And as it turns out a lot of those stories about disrespect to Vietnam vets when researched were Right Wing BS that couldn’t be confirmed when people dug into them. Essentially Urban Legends that people just accepted as fact or stories blown out of proportion or misreported.
The OP is mostly preaching to the choir in this thread.
It’s a per capita thing.
Still, nobody should die at school, for any reason.
Dad volunteered. He was in the US Army Air Corps. Went through Basic at Lackland A.F.B. so early on in that process that he didn’t get coined, etc. Discharged as a 2nd. Lt.
My son is USAF, currently active duty.
Neither of them had a speck of use for the “hero” stuff. I hadn’t seen the Man-Cub™ for quite a while and he got himself back to the East Coast for some leave. His plane ( of course ) was about 5 hours late. Finally when it landed, the first to deplane and get processed - and therefore get out into the civilian waiting area - were snipers. Many of whom were traveling with their weapons in Pelican Rifle cases or double rifle cases similar to this.
They were filthy. They were exhausted. Their cases were coated with desert crud, dust, mud, what have you. ( They were also sealed with security seals to guarantee remaining closed. )
As each of them emerged, the crowd let up a roar of applause. And almost to the last, they looked either dismayed or irritated. They had zero use for the hero stuff and likely they WERE active duty heroes who had done their specialized thing recently in combat.
It’s a complex thing. My son rides a desk and is utterly safe. ( As is his wife who is also active duty USAF ). They are pretty distainful of the whole hero / " Thank you for your service " bit.
You go and do the job you were assigned to do- that in this day and age that you volunteered to do. End of story.
Heroes come in many sizes shapes and stripes. Very few of the real heroes we will meet in our life will self-identify, and fewer will want to hear that they’re a hero.
Best way to handle it, IMHO, is to silently appreciate the efforts they have made and the jobs they have done. You’re the one who does the hiring at your company? Hire Vets. You approve car loans? Help out a Vet who’s struggling to get a car loan so she/ he can drive to the new job they just got.
Want to appreciate service people? Show them respect and support them in their post-deployment lives.
—Twitch— Ain’t nobody gonna sit there and tell me not to throw some heroine-worship the way of FCM !!!
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. 
( Besides, many Dopers don’t know that while deployed in San Diego, she originated the whole riff of " Cut the Blue wire or the Red wire?? )
It’s outright cringeworthy, the amount of undeserved praise the military gets, you would think we were literally manning the walls, keeping out the barbarians. I don’t believe that the military deserves any more praise than teachers, or farmers, or electrical lineman, or taco stand operators, or any other profession.
Re “jail or army” – when Jerry Garcia was a young man, he was arrested for stealing a car (actually his mother’s car). He was given the jail or army choice and chose army. He was apparently the Army’s worst nightmare, missing roll call multiple times, AWOL multiple times, and having smuggled in his guitar, spent a lot of time playing it. He was discharged after 9 months. I like to think that the Army’s experience with Jerry was what made them change their policy about accepting judicially ordered recruits.
I agree with my colleagues.
Yes, it did happen, though some seem to claim it did not. one of my Chiefs was given that choice in the Vietnam era.
Those saying no, are wrong. Simply wrong. It was a common enough occurrence once upon a time.
And while I’m at it, on a related note what is it with all these Memorial Day sales? I find them bizarre. Did people really give their lives just so I can get a good deal on a mattress?
I’m not trying to start a fight, but read the articles I linked to. There have been people going around saying they “remember” getting spat on by protesters … when most (if not all) servicemen returned through military airports where there were NO protesters. Not only that, but it’s a known phenomenon that if a person hears an event happened often enough, they “remember” it themselves … when it didn’t happen and they weren’t actually there.
Frankly, given how every single moment of the war protest movement was photographed or recorded, I find it curious no one has ever produced a picture of such a provocative event that would’ve occurred in a completely public place. Especially when you consider the person doing the spitting would’ve almost certainly got his ass kicked immediately thereafter. (And deservedly so, I might add, as my own uncle served in Vietnam. Father was also a vet, but served in W. Germany, so would’ve flown home also.)
These days, a hero seems to be someone who does their job. It’s a very wishy-washy word, one no genuine hero would ever use.
But serving your country is worthy and deserving of respect. And there are plenty of heroic people in the military, but this does not comprise the whole corps.
No, the Army’s worst nightmare are the guys who molest children, steal shit, create drama by fucking other guys’ wives or husbands, snitch out other soldiers with false accusations, or murder people. My childhood best friend, who I still keep in touch with, is an Army JAG and he is tasked with providing counsel to all these shitbirds and fuck-ups. Jerry Garcia didn’t even get a dishonorable discharge, he got a “general discharge”, so even with everything he did, he still didn’t piss off the Army enough to get the “duck dinner.” I mean, really, how could someone stay mad at Jerry?
Arguably, the ones in combat units who signed a blank check with anything up to their life possibly being written on it still did something nearly all Americans don’t do. Sure, they may be relative shitbags, but they’re still better than a civilian who did the same crimes.
Yeah I don’t disagree with that, I’m just saying they’re more of a “nightmare” for the Army than Jerry Garcia was.
Lol, I know a retired Lt. Col. who spent almost his entire career with the Army Special Forces (though he never saw combat), who is an outright Deadhead. Began as Army Enlisted, transferred to the Navy where he was commissioned, then back to the Army as an officer. Long strange trip indeed.
Agreed. I don’t think getting through basic training is any walk in the park, and they deserve respect for that degree of commitment.
Can a person who was in the military of another country be a hero? Even a country that was invaded by the USA and who served to defend his country against the foreign invaders?
Well of course not if we invaded the country. But plenty of Brits, Scots, Irish, Canadians, Aussies & Kiwis have been heroes also. 
What kind of response to do you expect from such a post anyway? :dubious:
Of the five guys from La Manada (“the pack of wild animals”) who raped a woman in Sanfermines 2016, one is a soldier and one a Guardia Civil (think US Marshal). The Civil had the balls to write a letter post-sentencing where he claims that “the same could happen to [any man]”, as if running a gang-bang was something which had happened to them poor babies and not something they did.
I’m way sure that if those are heroes I’m Benedictus XVI.
I disagree . . . they are worse. By joining the Armed Forces, they’re signing up for levels of trustworthiness and integrity not offered to civilians. Those what would intentionally steal sensitive gear and sell it on eBay; molest children they have access to; set up narcotics distribution networks; murder/maim; go out to intentional fucking others’ spouses*; or generally create problems at home or in the field betray a level of trust that ripples throughout units. They are expected to perform to higher standards and they exploit the trust given to them. I consider these betrayals close to biblical proportions. And I’ve had to deal with them in my units.
I agree with Cartooniverse and Jacquernagy. I’ve been overseas, done my work, and am quietly proud of it. I don’t like the whole “hero” thing, especially on two points: A) the treacle of “Thank you for your service,” and automatic “Hero” thing has become cliche during the now-seventeen years of war; B) When I see the “overseas MWR Bowling Alley Shoe Clerks”** eat that stuff up with a spoon and shit-eating-grin, I shake my head in disgust.
[sub]
- Note: I realize it takes two to tango.
** Note: This pertains to those who don’t willingly give their full talents to things, but just skate by; this does not include those guys/gals who are injured, but still contribute what they can. Maybe that’s all you’re qualified to perform–great. On the other hand, I’ve had folks who took heavy concussions in theater and qualified for redeployment, but remained in place to run the explosive, ammo, and supply accounts and support their teams. They didn’t add their two cents, they added their all. Those gals/guys deserve the credit.[/sub]
Tripler
Sixthth? Seventh-ed? I lost count too.
It was a yes-or-no question, so either Yes or No would do. A brief explanation by the respondent supporting that opinion would be fitting.