Thank you for your Service
Few things that bug me .......... Some more recent, some for some time.
"HERO" - The term gets overused to the point of nausea nowadays. Not every person in uniform deserves the praise of "Hero" when something happens. Not every civilian deserves it when they do something good. Lets reserve it for those that truly are' . It's gotten diluted
Military Uniforms - Back in my day, when you traveled you wore your Class As. Your best . Your service dress uniform. Now , you see folks in their BDUs when traveling. If you're deploying to an overseas location to go fight in a war, I get it. If you're deploying to a location where you won't need anything but BDUs, I get it. But, if you're headed to another base for training, and opt to wear them... wrong. Wear your Civvies. Get over yourself. We know why you're wearing them. Many I've spoken to , agree with me on this subject. The few that don't agree with me, usually never served. They don't get it. Enough said...
"Thank you for your Service" - This is a tough one. As of late, I regularly pull out my ID card at certain locations, because they offer a military discount. Lowes. O'Reilys, A few restaurants,etc. Every once in awhile, the response is "Thank you for your service" and it's usually sincere. Hell, sometimes makes me blush. I just opted for the discount, knowing it negates that State Tax that was on the bill. Works for me!. But, the curve ball is , sometimes you find out the person that just said it, also served. Or is currently serving. So now I'm saying it back. Why are we saying it all ? When I served my Twenty, we didn't say it. It's a brotherhood ( and sisterhood, ladies ) . I know. We knew. Nothing had to be said. But today, people that served say it to me in person. In emails. On Social Media. On forums. Why? It doesn't need to be said. I don't need to say it. It dilutes the value of it. But, damned if it doesn't put a chill up my spine when some young kid says it with meaning when they see your card or your Ink on the arm, stating your branch of Service
Civilian "Military Events" - Well actually, businesses that push military angles. Sometimes to a nauseating level. Why do businesses do this? Ninety Nine percent of them ( IMHO ) do it to gain revenue. To fill seats. Period. The same reason you see car dealerships with dozens and dozens of American Flags flying about the car lot. To get our money. Period. Now, there is a small percentage, and I don't know of any off the top of my head, that do it because the owner served this great nation of ours. Their patriotism seeps over into their business life. We know they are out there. Those, are the exception to the rule. I'll spend my hard earned money with them all day long. But, that's not the issue with most. If a Car brand / dealership , or Motorcycle brand (ex. Indian or HD ) want to give us a military discount/ promotion, I'll take it! But I don't for one minute, believe it was out of the pure goodness of their heart, though I do appreciate it. And appreciate their support. It's just business. But, when a small business goes overboard and they have zero ties themselves to the military or LEOs or Fireman ... Caveat Emptor .. .js It's just business. What makes me scratch my head is the folks that lineup like sheep for their sticker .. their patch.. their shirt .. whatever .. without doing the math. Without understanding the situation. Getting emotionally caught up in it all.
Me personally, I served this great nation of ours for exactly 20 years. I joined and served for all the right reasons. I was willing to give my life for it. Still am. But, I wasn't a Jarhead in the trenches. I wasn't a Soldier in the trenches. I wasn't a Sailor on the high seas. I opted to join the USAF because I felt it had the best schools, best opportunities.. I didn't join to go kill people, I was thinking of my long term future. But, my first three years were spent in the Security Police ( signed up for six years, knowing I would retrain into Computer/Electronics after the first three). After tech school.... Air Base Ground Defense . I wanted to kill people. We thought were were badasses. Well, compared to most in the USAF , we were. Compared to the Marines and Army .. .well, we probably weren't. But I was never in harms way as an SP. During my next seventeen years, I'd find myself on missions that were in some hotspots around the world. We received Air Medals. We were sitting ducks above violent conflicts, or potentially violent / deadly situations, in a Reconnaissance Aircraft. But, I came out of it all unscathed. No mental trauma. No physical war wounds. So, thank me for my service ? Sure. But, I wasn't a Hero. Just because I wore a uniform doesn't make me one. I wore it to serve my country, and loved all those twenty years.
Now., just need to remember to ask for the discount , next time I'm at Applebees. I usually forget ....
