Posted on Jan 21, 2015
Does it bother you to hear "Thank you for your service!"?
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All active duty stand down(but don't walk away, this will effect you later) Veterans does it ever bother you to hear that? "Thank you for your service" I apologize but it mmmm...bugs me something awful, telling me " your done go sit down and grow feeble " needs changed to something that endures like we do something like "YO JOE!" or another saying meaning get outta my way theres work to do and I ain't done yet! Forgive if I wasted your time, just wondering.
Thank You
Service
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 619
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SPC Mark Beard
thank you for your service my sister !!!!!! Erika SGT AT ARMS AMERICAN LEGION POST 217 COLLEGE PARK MD
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MSgt Stephan Hall
My pleasure, though it's been 19 yrs since I retired I'd do it all over again given the opportunity.
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MSgt Stephan Hall
Emotionally I have what it takes, physically this old carcass is only good for wit and wisdom.
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Cpl David Schaffer
@MSgt Stephan Hall Semper Fi, Brother and thank you! I know what you are talking about, though I am still a young 32, my body is going downhill fast. Garth Brooks said it best "I'm much too young to feel this damn old."
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I kept being told that I was only in the Coast Guard, even by other vets! My dad, who retired as a major in the Air Force, told me that the Coast Guard isn't really the military. This was from 1979 until just after the events of 9-11-01. It got to the point that I wouldn't talk about my service at the VA..... Slowly the attitudes started changing.
I love being thanked for my service! It feels good to know some people appreciate what I have done!
I love being thanked for my service! It feels good to know some people appreciate what I have done!
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SFC (Join to see)
I don't think many people know what what many of the USCG missions are.
Better yet. I should say that Hollywood hasn't informed the American people what the USCG does.
Better yet. I should say that Hollywood hasn't informed the American people what the USCG does.
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PO1 Michael Rohman
You are absolutely correct, SFC! I've only seen the Coast Guard in three movies and only one was actually about the Guard but it covered the smallest group, the rescue swimmers. The other two were kid's films, a Benji movie and "The Boatniks" from the late sixties..... Discover Channel did us some good with their "Deadliest Catch" program. But again, that focused more on the rescue swimmers and helo ops. I have never even seen a headline showing our law enforcement successes..... Hundreds of tons of drugs, hundreds of illegal aliens and the protection of our fishing industry. As I said earlier, we all served and we all deserve some thanks for our service, regardless of the branch we were in or the jobs we did! Thank you SFC!
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PO1 Michael Rohman
EGADS! The Weather Channel has a weekly show on the U.S. Coast Guard!!!!! Of all stations, The Weather Channel?! I have got to watch it!
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LtCol George Carlson
Maybe it's just a "Marine thing" but the number of Coast Guard coxswains on landing craft in WW2 brought the USCG into the "Marine family."
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It doesn't bother me, but at the same time, it does humble me. When I was in uniform, I carried small cards with flag ribbon pins on them. I called them pin-cards.
If a civilian thanked me for my service, I would tell them that it was my honor to serve and then I would ask them if I could give them something. They always said yes, and I would hand them the card and walk away. Depending on where I was, sometimes the civilian would chase me down and give me a big hug - many times, they would do so with tears. Then they would immediately pull the pin off of the card and wear it on their clothing.
I started doing this when I went AGR and continued until I retired. It was my way of letting civilians know that their "thank you's" do not fall on deaf ears. It was also my way of encouraging them to continue doing it. Not for me, because I didn't need it, but for that private or specialist or NCO that needed a reminder once in a while that they served a purpose and they are appreciated.
If a civilian thanked me for my service, I would tell them that it was my honor to serve and then I would ask them if I could give them something. They always said yes, and I would hand them the card and walk away. Depending on where I was, sometimes the civilian would chase me down and give me a big hug - many times, they would do so with tears. Then they would immediately pull the pin off of the card and wear it on their clothing.
I started doing this when I went AGR and continued until I retired. It was my way of letting civilians know that their "thank you's" do not fall on deaf ears. It was also my way of encouraging them to continue doing it. Not for me, because I didn't need it, but for that private or specialist or NCO that needed a reminder once in a while that they served a purpose and they are appreciated.
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LTC Hillary Luton
SGT Bob Sampson - I'm sure we would all prefer the "Thank you" over the treatment you received before.
