# Am I the only person who's tired of news stories about deployed soldiers coming home and surprising their kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788 "2026-05-04T23:11:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/41 "2026-05-06T14:05:53Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Glurge sells. Id never heard of this term before today, but it describes it well. > **[Glurge: The Emotional Pie You Didn’t Order](https://space.gekko.de/glurge-the-emotional-pie/?srsltid=AfmBOopxnmLkMUT5xFMk8JoI83dut35PlUMEkq1_Ga53E0OJbFjVaWqE)** > > Spot online emotional bait: a field guide to glurge, sadfishing, virtue signaling & trauma porn—pause, check sources, don't share blindly. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/42 "2026-05-06T14:16:58Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I like the ones in which someone’s dog greets them after a long absence. I also like these videos (only see them on social media). Pluto can spend the night sleeping on the bed, but after an absence of 30 minutes during his breakfast, he greets me with great enthusiasm (“it’s been so long!”). Dogs are nuts. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/43 "2026-05-06T14:48:26Z")
In the book _Chicken Poop for the Soul_ (a parody of Chicken Soup for the Soul) one story has the family surprising their kids with their “returning” soldier father’s **coffin**. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/44 "2026-05-06T15:38:25Z")
“Thank you for your service.” I figure the person saying that imagines the soldier was out killing baddies, evading IEDs, dropping bombs on “those people” and generally making the world safe for democracy. What if the service really was the supply sgt dispensing important supplies like copier paper the cpl who spends all day requesting supplies like copier paper the asst weather forecaster in Germany the motor pool guy servicing vehicles on Guam (“you won’t believe the miles they put on them!”) the air force recruiter in Minot, ND the Lt in the Pentagon tracking budgets of program proposals for product improvements the IT guy in the airbase in Iowa that makes sure the software is up to date and fixes those pesky W11 issues. Yes, everyone one of those jobs is one piece of the total mission, but someone how I don’t think the thanker would love hearing back “You’re welcome. If it wasn’t for me, those potatoes would never get peeled!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/45 "2026-05-06T15:43:55Z")
The thanks for my service is my retirement check and my lifetime healthcare insurance for me and my wife. I think I’ve made one co-pay in 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/46 "2026-05-06T17:32:58Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Yes, everyone one of those jobs is one piece of the total mission Yeah, I tell them, if it’s more than in passing, “I was in the technical part of the navy. Save it for the ones actually getting shot at.” ---
**Author:** ![Lizzie1210](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Lizzie1210](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizzie1210)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/47 "2026-05-06T17:46:49Z")
I’d take endless ‘feel good stories’…or even endless stories about dead raccoons if it meant less trump. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/48 "2026-05-06T18:45:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I like the ones in which someone’s dog greets them after a long absence. Eh. That’s literally [one of the oldest stories in the book.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argos_(dog)) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/49 "2026-05-06T18:48:36Z")
> [@Lizzie1210](#): > > I’d take endless ‘feel good stories’…or even endless stories about dead raccoons if it meant less trump. I see your point there. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/50 "2026-05-06T22:25:29Z")
You sure it was actually CNN that posted this, and not a hacker? That’s just weird. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/51 "2026-05-06T22:26:44Z")
Yeah, I don’t think even the Onion would go there! ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788/52 "2026-05-07T03:06:01Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > You forgot the skateboarding duck. And the centenarian who smokes like a chimney and lives on neat whisky (I may be exaggerating: but not much) Nobody can live on just neat whiskey - it’s the daily spoonful of Worcestershire Sauce that really confers longevity. I swear none of these centenarians have ever followed any current medical dietary advice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788.md?page=2)