Have you ever...

[Similitude]

No I have not. I would certainly do it for a WWII Vet, and maybe even someone who was drafted into Vietnam, but I am not sure I would for anyone else. At least I wouldn't be any more thankful to them then I would be to a Scientist or Doctor.

This is not to say they are bad people or anything like that. I just don't hold people in the current Military above others like some other people seem to do. They are normal people who are in the military plain and simple.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

No soldier has ever died for my freedom. My freedom has never been under attack from any foreign power.

You live on Mars or something?

Nope Earth. California to be somewhat exact.

 

[CaptainStoner]

"Thank a Vet" just seems disingenuous to me. It's like a form letter. So I haven't thanked any Vets in that way. I've been a friend to them, I think that's more important than some Nationalistic BS.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Kind of. I wish them a happy veterans day, and on other occasions convey to them that I appreciate what they're doing.

 

[Q2UnME]

My step-son's currently serving in the AirForce and is on active duty, deployed to the big sandbox. When we visited his base in the UK last year, I thanked every person I was introduced to for putting on the uniform and doing a job few want to do. The fine young men in my son's group never paid for a beer at the enlisted man's club the entire time I was there.

My father was a Navy man, serving in the Korean War. My brother-in-law is an AirForce vet. too. Respect and "thanks" for our servicemen is a given in our family.

Q2UnME

 

[Michael Chris]

No soldier has ever died for my freedom. My freedom has never been under attack from any foreign power.

You live on Mars or something?

Nope Earth. California to be somewhat exact.

Then many soldiers have died for your freedom.

 

[SomniumRabidum]

No. While soldiering is a difficult, admirable, and honorable profession I question whether any soldier in my lifetime or my country's(USA) lifetime has ever done anything that would have caused major consequences if it hadn't been done.

That's an incredibly warped view of this discussion. This isn't a Greek Epic we're talking about here, individual soldiers aren't charging enemy lines in search of glory.
You owe our soldiers your thanks for having the courage and dedication to serve our country and protect your freedom. They certainly don't need to pull a William Wallace to deserve your appreciation.

No soldier has ever died for my freedom. My freedom has never been under attack from any foreign power. Outside of warring, being in the military is just a job, the kind that everyone does on a daily basis. Let me add that I have had a lot of friends who were in the military and a lot of their service seemed to involve banging hookers in Manila and Okinawa.

You simply could not be more wrong about your freedom. Saying you take your privileges for granted would be a gross understatement.

We all know people who have served... so yeah, congratulations.

Stay in California, the rest of us are happy people like you seem to enjoy congregating there.

 

[NickInABox]

A couple of years ago, I was at the mall near where I live, and I decided to get a poppy. I put my two dollars in the little box, and I told the WW2 vet there that I was buying one for my grandpa, who had passed away a few years ago, and had served in the war. She proudly, yet delicately, placed the poppy on my collar, kissed me on the cheek, and gave me a hug. She told me to wear it proudly for him, and to never ever forget.
I was so moved by the moment that I was brought to tears. And since then, I've always thanked the men and women enlisted in the military who've worked hard for our countries.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

You live on Mars or something?

Nope Earth. California to be somewhat exact.

Then many soldiers have died for your freedom.

When exactly?

 

[Gil T.Azell]

I thanks some Marine corps engineers(Ret.) last night, they were raffling off a $2500 Cost-Co card. At Skagit Speedway in Alger Wa.
I had to decline buying one( I'm Cdn) but I said thank you to them.

 

[jkladis]

The guy asked if you've thanked someone for their service to the country. It's funny how some people run with it from there.

 

[Similitude]

You expect on the intertubes for someone to ask a question and get just a yes or no answer?

 

[Squiggy]

I only spit on them as I burn the flag and kick an old person.

 

[Michael Chris]

Nope Earth. California to be somewhat exact.

Then many soldiers have died for your freedom.

When exactly?

Throughout history.

 

[species5618]

...thanked a member or veteran of your country's military for their service to your country?

Of course.

In fact, I thanked my uncle Nguyen for his service in the NVA just the other day.

And I've always regretted not thanking my Opa for all his good work with the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front.

Classic.

Seriously though, to answer the OP's question, yes I have.

 

[Davros]

Nope Earth. California to be somewhat exact.

Then many soldiers have died for your freedom.

When exactly?

1941 to 1945

 

[Misfit Toy]

Then many soldiers have died for your freedom.

When exactly?

1941 to 1945

I was just gonna go with June 6th, 1944 as a 'for instance'.

 

[iguana_tonante]

This thread made me think: as I said I've never thanked a military veteran, since I hardly ever met one.

But even if I did, people who served in the military in Italy are divided into two categories: draftees that did their useless 1-year compulsory military service (and who I don't think deserve a whole lot of thanking), and career soldiers, that may had done something very useful (like humanitarian missions abroad or aided during some natural disasters), but never actually "fought for my freedoms", so I would be inclined to thank them just as firefighters, policemen and doctors, for example. So the zeal of "thanking your veterans" is something that befuddles me.

But, and here goes the thinking, I've thanked many times people who took arms as partisans in the Italian resistance against Nazism and Fascism during WWII, and I've always had them in my highest esteem, because they really have "fought for my freedoms" against our own corrupt and tyrannical government.

Maybe, being Italy on the wrong side of the last great war, I've never had much love for the Italian military who, while brave and honorable, fought on the side of tyranny and fascism, while I reserved my respect for partisans, who fought for what was right. US Servicemen, on the other hand, fought on the side of freedom during WWII, and they retained a much larger respect among their countrymen. In this perspective, the appreciation for veterans is much more understandable for me.

Mmh. Food for thoughts.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The guy asked if you've thanked someone for their service to the country. It's funny how some people run with it from there.

That may be a result of the fact that the OP rarely posts anything that doesn't have an ulterior motive to it. Maybe this topic was genuine, but you reap what you sew and all that.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

The guy asked if you've thanked someone for their service to the country. It's funny how some people run with it from there.

That may be a result of the fact that the OP rarely posts anything that doesn't have an ulterior motive to it. Maybe this topic was genuine, but you reap what you sew and all that.

Some people see ulterior motives no matter what the question. Sometimes a question is just a question.

***Oh, and your comment is also interesting because I barely recognize your screenname.***