rule

It's always awkward to respond to it, too. Like, my service sucked. Don't thank me because I was poor and needed a job and healthcare, lol. Most of the people I was in didn't give a shit about patriotism. We just wanted to not starve to death and go to college.

Thank you so much for your service
Thank you for your service 🫡
I watched a documentary at a film festival a few years ago about a Vietnam vet, who was there for the premiere and took questions from the audience afterwards. The vet mentioned how much he hated hearing "thank you for your service" all the time. Another Vietnam vet stood up and asked him a question, and the first vet started off his answer with "thank you for your service".
- 😂😂
- No he's right. We hate it, but shitty people also use it as a litmus test.
Like 10-15 years ago, I contacted the air force to join and become an officer (I have a degree). I wanted to do a gs-1102 job. The recruiter asked why I wanted to join. I said for a job. They said no, they wanted patriots. Guy, ask service members, they aren't there to "serve their country," they are there for a job.
- I once got a call back about a job I applied to online informing me I’d have to commission as an officer in the Air Force for it, but that they really liked my resume. It was awkward af because I had rejected the Air Force industrial complex but it met my ethics (it was something like an environmental engineering role), but I had to inform them that as I’m hard of hearing I’m ineligible for the military. Sucks, I really could’ve used the stability, permanent health insurance, pension, and free extra college…
It’s very awkward for me especially since I was only an electrician fixing lighthouses, I wasn’t getting shot at overseas or anything.
- Hey man, lighthouses serve a pretty important function. Cut yourself some slack
o7 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🤮🤮🤮

That's why you shouldn't thank them for their service with mere words, but with song. A rousing round of God Bless America sung by the entire room is how you properly thank service members. Remind everyone in the audience that if they don't join in, it's because they hate America.

The suicide rate is already high enough don't sing at them
- i got service connected depression, but i wouldn't kill myself if someone did this. I'd just cringe myself to death.
If I never hear Lee Greenwood again it'll still be too soon.
Nobody knows why the bar burned down officer. Honest to god, it just spontaneously combusted.

I've heard it's Schrodinger's virtue signaling. Most military guys get annoyed, but then when you don't virtue signal, it just happens to be the one guy who actually enjoys it and gets upset that you didn't say, "thanks for your service".

"Thank you for aiding a corrupt military-industrial system."
Fuck that guy though.
That guy spent 4 years fucking up people's pay in finance never deployed, then didn't reenlist, fuck that guy.
To which you respond, "I don't know, what have you done for me lately?"

You know, if you don't care about the next 5 minutes of your life or you wanted to tank the reviews for your workplace.

Thank you for your service and here are your awards and medals. Your family will thank you even more when you die and they hawk your medals at my pawn shop for a few extra bucks of inheritance.

My father in law used to run flea markets on the side. Used to say that in the service he worked hard as hell and never got a medal of honor, but working the flea markets he had a jar full of them. Nobody gives a shit about service.

I mean... Medals are like candy in the military. There's 4 medals that make people pay attention. A purple heart, a silver star, a service cross, and the congressional medal of honor. Most people won't be awarded any of them, and of those who are awarded, they will likely not receive more than one their entire career.

There's like 20 other medals that you'll receive more than once and amount to, "I was on active duty at X time and didn't get in trouble". So a lot of soldiers don't really care about their own medals.

Go live in Ukraine for a year and delete this.
- Drag thinks most Ukrainians hate the Russian troops.

It's only the virtue signalling that annoys me. If you're just trolling me, then it's good for a laugh.

I swept for your freedom.

One of the guys I work with now won't stop sweeping at work it's annoying as all hell. Now every time I see a broom outside of work I have a negative response to it, I might have PTSD. Anyways thanks for your service.
- LoL

It REALLY fucken does. A-hahahahahaha

Well now that I know this I'm going to thank military veterans at work on the daily.

Also I think I might thank my dog's veterinarian, just to see how far up in their head their eyes will roll.
Careful. They will take that as acceptance of military prank culture. This includes everything from filling your car with post it notes to signing you up for Russian porn on your work email.
- Is this supposed to be a deterrent?

