As a matter of fact, I once flew from Phoenix to Newark, NJ in uniform, and I will never do that again. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry was coming up to me asking me “Hey, did you know my Uncle Jimbo, he was in the Air Force back in Korea. . .”
It made me feel very uncomfortable, and that’s not a limelight I care to be in. Now just after our most recent deployment back to the states, we flew into Bangor, ME, and there was a small veterans group that stood there shaking our hands as we came off the jetway. I thought that was a nice touch.
But I am not for the big applause or attention-getting. Nine times out of ten, I just want to get home for a decent shower after 23 hours in the air, and sleep in my own bed. Not to be an asshole or sound ungrateful, but kind Sir, I’d love to yak about you’re brother’s-cousin’s-uncle, but please get the f*ck out of my way.
Just let me quietly get from Point “A” to Point “B”. Thanks. . .
Just because the military isn’t currently fending off, say, hordes of invading Canadians at Niagra Falls doesn’t mean that American citizens and residents don’t owe them a debt of gratitude. The fact that we live a peaceful prosperous society is due in no small part to the armed forces, for reasons too obvious to mention.
However, while giving up a seat on a flight is a meaningful gesture–since it means inconvienencing oneself for another’s benifit–I’m a little leeery of the whole applauding thing. I worry that it’s not so much for the troops benefit as it is for the applauders, as in “Wow, I’m applauding the troops! I’m a good person.”
Here’s a mildly amusing story. You really had to be there to get the humor but I’ll tell it anyway.
There’s a guy I know slightly who’s heading off to Iraq right about now. About two weeks ago he came up to D.C. to see the person I know him through and I got invited when theyl went out for drinks. The guy is a marine sergeant whose specialty is dealing with cargo on C-130’s (I think. He wasn’t to clear on this.) He is called a “Loadmaster.” At any rate He’s a pretty unusual guy. For one thing He entered the marines as an enlisted man after graduating from college. It seems to have worked out for him as he’s on his second tour. Also he has a very dry arch manner of speaking which is why you had to be there for this to be funny.
Anyway, we’re sitting at a bar where I know the bartender. It’s a little slow so the bartender comes over to talk to us. I introduce my friend and mention that he’s going over in two weeks. The bartender, in a somewhat reverential voice, says “thank you.” So my friend goes “So that is what you wanted for your birthday!”
Like I said, it doesn’t play well in print. But when he said it, the whole bar, including the bartender, was in stitches.
Because I’m still in Tech training, I am required to wear any combination of blues whenever I go from one tech school to the next. I have always found it a little unnerving when people come up to me and thank me. I just never know what to say in response. I mean, I don’t feel I need thanks. I chose this job because it is what I felt I needed to do, and I want to do it. I have no idea how I would react if they started applauding.
