A majority of younger veterans said they feel uncomfortable when they are told “thank you for your service,” a new poll found.
Ahead of Veterans Day on Saturday, a survey found disparities between young military members and their older counterparts in how they prefer to be recognized for their service.
Among younger military members and veterans — age 18 to 29 — 70 percent said they feel uncomfortable or awkward when they are thanked for their service. Only 24 percent of older members, 65 years and up, say the same, the Endeavor Analytics and YouGov poll found.
“This data shows that military service members and our veterans want Americans to go beyond small talk to connect with them on a deeper level, including learning more about their service, honoring each veteran’s service in ways in which they feel comfortable talking about it,” Robert F. Whittle Jr., retired Army major general and United Services Automobile Association (USAA) chief of staff, said in a statement.
It’s a weird thing to do. The lionization of the military is unhealthy for a democracy.
Thank a teacher, doctor, scientist or firefighter instead.
Don’t forget postal workers!
Also sanitization workers. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of keepings things clean, have the sewage running, or taking our trash.
Grocery stockers. Janitors. Maintenance personnel. HVAC servicefolks.
I’m a volunteer firefighter. When i first met my neighbour(an american who was previously in their army no less) he said “thank you for your service” upon learning this. I can confirm that I also felt awkward as fuck hearing that phrase.
Convenience store workers are the true heroes under fire.
Young? Literally every person I served with said it was weird over a decade ago.
Well yes young, as the article states that for veterans over 65, it was only 24% that felt uncomfortable.
I think something to consider is what veterans that old went through. They likely were drafted to serve in Vietnam against their will. That’s a much different situation than any soldier has been in since then. I think they very well should be thanked for what they were forced to do, especially since many of them received the exact opposite treatment back then right after the war. Many people treated those soldiers as war criminals just because they idealogically opposed the war. At the very least, they deserve respect and compassion. That war completely changed so many people’s lives for the worse, with a great many suicides as well.
Yeah for sure. The treatment of US soldiers returning from Vietnam is an embarrassing stain on our history.
Especially when the counter-culture lead the charge, spitting on them and calling them baby killers.
Most of those guys were still pretty much kids and didn’t want to be there in the first place.
I never served on active duty, but I did a few years of ROTC in college, before I had to drop out for medical reasons, and we would wear the uniforms. The rank insignias are completely different but most people can’t tell the difference. I would get thanked for my “service” every now and then and have no idea how to respond. But beyond that, even if I was an active service member, I think it would be awkward. Many of those guys, especially enlisted folks, are doing it for personal gain. Recruiters push the fact that you can get training to develop lifelong skills that you can use outside the military. You get a big signing bonus, and pretty good pay. It’s a great option for anyone who slacked off in high school and have no idea what to do with their lives. Then people randomly thank you as if you’re doing something noble. Of course that would make you feel awkward, even guilty sometimes, like you’re taking advantage of something you shouldn’t be, like you’re a fraud because you know the kind of person this people think you should be and you know you’re not that person.
Most people serve for their initial contract of 4 years and then leave. You get your GI bill at that point and can attend college for free. With the cost of secondary education these days, it is a very good path to take to overcome the bullshit price hikes of the last few decades that have disadvantaged our younger generations. Some people who take that path are quietly angry at the world for forcing them down it, for forcing them to compromise their moral integrity (in some cases) and serve in the military, and delay the real start to their adult life for 4 years, just to catch up to the level of their more privileged peers whose parents can pay for their college expenses for them.
It’s also awkward when people thank you on Memorial Day, which is specifically a day to honor the dead. Thanking an active or retired serviceman kinda feels like stolen valor. Veterans Day is for honoring the living. This is forgivable though because most people are simply unaware of the distinction.
Vet here. I give you my blessing. 😉 I’m okay when it comes from people genuinely, but when it comes from the employee at Lowe’s, it means absolutely nothing, regardless - so I usually just say “no thank you”. And I think people only do it because marketing in the early 2000s really pushed that shit. When I got back in 2005, people in the airport started an applause and some old greasy guy grabbed my arm and took my hand to shake it. I hated every second of it. I wished the building would have collapsed on them. I kept thinking, I wonder if they would be so quick to applaud us if they saw half the pictures I had taken. I deleted every picture I had and exorcized those SD cards within days. And the only thing outside of my own head that reminds me of the horrible shit we did is those fucking bobbleheads and their incessant gratuity.
