Thank you for your service

[Redskins Rick]

12 hours ago, POR said:

There was this rich guy who dodged the draft getting phony deferments.  He is in politics now. Nobody seem to care about it.   

There was this one president that played the ROTC game to keep from getting drafted, and had no desire to be drafted.

Then we had one that wasn't even a US citizen.

Let face it politicians are not somebody that we should put on a pedestal and worship.

[Tony-OH]

Anyone who is "offended" by someone saying thank you for your service is an idiot, pure and simple. I get uncomfortable when someone calls people in the military heroes because most of us are not. We did our service when asked, and unless you did something heroic like risked your life to save others in a combat situation then you are not a hero.  That's not to degrade anyone's service, I just don't believe we are heroes. Saying that, I don't get offended if we are called that, but my personal preference is not to see us called heroes.

It's like when they were standing up military "heroes" at Camden Yards. This one guy, who either put himself up or someone close to him put him up, was shown and the fans respectfully stood and gave him a standing ovation as they talked about his service. No offense, but the guy was some lower enlisted air force chaplain's assistant who served in Germany for one tour and got out. Now I'm not degrading his service, but I have hard time finding the heroics. Maybe I just put a lot a emphasis on what a real hero should be, but that made me roll my eyes and made me realize that we are throwing around hero way too loosely.

Some of us served in combat areas, while others did not get that opportunity. Regardless, they served their country voluntarily (at least since Vietnam) and there's nothing wrong with someone thanking them for doing so.

Oh and not to end on a downer, but keep politics out of this. Thanks.