Always remember to thank veterinarians for their service, it’s fun to see the confusion on their faces

I tell everyone thank you for your service on memorial day

That’s why I thank teachers for their service instead.

"Thank you for doing the job that generates profit for corporations that you signed up for and were paid to do"

Jokes on you, I could care less either way. I was in but I feel I didn't do much to be thanked for.

sends image to his boot ass cousin

But a boot doesn't cringe at the phrase yet...
- He used to be the virtue signaller..
  
  And now that I think about it, he'll always doubt their intentions now MUAHAHAHA

When people thank me for my service, I think about when I got deployed to a war zone, and then came back from a war zone, and then handed an expense report for the civilian part of the travel to a military member working in accounting

Then I think about what a pile of the 200,000+ Iraqi civilians we killed in that war would look like

I don't believe in wars (don't message me, yes there was a way to end your specific example thru diplomacy. Look it up on google)

Anyway I always go with "I admire you're bravery" because that doesn't go against my beliefs but still shows respect for what they had to do.

(Yes I'm being an idiot, I agree with you)
- I mean... That is a theory. I don't like it but it's still better than war. Arguably the cold war and proxy wars prevented a major war...
  
  I dont think of it as a perfect win obviously because of the proxy wars like Vietnam and Korea. Those wars specifically gave me a bucket full of nice medals but cost me every single one of my uncles. There were other proxy wars though.
  
  Anyway my point is 2 fold.
  
  Arguably that strategy prevented a much bloodier war between Russia and the US but there were still better ways to handle that without any war.
  
  And 2) if you ignore the proxy wars the "cold war" approach is one way to avoid war, I guess. The government equivalent of the obnoxious drunk guy flexing his muscles and saying "you don't want none of this bro"... It's better than a war but not my favorite strategy. Although I might not like that approach it did prevent a war, it was better than a war.... So... Good job?
  
  Again the proxy wars ruin that but they were unnecessary and didn't change much for the US or Russia. Obviously they did a lot of damage to the countries we fought in. My point is the cold war approach didn't need that to prevent the war. It actually pushed us closer.
  
  I'm just saying the "I've got a bigger gun" diplomacy... Well it's definitely a strategy that is better than war...
It's true, just search "should we have fought the Axis" and you'll find Aeao's beliefs.
- We could've stopped the Nazis by... You know... Allowing Jewish people to move to America...
  
  But bombs are cool too I guess. If you only want to be slightly less racist than Nazis and are fine with a lot of unnecessary death.
Wow that's so much better than "thank you for your service". I'd use yours, but I don't really admire vets either. But still. "Thanks for being the heel of the boot on the world that secures my latte" is pretty frustrating.
- I understand your point but I disagree.
  
  Like I said I don't agree with war, Ive got a bucket full of medals from dead uncles I'll never meet who died .
  
  I agree war is pointless. I understand most people who join the military do so for a stable career not to fight for a specific cause.
  
  I understand all of that.
  
  However if you handed me a million dollars and a gun, then told me to go to a country I'm not familiar with and fight an army I know nothing about...I'd turn that down. Partly because of my opinions but mostly because Im not willing to risk death for a million dollars. Military people don't get a million dollars.
  
  I can call it pointless, useless, irresponsible. I can even say it's a bad choice...
  
  Those people are absolutely braver than I am. I can admit that.
  
  Even if I agreed with the war and was offered a million dollars... I'd need some time to think about it.
  
  I can admit they are brave without being dishonest to my beliefs
  
  Edit: To explain what I mean with a very crude example:
  
  "You robbed the cactus and tick store?! butt ass naked!? Wel... I can't say that was a good idea... Or even worth the effort... I won't thank you or imply you did it for me. It was absolutely not necessary.
  
  I can say I'd never be able to do that myself, even if I had to. So congrats on that. It was certainly brave. I feel comfortable saying that . I also hope the doctors can remove all the spines and ticks from your scrotum because I don't think you should have to live with that forever. I always vote to remove ticks and spines from your scrotum. I'll never vote for robbing the tick/cactus store naked tho."
i need to learn how to say 'you're' distinctly from 'your'