"HERO" - The term gets overused to the point of nausea nowadays. Not every person in uniform deserves the praise of "Hero" when something happens. Not every civilian deserves it when they do something good. Lets reserve it for those that truly are' . It's gotten diluted
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| A True Hero! |
Military Uniforms - Back in my day, when you traveled you wore your Class As. Your best . Your service dress uniform. Now , you see folks in their BDUs when traveling. If you're deploying to an overseas location to go fight in a war, I get it. If you're deploying to a location where you won't need anything but BDUs, I get it. But, if you're headed to another base for training, and opt to wear them... wrong. Wear your Civvies. Get over yourself. We know why you're wearing them. Many I've spoken to , agree with me on this subject. The few that don't agree with me, usually never served. They don't get it. Enough said...
"Thank you for your Service" - This is a tough one. As of late, I regularly pull out my ID card at certain locations, because they offer a military discount. Lowes. O'Reilys, A few restaurants,etc. Every once in awhile, the response is "Thank you for your service" and it's usually sincere. Hell, sometimes makes me blush. I just opted for the discount, knowing it negates that State Tax that was on the bill. Works for me!. But, the curve ball is , sometimes you find out the person that just said it, also served. Or is currently serving. So now I'm saying it back. Why are we saying it all ? When I served my Twenty, we didn't say it. It's a brotherhood ( and sisterhood, ladies ) . I know. We knew. Nothing had to be said. But today, people that served say it to me in person. In emails. On Social Media. On forums. Why? It doesn't need to be said. I don't need to say it. It dilutes the value of it. But, damned if it doesn't put a chill up my spine when some young kid says it with meaning when they see your card or your Ink on the arm, stating your branch of Service
Civilian "Military Events" - Well actually, businesses that push military angles. Sometimes to a nauseating level. Why do businesses do this? Ninety Nine percent of them ( IMHO ) do it to gain revenue. To fill seats. Period. The same reason you see car dealerships with dozens and dozens of American Flags flying about the car lot. To get our money. Period. Now, there is a small percentage, and I don't know of any off the top of my head, that do it because the owner served this great nation of ours. Their patriotism seeps over into their business life. We know they are out there. Those, are the exception to the rule. I'll spend my hard earned money with them all day long. But, that's not the issue with most. If a Car brand / dealership , or Motorcycle brand (ex. Indian or HD ) want to give us a military discount/ promotion, I'll take it! But I don't for one minute, believe it was out of the pure goodness of their heart, though I do appreciate it. And appreciate their support. It's just business. But, when a small business goes overboard and they have zero ties themselves to the military or LEOs or Fireman ... Caveat Emptor .. .js It's just business. What makes me scratch my head is the folks that lineup like sheep for their sticker .. their patch.. their shirt .. whatever .. without doing the math. Without understanding the situation. Getting emotionally caught up in it all.
Me personally, I served this great nation of ours for exactly 20 years. I joined and served for all the right reasons. I was willing to give my life for it. Still am. But, I wasn't a Jarhead in the trenches. I wasn't a Soldier in the trenches. I wasn't a Sailor on the high seas. I opted to join the USAF because I felt it had the best schools, best opportunities.. I didn't join to go kill people, I was thinking of my long term future. But, my first three years were spent in the Security Police ( signed up for six years, knowing I would retrain into Computer/Electronics after the first three). After tech school.... Air Base Ground Defense . I wanted to kill people. We thought were were badasses. Well, compared to most in the USAF , we were. Compared to the Marines and Army .. .well, we probably weren't. But I was never in harms way as an SP. During my next seventeen years, I'd find myself on missions that were in some hotspots around the world. We received Air Medals. We were sitting ducks above violent conflicts, or potentially violent / deadly situations, in a Reconnaissance Aircraft. But, I came out of it all unscathed. No mental trauma. No physical war wounds. So, thank me for my service ? Sure. But, I wasn't a Hero. Just because I wore a uniform doesn't make me one. I wore it to serve my country, and loved all those twenty years.
Now., just need to remember to ask for the discount , next time I'm at Applebees. I usually forget ....
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