Regarding my article today, “Our Men and Women in Uniform,” this former Marine says don’t thank him for his service:
2:38 pm on April 1, 2011I enjoy reading your work on LRC and this one was a home run! I am a former Marine officer and have grown weary of people “thanking me for my service.” It is such a mindless and empty statement that people reflexively say with no critical thought preceding its utterance. I used to say to people who would say that if they knew what I did while serving in foreign countries, they might refrain from hurling it at veterans. My reply was always laughed off. It continued (and does to this day) and I have become so tired of hearing it that I have started to ask them if the they thank USPS workers, TSA thugs, IRS soldati, or Congressmen for their service. Of course they look at me as if I were nuts, because they do not think the military and the rest of the State coexist together on the same planet. I myself have actually used that phrase with our mail carrier, as well as some TSA blue-shirts and they almost all say “Huh? What for?” My inner monologue answer is always “Exactly!” I forwarded this to a retired Army officer I know well, and he replied that he absolutely agreed with it until the last line. I emphasized that this was the point of the piece and it opened up a tremendous dialog to think critically.
