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Interesting article on Veterans growing feeling of Entitlement

I am a 20 year military retiree and a lot of what this person wrote makes sense to me.

http://inmilitary.com/veterans-brand...20LT%20-%20AMU

The article is long but here are the portions that I thought were especially interesting

Quote:

Veterans’ Attitudes Shifting from Gratitude to Entitlement

But at some point over the last many years, we as veterans were not satisfied in knowing that we are respected and admired. We wanted more.
Too often, we exhibit behavior that brands us an “entitled” group. We expect more than a “thanks for your service.” We want parades, we want applause and we want free meals.

We want discounts everywhere for everything, even for things that are not at all related to our service or our profession. We want every civilian to give up their first-class seats and give them to us, regardless of who we actually are, what we do or even where we are going. Do not even think about charging us for things that our employer will reimburse us for if it is work-related, like admissions to conferences/events or baggage fees.
We are veterans. Appreciate us. You do not understand us. Just offer a token of your gratitude and move on.

We have collectively gained a reputation for being so demonstrative about what the other 99% should be doing as a way to pay homage to our service, we lost sight of the fact of what made veterans’ service so special in the first place. We stepped forward and volunteered when others would not. We took the risks that others could not even fathom and came back, quietly ready to answer the call when it came again.

But this selfish service instead of selfless service is not the most confusing part of this perception and branding issue. What is more striking to me – what is really a bigger failure of the modern-day veteran – is that we parade our hubris like a badge of honor.

We do this in plain view of the previous generation of veterans who also served, who walked the walk in previous conflicts, yet who now live their lives as quiet, unassuming members of society. These equally accomplished veterans have never received a fraction of the support we experience. Yet they never seem to feel the need to complain about it, at least not on the level that veterans today do through every social media and news outlet available.

My Encounter with a WWII Vet Shows the Difference in Veterans’ Attitude toward Service

Not too long ago, I was returning home after a family trip to Florida. While I waited for a connection, I saw an Army soldier in uniform with a patch from a support installation. While traveling in the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) was still authorized, I found out that this soldier was not traveling to a combat zone or even to a field training exercise. He was on official business, going to attend business meetings at his destination.
I rarely travel in uniform so this service member probably did not realize there were other veterans (such as me) watching him. I observed this soldier receive many thanks for his service; I even saw a well-dressed civilian offer to pick up the tab for the cost of his meal at the counter of an airport food stop.

Of course he accepted this generous proposition, which in itself isn’t a bad thing. But it did make me question this soldier’s true motivation for wearing the uniform (there was a recent article on the website medium.com posted by the Doctrine Man Facebook page about another veteran observing a situation similar to what I observed that day).

Shortly thereafter, I spotted an elderly man – probably in his upper 80s or even 90s – surrounded by friends or family, wearing a hat stating he was a veteran of World War II. Never passing an opportunity to say thanks to those that served before me, I went over to say hello and thanks. I also learned a little more about this veteran’s story.

If memory serves, he was visiting family in Orlando. His daughter and grandchildren were with him. One of them recently bought the hat for this aging veteran to wear. I was told that he never wore anything that remarked on his military service before, only really wearing it now because of who bought it, more so than what it said.

We talked about his time fighting in the European theater and how scared he was as a teenager fighting such an important conflict for the future of his nation. When it was over, I offered a token of thanks for the visit and started to walk towards my next gate. His daughter stopped me briefly before I walked too far away.

She quietly shared that he had the hat for only a short time, but that no one has ever said anything to him, even to say thanks for his service. She thanked my family and me for not just saying thank you, but for taking time to visit.

Am I really to believe that I am the only modern-day veteran that has ever crossed paths with this fellow soldier? Doubtful. But what do these anecdotes tell us about ourselves and how we are perceived, when we want so much without any explanation but are not even willing to express thanks to those that have come before us?

The rest of the article is also interesting. But I wanted to get the opinions of other former military. How do you feel about this feeling of entitlement?

To me there is a world of difference between someone wanting to thank me for my service and someone who feels pressured/obligated to thank me. Do today's vets have a sense of entitlement when it comes to civil recognition of their service?

I think that some do and that number is larger than I would like it to be.

How about you foreigners? Do you think that vets in your country are starting to have similar feelings of entitlement?

Saw this on a bumper sticker the other day:

http://vetsconnect.org/includes/imag...NeverAgain.gif

This is referencing how the WW2 and Korean war vets denigrated and shunned returning Nam vets in their hour of need and how the Nam vets are determined not to treat the returning Iraq and Afghanistan vets the same callous way.

Back in my day (post vietnam era) if we wore our uniform off base we were liable to be spit on or worse. If wearing it now gets a serving soldier a free drink or a meal or some other consideration then I say more power to them.