That said, I did get the third degree from a Vietnam vet once because, he “never got thanked” for his service, “they just called us babykillers”. Which I thought was funny, because when I was shipping out, a young adolescent saw us in uniform and yelled, “babykillers!”, to which I responded, “wrong war buddy”, and my platoon mates laughed. So I suppose getting empty, ignorant valor is better than misdirected vitriol.
Either way, fuck nationalists.
Older veterans do too. We all think it’s weird.
I ask vets how the VA is treating them and then listen to them. People serve for all kinds of reasons, but no one would put up with the VA if they didn’t have to.
I think veterans want to reintegrate into society and being recognized and thanked makes them feel “othered” rather than respected and appreciated.
This sounds like the most concise description of the experience
Thank you for stealing oil and perpetuating out global hegemony - ftfy
“This data shows that military service members and our veterans want Americans to go beyond small talk to connect with them on a deeper level, including learning more about their service, honoring each veteran’s service in ways in which they feel comfortable talking about it,” Robert F. Whittle Jr., retired Army major general and United Services Automobile Association (USAA) chief of staff, said in a statement.
Or maybe, just maybe, the data shows that most people just want to be left the fuck alone and don’t want to have to interact with strangers at all.
Seriously, talk about jumping to conclusions. Maybe younger vets know that the more recent wars have been a farce and aren’t excessively proud of doing it, not like they get a choice in the matter.
I suppose I’d be interested in finding out what they did in the military but if they just want to buy some beer then I’m not gonna bother them.
Of course if they didn’t wander around wearing military fatigues it wouldn’t come up.
Fun fact. If you’re not in a rural area where that’s the fashion, and they’re obviously not actually wearing it as a uniform, (complete set, patches on, etc) they’re likely homeless. Or at least poor enough to need clothing hand outs.
I feel uncomfortable knowing americans do this.
I feel uncomfortable when people thank me for my service and I wasn’t even in the military. I was a civilian working for the Air Force and it’s on my resume so I’m always thanked at interviews. It’s always so shallow, like a greeting.
“Hi! How’s your day? Thank you for your service!”
“No I didn’t fight. I was a civilian doing engineering work in support.”
Thank you for your service
Thank you for your service
service for your thank you.
No thank you I just had it serviced.
GenX continues to not exist.
I hate being thanked. It’s not why I put on a uniform. I did it because I believed in the need, even if not always how the military is used.
Out of curiosity, what did you feel the need was?
My grandfather and uncle both served in my countries military, and I didn’t know what else to do at the time. While yes, they are used in combat, the majority of what they do is not warfare.
During my time, we assisted in sandbagging villages from flooding, helped fight forest fires, protected civilians fleeing from a warlord, etc. I personally never participated in those missions, but it was part of why I signed up.
As I said, I don’t always support how our military is used, but the need is real. And that, unfortunately, sometimes includes fighting.
The rest of the world hates it too when Americans say it to their veterans really…
Then there’s all the boots wearing full fatigues plus hat buying a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.
Though I live near a base so I guess that just comes with the territory. And most of the time they ain’t vets yet from what I can tell with my civvie ass having eyes.
Yeah at a certain point you’re just literally seeing active duty service members getting dinner on their way home for the day.
The vast majority of people who join the military do it because it’s their only way to escape poverty. There’s a reason why free college and healthcare are withheld from the population. Furthermore, unless someone returns every benefit and check paid to them for being in the military, they are mercenaries, not soldiers. Americans largest industry and government employer is the Military. This is a nation of hired guns and murderers. Is it a coincidence the “defense” industry gets the majority of our budget? Edit: I also want to add, most judges offer the army to criminals as a way out of prison. So the people being sent to foreign countries to murder civilians are usually the worst or poorest of our community.
Fortunately if there’s one thing I’m consistent about it’s that I will never thank a
troopcolonial enforcer for their service.
