Thank you for your service

[kentmitchell]

My oldest daughter called with a nice story today. She, her husband and middle son were at Fort Benning for the youngest son's Turning Blue ceremony--for Marines, that's when a soldier completes basic and gets the blue infantry braid they wear on one shoulder.
The four of them went to a Subway for lunch afterwards. My son in law and both grandsons were in uniform. My son in law is a First Sergeant in the air force and the middle son finished his basic on Aug. 7.
When my son in law went to pay, the girl at the register said there was no charge. She pointed at a booth and said the couple sitting there paid for it and thanked them for their service.
Two questions come to mind:
--The son in law and middle grandson were wearing fatigues (utilities to us) in downtown Columbus, GA. Wonder what would have happened to us if we were in Oceanside or Jacksonville, N.C. in utilities?
--Did anyone ever thank us for our service when we were in?
I think a lot of it comes from old hippies who have guilty consciences about spitting on troops during Vietnam.
Every time I'm out wearing my Marine Veteran ball hat someone thanks me for my service. I get a bit embarrassed about it. Never heard a shot fired in anger and I definitely got more out of the Marine Corps than I put into it.
Oh well, just glad to see the troops are getting a deserved thank you these days.
Now, if they'd just relax the laws about punching out draft dodgers or liberals (is that redundant?), it'd be icing on the cake.


--
“A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to the ' United States of America ‘ for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.”
--Semper Fi

[firedog974]

Semper Fi
If we shot liberals, there would be no more draft dogging.......

[BJKpfaller]

If liberals were legal targets It would be a target rich enviorement. Is that why Democrats always shop at target stores?

[Lupo22]

You mean did anyone ever thank you in Jacksonville? I think that because Jacksonville is a military town, everyone's kind of immune to the whole military thing. They'd be thanking people all day if they did. Second, its a Marine town. If you're wearing "fatigues" out in public, you're wrong (if you're a Marine) or your just some Army or Air Force guy (or girl) to them.

Now, once you go outside of the town, its good to go. When I was down in South Florida, I went to a restaurant during break from the RS in my D.B. Delta's and had our lunch paid for for all 7 of the Marines with me. It was over $100. Very nice of them. They remained anonymous too.

Anyways, thank you for your service! Semper Fi

[BJKpfaller]

No noone ever thanked me for my service when I got out in 1969. I felt like I was something swept under the rug like another piece of trash. Back then nobody wanted veterans around and if you had been in vietnam people would act like they just saw your picture at the post office.
In this day and age I am proud of the way the average Americans are showing there respect and thanks to the serviemen and women and also the veterans when they meet them. It is past time that people realize who it is that have and continue to keep them free with their secrifices they make every day and also those who have paid the ultimate price. For this I will give thanks this thanksgiving. To those you are serving now just in case no one ever tells you Thank you for a job well done
Semper Fi
Jack Pfaller

[Hanzo]

I graduated bootcamp in April of 2003. My dad decided to take myself and my stepmother out to dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse one night while I was on leave. Being the proud Marine that I am, I wore my service alphas. We finished out dinner which included appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts and drinks (over $300) and upon asking for the check, discovered that it had been paid for a gentleman across the restaurant. This was on the embarcadero in San Diego, maybe 3 miles from MCRD. I, of course, thanked the man, but after that I was cautious about wearing my uniform out. I felt a bit guilty about accepting something so generous.

[Lupo22]

I've only been to a couple of bars/restaurants out in my hometown where I've showed my military ID for ID verification and NOT received free drinks or food. Sometimes I guess I feel guilty for accepting handouts, but then when I'm face down in the mud, or running through the water when its 50 degrees outside and they're asleep in their beds snuggled up with their spouses, that guilt just fades away hehe