Thank yous and you're welcomes.

[THEArmchairQB]

Tonight at the gas station I passed a man at the pump fueling up his pickup. I'm the type that always looks at license plates and his happened to be Vietnam Veteran. At first I just continued into the store, but I turned back.

I approached him and asked, "Did you fight in Vietnam?" "Yes," he replied. I reached out my hand and said "Thank you." Shaking his hand and looking him in the eye is by far one the most cogitative moments I can recall. It ranks right there with visiting battlefields around Va, visiting memorials, and my visit to the holocaust museum this spring.

"You're welcome," that was all he said, it meant the world to me. Thank you to all who serve our country. Whether active duty or not, young or old, and especially to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We owe all of our rights and freedoms to you and what you have accomplished over the last two hundred and thirty two years.

Thank you.

[MikeInJc aka M.I.A.]

I still go up to vets and thank them, not as often as I would like, but I know how it feels when someone asks me if I have served (due to my haircut;) ) and I say yes and they say "thank you for your service". It really means a lot to us veterans.

I tip my hat to you man and yes you are welcome. It's nice to feel appreciated for the sacrifice the military personel makes day in and day out.:applause:

[Jumbo]

This particular sentiment of expressing gratitude for service gets tremendous play, and quite deservedly so, in application to people who have served in the armed forces. Long ago I acquired a conscious sense it shouldn't be limited, but instead far more pervasively applied.

This feeling was emphasized when I was thinking of how my then-wife did such heartfelt, demanding, socially important work as a CNA (later an RN) taking care of people’s fathers and mothers who were more often than not relatively abandoned by the "outside world" (including their own children) in the assisted living facility my wife worked.

But I was struck by the fact that she and her fellow caregivers made about one-third of what our guys installing car stereo systems made in the stores I ran, and about one sixth what our custom home theater installers made. The implied dichotomy of what our culture valued as worthy labor helped me decide that other forms of expressing appreciation, like “thank you”s, might be extra meaningful to many such folk.

I think it's wonderful to remember to occasionally thank others at random for what they do, whether teachers, doctors, firemen, cops, waitpersons, nurses, counselors, clergy, volunteers, etc. While I think most folk feel there certainly is a special kind of gratitude for those who risk their life as part of their service and there can never be too much of that, such risk occurs in more than just military service positions, and just the basic thought of a “thank you for all the good you choose to do” to those in even low-risk but vitally important-to-society tasks deserves to be more widespread and common-place IMO. So I try to be liberal in passing out such “thank you”s. I think those words adminstered randomly can bring a very good feeling to many kinds of deserving people.

[HogNose]

Very nice story. :applause: That was really cool of you to do and it probably made his day.

I remember having a woman approach me in '88 while I was in the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport wearing my dress green's and thanking me for serving. I look back on that today and think...wow we weren't even at war ( still Cold War) and this woman actually thanked me for serving. It means a lot.

[Ford]

Obviously what you did is something that should happen more often.

Interestingly enough, my grandfather, who was an artillery guy on the western front in WWII, recently got to participate in a ceremony with some of the guys from his old unit (they have reunions each year) where he got to do the whole march and 'protect' the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington. While he was there, a guy approached him and thanked him for his service. My grandfather was kind of taken aback, and told the guy he was welcome.

He later told me that was the first time he had ever been thanked for his service .. he's 87 years old. He said that in his generation, when they got back, virtually every man he knew had gone to war and they just really didn't talk about it or honor it in the way that is more common today. I think it's great that people today can hear that from people back home, it's just interesting to look at the differences from then to now. That generation really was something.

[Kosher Ham]

I thought this thread was about manners. :doh:

Congrats on meeting someone with slight manners.

Regarding the story, that's great. Growing up my entire life with Military rules, expectations, and consequences...I appreciate the respect that you gave, especially at your age.

[BigMike619]

I would like to piggy back what Kosher is saying. Very refreshing to see someone with respect nowadays.

As far as thanking people who served in the military I feel you can never do it enough. After the embarrassing actions of the way the Vietnam soldiers were treated there is nothing more important then gratitude towards men and women who put their lives on the line for us.

[@DCGoldPants]

My old man has that plate on his ride too.

Was it a MD plate?

[ECU-ALUM]

This has to be one of the coolest things I have read here in a long time.

