Displays of respect offered Service Members & Veterans?

I find it amusing how often I get "thanked" for my service. My dad is a Vietnam vet, and didn't get the same. Whenever I get thanked for my service, I usually say "thanks for paying taxes".

Most of all, I have PROFOUND respect for Vietnam Veterans, as they made sure we didn't get the sorry treatment they received. Welcome home 'nam vets!

Having been in the service as long as I have, with travel etc, there have been numerous occasions where thanks have been extended. Several times, members of the "Greatest Generation", moving slowly and wearing the "hat" have come up to us in groups while out, or to me personally and simply said thank you. This to me was the ultimate compliment, because of the sacrifices that I know they made. I return the compliment/greeting and time permitting, will try and have a brief conversation. The South is full of old Vets!

Several times, small groups of us have been out, in uniform at local restaurants, and someone has anonymously picked up the tab and walked out before we could say thank you.

It happens regularly that sweet little "older" ladies will come to a table and thank the whole table. And it is so obvious that they really mean it.

My favorite though is the family that comes over and says thank you, and they have young boys, who are wide eyed and clearly interested in the uniforms, and you can see a future PICK YOUR SERVICE member of the military standing there.

After all, most of us are big kids that never grew up.

I am not sure how I feel when someone thanks me for my service. I know they mean it and I know that regardless of when or how long you served, you still gave part of your life to defend your country, no matter what capacity it is/was.

I guess I feel a bit unworthy these days. See, I work on-post at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and I get to talk to soldiers on a daily basis when they PCS in. A lot come from deployments and since I never deployed (or rather it wasn't necessary) to a hot spot, I feel like I should be giving the utmost respect to them while not feeling I require it in return, from fellow service members and civilians alike.

Is that bad of me to think like this? Please do not misunderstand, I loved my time serving and if I could do it again, I would with no hesitation.

The greatest display of respect for veterans that I've seen and have had the pleasure to be apart of is the Honor Flight Network. This organization takes WWII vets to Washington D.C. to visit the WWII Memorial for FREE. There are networks established all over the country to include Alaska. I had the pleasurte of being on a guardian for a veterans during a mission with the Hampton Roads Triangle chapter of the Honor Flight Network last fall. It was the 11th Mission the chapter has provided for veterans. The trip started with a small ceremony to kick off the trip. Once the buses (4) were loaded we were escorted by both veteran and police motorcades all the way from Williamsburg VA to D.C. We arrived in D.C. to a procession of supporters who lined the entrance to the WWI Memorial. Bob Dole himself was there to great his fellow vets. We had lunch at the Korean War memorial then drove to Arlington to see the changing of the guard. Aftet that we drove past the Marine Corps war memorial. Our trip ended at the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico VA for a visit and dinner. The entrance to the museum was lined by hundreds of supporters hooping and holering for the vets. During the bus ride home each vets was presented with "mail call" which included personal letters from family and greatful supporters.
http://www.honorflight.org/

IT,S A AWESOME FEELING WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE.I MYSELF SAY IT TO EVERY VETERAN AND ACTIVE DUTY PERSON I SEE

<p>I was assigned to maritime security unit here in the states, and had just pinned on E8. Two of my&nbsp;security teams were&nbsp;scheduled to complete some required low visibility underway recertification training shortly thereafter.&nbsp;I tagged along to spend some time with the crew and to complete my recertification as well.&nbsp;To celebrate my advancement, I volunteered to pick up the tab for dinner while we were out completing the training. About half way through the evening, we moored the boats at one of my favorite waterfront seafood&nbsp;places to catch dinner, and take a break. There were about ten of us all armed (required for USCG Boarding Teams) and suited up with the required PPE for the boat. We were a little hard to miss standing in a crowded&nbsp;restaurant in the harbor of a popular American tourist destination. Several people spoke to us as we were waiting on a table, and thanked us for serving. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>We had dinner, and I asked the waitress to put all of it on one bill. When the bill showed up, it was around $40. With ten of us, it should have been four times that so I asked the waitress to double check it for me. She told there wasn't any need to double check, and that a gentleman who had been sitting behind us put $100 towards our tab when he paid his bill. I don't know who he was, and couldn't thank him because he was gone by the time we finished dinner. Our only&nbsp;interaction was simply him&nbsp;offering his thanks for our service as we&nbsp;waited for our table. I told the crew to be mindful of the experience. It was a humbling event. </p>

I like being thanked for my service. However, I would like more respect in the civilian world for my military accomplishments and experiences.Especially difficult is the question of holding to tight to the classified part of my service. Any ideas on how to market that without being in trouble with the law?

One of my favorite displays of respect are the motorcycle honor guards to prevent funeral protestors from disrupting the procession. Nothing like loud pipes in the face to drown out offensive shouts.

Being thanked is a great feeling, but also as a retiree people know and they still show respect and appreciation. I do not have anything on my vehicle that displays military, I do that for a reason. When 911 happened we were told to remove any and all stickers etc off vehicles and such so we would not be targets. That has continued to this day for me. People are amazing, I've seen people donate land, houses etc to wounded warriors. As for myself, when I see Veterans I always say hello and thank you. Just the other day I saw a young Army Soldier with his wife and new born baby at a restaurant, I called the waiter over and told them to add his bill to my check. We paid and I wrote a note to give them that said Thank you, I wish you and your family the best. The waiter gave that note to them while we were walking out, I noticed him telling the Soldier who we were. My wife and I frequent that restaurant quite a lot and they know who we are.