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SSgt Daniel Reed
It's a nice gesture and I always respond with a thank you. Viet Nam was so long ago and I have outgrown the emotions at the Spokane, Washington Amoco station When I went inside to get a coke and a stunningly beautiful young woman cursed my Blues with language seldom heard outside of the NCO club. As she spun on her heels to leave she spit on the floor and told me to ask gods' forgiveness for killing babies. She wasn't so beautiful after that. I've often wondered over the years if she even remembers the incident.
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This bugged me for the longest time. I got so mad when people would say "thank you for your service". I could only think "where were you? Why were you not beside me?" And "the real ones you should thank are dead". It wasn't until older vets from prior wars told me of how they were mistreated and looked down upon by fellow Americans when they returned. They think it's an honor to hear "thank you for your service" because they were not given the respect they deserved when they returned.
I have leaned to reply with "thank you for your support". At first it was really hard to say, it still is, but it's gotten easier. Learn from the wise ones and carry on. Don't let this phrase anger you so much.
-Stewart, Mary
OIF 08/09
I have leaned to reply with "thank you for your support". At first it was really hard to say, it still is, but it's gotten easier. Learn from the wise ones and carry on. Don't let this phrase anger you so much.
-Stewart, Mary
OIF 08/09
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SGT (Join to see)
Awesome Mary. Thank you for enlisting and taking the abuse that I'm sure you got. You stayed in and that is great. Old vets are proud of you.
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When anyone stops me to say 'Thank you for your service' I realize that we, as a country, have come a long way beyond how our fellow Vietnam & Korean vets were welcomed. I accept their gesture with the politeness and gratitude it deserves. I know they did not have to say anything but chose to say it out of the goodness of their heart.
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SPC Mark Beard
I love thanking my vet brothers and sisters for their service and i feel Honored when it is said to me
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SPC Mark Beard
thank you for your service if you served in Nam welcome home when im entertaining on stage I always do this and sing the Ballad of the Green beret
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SPC Larry Buck, It's the ultimate THANK YOU, from AMERICANS FOR YOUR "DUTY HONOR COUNTRY SERVICE TO THE NATION.
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Not really, I think. That it goes with the timed. I hate to say it but it is Pc to say it right now. Sorry to say there are alot of Vietnam veterans that should have been told Thank you for your service. We as a country failed on that end.
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SPC Charles Griffith
It is why I ALWAYS Say it when I see one. had a friend ask me one day "why do you do that how do you know he didn't just buy a hat?" I said I guess I'd rather tell some faker than to miss out on the chance to tell a real hero.
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SGT (Join to see)
The way we were treated as Vietnam vets made the next generation feel guilty. They understand and don't want it to happen again. So, in a way we helped the future generation.
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Suspended Profile
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.
SPC Larry Buck
I hear ya.. Just remember you can come in anytime, no trouble.. Others call it assistance, those who was there, or close to homeless days saving my ass! Stop by a VA facility for VOC. Rehab. Takes time, supposed to pay enough for cheap rent and if you qualify schooled education, and maybe job assist mental health should be able to assist on small jobs too never hurts to have extra intelligence...
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1SG David Lopez
SPC Paul Reyes, I'm close by you in Paso Robles, CA. We are hiring at CMC in San Luis Obispo, always looking for Veterans. We prefer Veterans. Get on the web site for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), we are hiring 7,000 Correctional Officers within the next three years to work at one of our 33 prisons across the Great state of California. Veterans are given preference and you will also be fast tracked through the hiring process. Great pay and benifits. Yeah get this, even if you work 10 minutes beyond your shift, we will pay you overtime. By the way, there is alot of overtime, so no need to get a second job to make ends meet. This job is a perfect fit for military people. Contact me at: [login to see] .gov if you have any questions. The application and most forms are online, you must have a valid email address so that CDCR can respond to you. FYI, this message for ALL job seekers Veterans that are reading this. If you are a leader and one of your young Hoo-Ah's is getting out of the military, please pass this information on to them. Good Luck and Thanks for your service SPC Reyes and all Veterans taking the time to read this post. Hoo-Ah!
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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
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
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Cpl David Schaffer
I thank the postal workers all the time. When I had trash services I thanked them too. I thank police officers and firefighters and even the local butcher.
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PO3 Peter Carr
I hear you, all that is needed is for all veterans and active duty to be shown respect.
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