[Fight for ole DC]

I agree with Jumbo that other low-risk, service professions deserve equal gratitude but I think BigMike619 has it right. Because of the disgusting way many Vietnam Vets were treated I think many grateful Americans feel it necessary to pay special triubute to military service members.

I have a brother currently serving in Afghanistan, his third deployment. When flying home from previous tours (whether it was leave or at the end of the deployment) he said people in airports (Atlanta, and maybe others) would start applauding and cheering as he and his fellow soldiers walked through the airport. He said it was very touching for him to know that Americans appreciated the sacrifices they made, particularly being away from their families. The long tours in dangerous circumstances, long days of hard work, and filthy living conditions are all very difficult. But the hardest part, I think, is being away from their spouses and children for so long. It's not easy to miss seeing your children grow up, I'm sure.

Thank you to all who serve this great country, but particularly those in our Armed Forces.

[THEArmchairQB]

Jumbo,

When thinking about this post I felt that all service people should be acknowledged, I just couldn't figure out a good way to fit it in. Medical Professionals save lives every day, Police Officers lay their lives on the line every day when they leave their homes, and Firefighters brave flame and smoke to protect us. Anybody who gives their energy to bettering their community has a tip of my hat to them.

I saw several of you spoke about respect and my age. A phrase that disgusts me every time I hear it is 'respect is earned' when I hear it from pre-teen punks. Respect is earned, but you earn your own respect.

Oh yeah, go teachers!

[Baculus]

I met a veteran of Pearl Harbor one day while in the waiting room of a Ford dealership. He seemed genuinely surprised when I, during the course of our conversation, stuck out my hand and offered a "thank you." He was very humble and said, "We weren't heroes - we simply did what we have to do," which is the professional response I often hear from veterans. His dotting wife, though, seemed particularly proud of her husband.

I think the acknowledgment of a veteran's service is important, but something they just always do not expect. It today's "live here and now" world, such sacrifice is often forgotten and unappreciated by citizens.

And by the government as well, when we think about the issues with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

That is cool that you probably made that veteran's service a little bit more meaningful, THEArmchairQB.

[Burgold]

It is weird how much a thank you means. I had a call from a student recently. The kid took down the time to track down my number. He said he was pretty lost when I worked with him and that I was his only friend. I got him through. He learned how to focus and learn because of me.

He was my student about eight years ago.

That my name stuck with him that long was pretty amazing to me. Funny thing is, I remember him being a handful and trying my last nerve all the time, and not really loving working with him. I also remember coming home just mentally wiped out almost every day from teaching. I do think I gave those kids all I could. It's nice that that actually meant something.

[Capt. Kaos]

Cool Story! I served and have instilled in my kids the sacrifice that each and ever person in the military makes.

The one time that I will always remember was a few months ago down at the WW II Memorial in DC. We were wrapping up a 5th grade field trip and meeting our buses next to the memorial. As we were waiting an elderly gentleman came walking up the ramp from the "bottom" of the memorial. He had on a WW II Veteran hat, my daughter noticed and walked right up to the gentleman and out of her 10 yr. old month came "Excuse me, I just wanted to thank you". No less than 3 witnesses, not counting me, were in tears. His wife and daughter then turned and thanked me for raising a child that had respect for the military.

The kicker came when some of her classmates asked her why she had shook his hand and thanked him. Unprompted she turned to them and explained that he was one of the many reasons that we were free today.

A proud day indeed!

Not to hijack the thread, just thought I'd share a similiar story!!

Carry On!

[Fight for ole DC]

Cool Story! I served and have instilled in my kids the sacrifice that each and ever person in the military makes.

The one time that I will always remember was a few months ago down at the WW II Memorial in DC. We were wrapping up a 5th grade field trip and meeting our buses next to the memorial. As we were waiting an elderly gentleman came walking up the ramp from the "bottom" of the memorial. He had on a WW II Veteran hat, my daughter noticed and walked right up to the gentleman and out of her 10 yr. old month came "Excuse me, I just wanted to thank you". No less than 3 witnesses, not counting me, were in tears. His wife and daughter then turned and thanked me for raising a child that had respect for the military.

The kicker came when some of her classmates asked her why she had shook his hand and thanked him. Unprompted she turned to them and explained that he was one of the many reasons that we were free today.

A proud day indeed!

Not to hijack the thread, just thought I'd share a similiar story!!

Carry On!

Awesome story....awesome daughter....good job, Dad (and Mom?).