Any nation that forgets its warriors will itself be forgotten

I understand exactly what he's talking about. I don't recall seeing this behavior, but don't doubt it exists. I think there is a backlash from how veterans were treated after Vietnam. People are making a point to make sure that the veterans know they are appreciated. From a fire dept. point of view, we sometimes enjoy receiving gifts (usually food) or discounts. When I was new, I was specifically told to not ask for a discount, nor wear our uniform off duty to get a discount. I stuck to that rule since. To break the rule is considered a serious violation against other firefighters.

Hell, I'm not even sure I can get health care anymore. Paid for BCBS for decades, found I could get VA, then Obamacare came along, found if I have Obamacare I have to drop VA. Hard to guess which one may turn out worse so it's VA for now. I'll probably just go to Thailand, I trust them more than I trust American medicine now. :dead:

From a British perspective (for now, at least, a 'foreigner') we don't have the complex issue of Vietnam added to this. But nowadays, when each and every serviceman or woman serving in a Middle Eastern warzone is automatically awarded the epithet of "hero" by the press, I do kind of feel for the people who were called up and thrown into past conflicts, having basically been civilians all their lives.

If you join the service voluntarily as a job, then you join knowing what might lay ahead; it still takes a lot of courage for sure, which I don't have, but don't the conscripted 'vets' of the past deserve a special kind of respect?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen (Post 2427447)

.. but don't the conscripted 'vets' of the past deserve a special kind of respect?

You mean somebody that had to be forced to serve their country in it's time of need as opposed to someone who volunteers? All vets who did their duty and served faithfully deserve respect but it's the ones who volunteer to march toward the sound of the guns deserve the greatest respect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus (Post 2427355)

How about you foreigners? Do you think that vets in your country are starting to have similar feelings of entitlement?

I've never noticed if it has but I certainly wouldn't object should that in fact be the case.

"We" are entitled to no more than our contract guarantees. And all we ask above this is the occasional "thank you".

That being said, as long as the service member is wearing the appropriate uniform for what they are about, if someone wants to comp them or give them some other perk, more power to them.

I have not personally experienced any current or former service member displaying any type of entitlement attitude or behavior, and I hang with them alot. The vast majority in my circles are pretty damn humble truth be told.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen (Post 2427447)

^ :yep: Well said.

In keeping with what you, August and others have said, Vets that have served, whether drafted or enlisted, answered the call and served and earned respect. It's not a gimme.

Sadly, a lot of the Vietnam Vets received no respect at all. They neither expected nor received the hero's welcome their fathers had received upon returning from WW2. Further, most in the Vietnam war didn't believe in fighting in it but did so because it was asked and expected of them. The treatment of those returning vets was reprehensible with regards to access to medical care and in general. PTSD was generally unknown then or ignored and those vets suffering from it were left to languish in deplorable conditions in poorly equipped vets hospitals.

Many vets, because of their experiences were left homeless upon their return or worse, took their own lives. I'm guessing the Korean war was little different.

With regards to what Platapus has said as a veteran, most vets quietly go about the business of their lives like that gentleman you met in Florida. I'm sure this gentleman who is a WW2 vet would rather forget the war and not think of those friends he lost. I have personally seen people walk past vets in a VA hospital without even saying hello. One particular gentleman named Jim was a vet with both legs amputated. People wouldn't even look at or acknowledge him. I thought, " what would it have cost them to say hello to this man or give him a few moments of their time" as you did in Florida with that elderly gentleman. I got to know Jim and many others during my visits to the VA and I'm richer for it. The men I met didn't feel any sense of entitlement that I could see and were always grateful for any little thing that you did for them. It goes without saying that they were certainly entitled to the best medical care for their respective conditions. In the military, it's called " keeping the faith "

War is an ugly thing and that's good. That's what makes it something to be avoided and only engaged in as a last resort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by August (Post 2427480)

I don't think anyone would argue that people who volunteer in time of war deserve the most credit of all, but I was comparing conscripts to those who are already professional soldiers.

Apparently there are more than a few instances of civilians putting on a military uniform and posing as a serviceman in order to get those perks.

There are several organizations dedicated to naming and shaming them.

http://guardianofvalor.com/military-posers/

https://militaryphony.com/

http://www.people.com/article/milita...c-says-soldier

Over here I believe those types who like to pretend to be military are known as 'Walts':
http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/Walts

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen (Post 2427584)

I don't think anyone would argue that people who volunteer in time of war deserve the most credit of all, but I was comparing conscripts to those who are already professional soldiers.

Well we ended the draft back in the mid 1970's so for purposes of this discussion they'd all be considered professionals *. I can't speak to how foreign nations that still have conscription treat their vets.

* Although professional would not be my first choice to describe most of the young troops I met when I joined the Army back in the 1970's (and I include myself in that!). I mean how professional is an 18 year old at anything? :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by August (Post 2427594)

I mean how professional is an 18 year old at anything? :)

Extremely, if you are to believe them. :haha: