# Public surprise military family reunions
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [July 28, 2014, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232 "2014-07-28T12:35:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232/41 "2014-08-04T16:07:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#):
>
> The Budweiser “soldier’s homecoming parade” Superbowl ad was completely fake. The soldier was real, but they filmed it miles away from where he actually lives. Winter Park (FL) is basically a tony suburb of Orlando (it’s where our “old money” lives, such as it is) but they filmed him walking into a _barn_.
What next, was there really no donkey dreaming of being a Clydesdale??
---
### Author:  [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232/42 "2014-08-04T17:00:04Z")
> [@Lamia](#):
>
> No cite, but I remember reading a magazine article where a child psychologist advised against surprise homecomings, saying that children are happier if they’re prepared for major events and that these surprises are the kind of thing adults _think_ kids will enjoy more than kids actually enjoy them.
This pretty much describes the phenomenon of surprise events in general. My family went through an annoying vogue for a few years when every party had to be a surprise party (including my 30th birthday). It’s always more about the self-satisfaction/self-aggrandizement of the people doing the surprising, rather than the surprise-ee. Turning a serious emotional moment like a family reunion into a reality tv stunt is exploitative and distasteful. And it doesn’t surprise (ha!) me at all that such things can actually be harmful to kids.
---
### Author:  [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232/43 "2014-08-04T17:07:10Z")
I keep expecting to see a story where the returning service member was in town but his family was killed in a car wreck headed to the baseball game for their surprise.
I stand and clap two to three times per game for something service related at hockey games but it seems to almost be desensitizing at some point.
---
### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232/44 "2014-08-04T19:31:54Z")
The current adulation of the military is both annoying and disturbing. The coming home stories are obnoxious and the kids look completely traumatized to me. I appreciate that there are discounts and such for service members, and I take advantage of that every week at the local grocery. But it’s over the top: the clapping and cheering and thanking everybody wearing a uniform is just gratuitous bullshit.
In 23 years, I never, because of my uniform:
Was given priority for anything.
Had a meal bought for me.
Had a drink bought for me.
Was welcomed home by anybody other than my family.
Was given gifts.
Was applauded.
Was thanked for “my service”.
It was enough to get a paycheck every two weeks for doing my job. When I came home from deployments, my kids had a tough enough time getting used to someone they hadn’t seen for 6-9 months. Having me pop out of a box would have frightened and confused them.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-surprise-military-family-reunions/694232.md?page=2)