# Thank you for your service **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412 "2017-02-21T20:19:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/41 "2017-02-23T02:50:47Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > What do you mean “veteran status”? Other than special things, any veteran has “veteran status.” I have veteran status on my driver’s license, because I have a DD-214. Yup. Me too. > [@Chefguy](#): > > For veteran status, the Vietnam era goes from 1961 to 1975. And of course, you don’t need to have been anywhere near a war zone to get that status. My brother joined the Army after all the fighting was done in Korea and was still able to claim veteran status, even though the ‘era’ ended a month after he joined. I’m not suggesting the guy is a fake. I’m suggesting he’s trading on the current wave of veteran worship. His 2 years of clerk typing way back then are irrelevant to his candidacy now. If he wanted to tout his most relevant resume item it’d be “local furniture store owner for 15 years.” But that wouldn’t garner as many votes. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/42 "2017-02-23T03:13:49Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Only for active duty. Active and retired. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/43 "2017-02-23T03:24:38Z")
Whenever someone thanks me for my service I step in real close and scream, “I didn’t do it for you!” It seems to be effective. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/44 "2017-02-23T03:47:38Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > What do you mean “veteran status”? Other than special things, any veteran has “veteran status.” I have veteran status on my driver’s license, because I have a DD-214. I think he means, specifically be a Vietnam Veteran? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/45 "2017-02-23T03:54:59Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Whenever someone thanks me for my service I step in real close and scream, “I didn’t do it for you!” It seems to be effective. add in a “I just like killing people!” for effect. ---
**Author:** ![Fruitbat2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Fruitbat2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fruitbat2)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/46 "2017-02-23T05:27:46Z")
Salute them with your little soldier. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/47 "2017-02-23T15:29:30Z")
“This is my weapon, this is my gun …” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/48 "2017-02-23T22:00:31Z")
When I get veterans in my cashier line, I always give them a snappy salute. I think that says it all. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/49 "2017-02-23T23:03:29Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Active and retired. FYI, the vast majority of veterans are neither. I still have my (expired) ID. I got called back into the Army two years after I got out because I was still in the IRR and the “Surge” happened, and I guess the IRR didn’t care so much that I kept it. But most veterans have to give their ID back before they can go home. Savers (a Goodwill clone) lets me use it for a 30% discount, which is pretty nice, but everywhere else I try to use it they say it doesn’t count because it is expired. So, “military discount” is nowhere near as inclusive as a “veteran’s discount”. Which is why almost nobody offers them, except a few restaurants on Veteran’s day. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/50 "2017-02-23T23:59:17Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I think he means, specifically be a Vietnam Veteran? Of course, which is why I said “Vietnam”, in response to a comment about the, you know, _Vietnam War_. I wouldn’t have thought I should have to explain it. But thanks. ---
**Author:** ![bunyupp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@bunyupp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunyupp)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/51 "2017-02-24T14:05:13Z")
The **Duffelblog** \*'s [view](http://www.duffelblog.com/2017/02/army-doctor-of-veterinary-medicine-tired-of-being-hailed-as-a-veteran/). \*Military satire blog ---
**Author:** ![Cheerful\_Pessimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Cheerful\_Pessimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheerful_Pessimist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412/52 "2017-02-25T01:43:43Z")
Ahem. I have worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (formerly the Veterans Administration) for over 30 years. My husband (a Veteran) has worked for VA for more than 41 years. We both work on the benefits side (versus the health care or cemetery sides), but due to our jobs, we have both had the opportunity to work with the Veteran public on many occasions. My experience is this (and I am generalizing). Pre-Vietnam era Veterans are taken aback when I thank them for their service. Such a gesture sometimes brings them to tears, especially outside of the VA environment. Veterans of the Vietnam era and after have a mixed response, from indifference, to gratitude, to embarrassment. I have chosen to limit my “thanks for your service” in my personal life to Korean War and earlier Veterans. On a professional level, until recently, I was responsible for several benefit programs for “wounded warriors.” Under those circumstances, I never hesitated to thank them for their service. And I did my very best to see that they got every benefit and service available to them. That population seemed to genuinely appreciate the expression of thanks. Now, on a completely personal level, only 2 percent of our country has served in the military, which has been all volunteer since (I think) 1974. Quietly, I say “thank you.” I agree that there is some degree of false “hero worship” for Veterans in general. But there are some of us who are genuinely grateful to those who have sacrificed, even in peace time, to serve our country. To me, a simple nod of acknowledgement in response to a genuine “thanks for your service” will suffice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-your-service/780412.md?page=2)