I know I am Gonna get alot of flak for swaying this but this a semi-friendly forum in which I can vent.
I was a vet during the Viet Nam police action. I did not serve there but lost friends there. They sent me to protect Kansas and Germany. Since they are still free there I guess I did my job.
My bitch is, and I am NOT condeming our men and women in uniform today, every one in the service today is concidered a fricking Hero and have not done anything but serve in an arm of service of the USA. When a real hero is mention I pay my respects in his or her honor. When someone of my ara was a hero or just serving as a volunteer or drafted, they were concidered baby killers/rapers, war mongers, un-American, Natzis,etc. They were not given hero parades but were spit upon. They didn't have support groups but jeers and angry looks when in uniform. That is why I traveled in civies.
I cannot go up to a person today and say thanks due to those bad memories.
So if anyone that is serving today I say thanks and also say It is your turn as it will be your childern No harm ment.
I know what you mean about calling everyone heroes, but it's better than being treated like they were in the Nam era. I've been deployed 3 times now (gearing up for a 4th) and have been called a hero because I forgot to duck once. I just tell them I'm doing a job that many are not willing to do, but that doesn't make me a hero. Again, I prefer to have people consider servicemembers heroes rather than spitting on us, etc...
