Don't Offer This Veteran Thanks, Or a Meal At A Crappy Restaurant

[Butch McQueen]

69. Thanking a Vet is Just a Way of Apologizing to Poor John Rambo

I'm a vet, did 21 years of it from the late 70s to the year 2000 (had a break in service in there). Not to sound all cynical, but by and large (fully acknowledging that there are exceptions) the societal meme of "thanks for your service" has always struck me as being kind of hollow unless it is coming from another vet. I've always wondered if the meme didn't evolve as almost a sort of a knee-jerk collective guilt response to what the Vietnam vets came home to. At the risk of being all "over the top" I think in some instances thanking a vet for their service is almost a form of self-praise, "see what a great person I am, I'm thanking you instead of spitting on you". Granted that is a pretty harsh view to hold, but in my opinion the best way to thank a vet is to simply, really, honestly, and sincerely give a damn about our military and the role it serves in society. Even when I was in uniform I had more respect for anti-war protesters (even when I didn't always agree with them) who took the time to really educate themselves on the pros and cons of a given conflict than I did people whose civic involvement in a given conflict consisted of chanting "USA USA USA" and calling it good. The pros and cons of eliminating the military draft can be argued endlessly, but it seems to me that one of the downsides is that created a situation where most Americans quit giving any serious thought to how politicians use our servicemen and women in conflicts all around the world. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but if you want to thank this veteran than please take the time to educate yourself regarding our country's foreign policies, form fact based opinions on what you have learned, and then act accordingly... protest a war or support it - that is up to you, but at least do so from a perspective of facts, not feelings. Write your congressman, send a letter to the editor, do whatever it is you do to passionately involve yourself in issues that really matter to you - and for God's sake VOTE!

Butch