect nothing in return-- though, I'm not gonna try to pretend I didn't like the GI Bill.

I don't think this article was about all veterans but rather those who served after Desert Storm or in Iraq and Afghanistan because many of them are having a rough time.

Newsflash...

There are one helluva lot of Vietnam veterans who are still having a rough time...

There are one helluva lot of Korean veterans who are still having a rough time...

There are even still a fair number of WWII veterans who are still having a rough time...

If the trauma and terror and horror are great enough, it seems that time does not always heal in the way that we might hope...

[Loopdilou]

Thanks are empty if they're not supporting/demanding good services and only going to war for legitimate reasons, like things that actually protect our country. (We haven't had one of those in a very long time).