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

I never heard it much when I was active but I do hear it on occasion now. "Thank you for what you do or have done. Thank you for your service". This country would be a lot better off if we the people could say that to more of the people in DC

I've been thinking about this very topic for some time. It used to bother me only for the fact that "thank you for your service" has become such an automatic response when someone discovers that you've served that it seems disingenuous. It would make me feel uncomfortable and put on the spot. I would respond with "yeah, sure" or "you betcha" and do my best to move on.

I've gotten to the point where I just say "thank you". I don't feel so uncomfortable any more. After all, disingenuous or not, someone is trying to show appreciation that you put your ass out there for them and that's a good thing.

It does not bother me at the least.
I am thankful for anyone recognizing that I (or someone with me) took the time to sacrifice some of their time, life, family,... to serve this Great Nation.
I am thankful that unlike how Veterans were treated in the 70's - 80's after Vietnam, people now-a-days actually understand that "first and foremost" we are and were not Baby Killers.
I don't feel condescended towards when someone says that to me.
HooooRAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

My problem is that it has gotten to the point that it has almost become the "greeting of the day". Instead of being a true show of appreciation, it has now become almost meaningless due to its over use. To be honest with you, after a short meeting or discussion with a young NCO or Officer today, I would much rather be told - "Have a good day." The other problem that I have is that when said to me by an active duty service member in day to day conversation, it really becomes a meaningless statement, because rarely if ever does the service member even know a small fraction of what we may have done.

No matter who you are take a look at how any service member reacts to a veteran of WWII or Korea, to the way they react to a veteran of Vietnam, to the way they react to a veteran of Grenada, Panama, DS/DS or Mogadishu, to the way they react to a veteran of the Cold War era (without combat periods), and how they react to the current service members (and compare the reaction to CIBs, CABs, Combat Action Ribbons, etc. to those without).

Think about it.

I have taken to wearing a baseball cap that reads U.S. Army...Retired! I often have people stop me and say "thank you for your service" and I usually reply with a simple "Thank you, some of it was fun". I joined in '62 stayed until '83 and can honestly say that I never was treated badly and surely was not spit on by anyone. If I had been spit on, I most likely would have punched that person in the nose, regardless of who it was or how big they were. Maybe wouldn't have been the wisest thing to do, but I was young and dumb back then and having been brought up as an army brat, I was pretty proud of my Army! I'm very proud of having been a Nike-Hercules vet for a number of cold war years, site duty was pretty good. I thank all of you for your service!

It does to me. Maybe because I'm humble, maybe because I never like unwanted attention for people. But I volunteered to do it, I got paid to do it, it is a job even though most won't do it. But I just felt awkward most times, probably because of all the people who offer you drinks and get in your face asking inappropriate questions.

It does not bother me in fact I find myself thanking others for their service to our country. Remember our brothers returning from the jungles of South east Asia were spit on and disrespected. I will support and thank those who protect me.. of course we say please and thank you in my house also.

The only part about it that bothers me is that it makes me feel like I didn't do ENOUGH... all civilians seem to think that everyone that put on the uniform stood on the front line and got shot at. I spent my entire enlistment in the Panamanian tropics doing shift work. I was just a comm jockey, the guy you called for autovon lines on the weekends so you call mom and dad for free...

Being a Vietnam vet, when someone really thank me for my service, I did know how to accept it, I though of Iraqi War veterans, Afganistan veterans, Lebanon veterans, but no Vietnam veteran were included in this, it seemed like outsiders looking in, no one thanked you for your service. During that time Americans avoided us, and thought the war had made us crazy baby killers, jobs would not hire you if they though you were having flashbacks from the war. We were never included, as baby killers they called it. A lot of Vietnam Veterans are dead or dying from agent orange or other diseases, I believe that the VAMC are glad, no benefits to be paid out, if you can't prove your case. So younger Veterans enjoy what you can get out of the government, because one day you will be us.

I rarely hear it from someone who has never served. Which is fine with me. I prefer to hang out with my vet brothers. Regardless of which branch you were in, you stepped up, when others didn't.