Does it bother you to hear "Thank you for your service!"?

It doesn't irritate myself personally, but I do understand how it may irk some. I'm just glad someone acknowledges me, even more so now that I've become homeless.

You know I've always complained about being thanked for my service... I mean to me its a job that I volunteered to do. No one thanks the mail man for bringing the mail; we work for the same guy...

Here is my true take on it and why it bothers me:
I absolutely hate wearing my uniform in public due to the fact it is a sure way to start a conversation and of course bring attention to ones self. Two things I don't wish to do, ever. On the off chance that I must go out, say to the super market on the way home, at least two people will thank me for my service. The first thing that bothers me is that people feel the need to express their thanks for me performing my job. The second is the fact I have no idea how to respond. I mean what should I say? "You're Welcome" sounds kind of narcissistic to me. "It's an honor" eh a little too medieval. I just take ol' Jack Nicholson's advice and say "Thank you" and be on my way.

One caveat: I respect the fact that people would rather say thank you than spit on me as they did with our previous generation of veterans. No one should ever serve their country and be spat on while returning to their home. The true heroes who endured this cruelty should be thanked time and time again for their service. The late 2000s I was working a PR tent and thanked a Vietnam Vet for his service and he disclosed that no one has said that to him before... that's over 30 years and not once did someone thank him for his service.

Just my thoughts take care

I don't really care either way, but one time, me and another soldier went to ChikFila for lunch, where two smokin hot Baylor college girls thanked us for our service and gave us hugs. Best thank you ever!

I was fortunate enough to be the Sergeant of the Colors for 8th Cav in ODS and was selected to carry the colors in the Victory Parades in NYC and DC.
To say I was proud is an understatement, it was amazing the love we go shown and the thousands of people who said "thank you" but the best was the guy who came up with his child and said to him, standing 2 feet from me, "go shake a heroes hand Son". I was so embarrassed but I simply thanked them for respecting my choice to serve, it was my honor.
I have used this since then:
I simply answer "Thank you for respecting my choice to serve, it was my honor"
As we were marching in the parade there was a Viet Nam Vet who yelled "you guys dont know war, 100 hours is not a war, I fought a war!" I stepped out of rank, (I was calling cadence) grabbed him and pulled him to us and said "thank you for your service, we woudl be honored for you to march with us, he had tears in his eyes, amazing.
I make it a habit to thank vets for their service, I recently met a Viet-Nam Vet on the plane from Budapest to Dusseldorf, I presented him a challenge coin from the USABOT organization I belong to (For Tankers and Tanker Mechanics). He was embarrassed and feeling odd, his wife had tears in her eyes.
9 out of 10 Vets do not know how to react, it is a very personal matter, most understand.

Interesting question. Being thanked is never offensive in my opinion. I will say that there have been times when I am unsure of what to say back. Sometimes I say "Thanks", but that doesn't make sense in hindsight. "You're welcome" doesn't really ring true to me either. I usually stick with "My pleasure" or " It was an honor."

A handshake is all I need. Swap a story. Carry on.

I am not following how this is offensive. What I find offensive is that too often, veterans (many of whom are wearing something to identify their service) is not approached or thanked for their service.

Most of us who have served post 9/11 have experienced the "thank you for your service" drill, but how often have any of us approached that WW II, Korean, Vietnam et al vet for their service? If you have received a free perk for serving (especially for those of you that travel in uniform), have you given a free perk to a veteran who has preceded your service?

A valid question SPC Larry Buck , but one that I do not agree with your opinion, in my opinion!

I didn't know what to say at first. My wife had to tell me to just say " thank you". It's a lot better then how I was treated in 1972. Even in Texas you were given the cold shoulder ,sometimes worse. I find it to be a very humbling experience. LSAT year a 10 year old boy came up to me when I was standing next to the Vietnam Wall and said "thank you " and asked if he could shake my hand. It brought tears to my eyes as I thought of all the names on The Wall who never had the chance to hear the words "thank you ".

I can't say I object to hearing people thank me for my service, the problem I run into is knowing what to say in response. I do not serve for the recognition but it is nice to know there are those that appreciate it. A lot of people take their freedom for granite and are not appreciative because they don't get it. I will never blow somebody off for thanking me it's just hard to know what to say.

I think you may be reading meaning into the comment that the speaker doesn't intend. Although prior military myself, I always thank military members for their service, especially if they served in combat. I don't assume (and don't mean to imply by my words) that their service is over. The fact is, many of the sacrifices veterans have made (moving frequently, loss of dear friends, marital/family stress, career paths, injuries, identity crises, PTSD, and damage to the soul, among others) impact them for life. But it would be a bit awkward to say all that when thanking them... As is often the case, a few simple words are meant to convey far more than the mere words themselves. Sort of like "I love you." I'm deeply grateful for all that veterans carry (for my benefit) and wouldn't think of not thanking one if given the opportunity. When people thank me for my service, I simply state that it was my privilege to serve.

Sometimes, because I don't feel like I did anything special. I live in an area far from any military bases, so when I would drive to and from my reserve duty, I would sometimes stop for gas, food, coffee, etc., in uniform. I can't tell you how many times someone walked up to me and thanked me for my service. Also, several times people paid for my coffee, gas, meal, etc. without me knowing until I went to pay. That DID bother me, because I imagine in several cases I was making more as an AF officer than a lot of the folks that paid for my stuff did. But I appreciated the gesture.

So, now that I'm retired, I try to pay it forward. I don't usually verbally "thank" a service member for their service, I might just smile or nod or say hi. The exception is if I know they served in Vietnam, because those guys were never thanked properly. If they're a junior enlisted member, I have paid for their meal in a restaurant without identifying myself. I'll just quietly summon the waitperson over and take care of it.