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

SPC Larry Buck

DON'T THANK ME FOR MY SERVICE...and yet another article that states the same opinion as the OP.

I am mystified that a SM could take a 'thank you' as anything other than that.

However, this article digs into the very essence of what the OP was probably trying to iterate...I'm interested in everyones thoughts on this...and if it goes along with the thinking of those that disapprove of hearing the words, 'thank you for your service'.

Is there some PTSD history? Does this article convey your opinions succinctly?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/sunday-review/please-dont-thank-me-for-my-service.html?referrer=&_r=0

As a Viet Nam Vet I've had much worse said to me. Now about 5 years ago the people who called me names and ignored me thank me. Many times with the additional, "I would have gone but was not drafted", neither was I RA1158****. Some I tell them if they would like to see combat someone would help them out. It is easy to be thankful when you have done nothing and the danger has passed. Clearly even the VA wishes we would go away.

Today when I meet young service members I stick out my hand and say "' Thank you Sgt, Airman, Capt, , is there anything I can do for you". If I cannot determine their rank, like if they are in the Navy, I address them as soldier, sailor etc. If I see them with their family at a Restaurant I pay their bill with a note...From one vet to another...Namaste ! (I recognize the warrior in you)

But as to the question...there are some folks who are sincere and I accept that. They don't know what else to say as they don't know us. The Ricky recons...well depends on my mood but generally they piss me off.

It took 44 years before anyone said to me "Thank you for your Service and Welcome Home." I am a proud Vietnam Veteran and everyone knows how we were treated when we came back to the World. I was treated like a Criminal, an outcast. I was met at the airport by anti-war demonstrators and cold shoulders. I was spit on and called names like "baby killer." Why? Because of the news media. The Vietnam war was the start of an new era for news reporters. They were allowed in the front lines and they didn't belong there and they still don't. They reported what was happening as they interpreted it and not as it actually was. Hell, they even reported that we lost the Vietnam War. We didn't loose the Vietnam War, we were ordered to Stand Down, just like we were in Iraq. But even when we left Vietnam , we still had boots on the ground until the last US Soldier was air lifted out. Does it bother me to have someone say, "Thank you for your Service" no way in hell. I served my Country with dignity and pride and I did my job in protecting the rights and freedom of the South Vietnamese people from communism.

Not at all. I put myself in their shoes and ask myself, what else are they supposed to say? It's a show of support and respect. We had the big fires in Colorado and in a heartfelt appreciation I bought some Fire Fighters their drinks while in line and said, "Thank you for what you do." What was I supposed to say? They seemed to appreciate it, but I really wanted them to know. I felt like a dork for a second because it slipped out before I really thought about it.
I deal with my own limitations and man it get's to me when I question myself on how my Wife see's me today. I don't ask her how she see's me, her actions show it. She loves me. I've learned to let statements of others especially the ones I may not get soak for a bit and dismiss it if they see me for something I'm not. I do I miss the physical strength, stamina, and I've inherited "Can't Remember Stuff" (CRS). But, I still do the best I can and work to make it happen. I still use a PDA and my Android device. I'm working on fitness, but running will end my spine. I'm not the same after Service and I began to see it during my career. Life is good, but I'll always think I'm supposed have the abilities I had as a Soldier, realize I don't and feel my heart sink in that moment. I've become stronger in other ways and I compensate for lost abilities. I don't know if this ever changes, but enjoy any show of appreciation, because sometimes we are our worst critic.

It's good to hear, sometimes it catches me off guard, people run up on you out of nowhere to shake your hand and thank you.

The only time that it bothers me is when i know that they are only saying it because they feel that they "HAVE" to. If they do not mean it then they need not say it to me.

No it doesn't. And it doesn't make me feel like I'm done and ready for pasture.

I have heard a good response to "Thank you for your service" though recently and have had a chance to use it and will be using it when the occasion arises, "You're Worth It".

There are a number of reasons one might feel the way you do.

I'm not throwing punches here, but hear me out:

If I was working for Burger King and someone told me, "Thank you for your service."
I might be a little peeved, I don't know why, but I would.

If I pulled people from burning houses, and someone said it, I'd probably tear up.
Why? Because I felt like I mattered in my time of service. If I watch my friends perish, if I miss my kids birth because of deployment, if I suffered, in anyway during service,(I did) It'd mean something.

Now, had I just handed out towels in the gym for 4 years and someone said it, I might get annoyed. I've actually seen this happen with someone else. I asked him why and you know what he said? "It was just a job/paycheck"

That's the difference, at least, in my opinion. My short, 25 years of life experience...

It is not about what YOU feel. It is about how the sender feels. Like it or not, and as uncomfortable as it makes me feel, accepting it in a professional and respectful manner is what people are expecting. It makes THEM feel good for saying it. My service isn't over, so I will suck it up and say to them "It is my honor." People really mean what they say when they say it. It is better to keep that relationship with the public alive than squelch it for petty personal reasons.

Does not bother me at all. Civilians are often very unsure of how to approach us. They don't know what to say or how to act. The 'crutch' response is "Thank you for your service."

That never bothered me, ever.

I look them right in the eyes, I smile, and I thank them for saying something.

I often hear veterans discuss how they feel civilians don't appreciate or understand what it means to serve. I agree, they don't. If we want them to understand, we should be more open to explaining it. Answering their questions. Thanking them for acknowledging us and thanking us for our service.