"Auslandseinsatz"

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Hottentot

What I don't respect is having my contribution in the service and after it belittled by a person who sat in a hole in the mud for 6 months and yelled "shot, shot, burst" at the empty forest, fantasizing about being a war hero.

Strange, it's the same over here but just in the other direction. I get belittled for having been in the military...

[Hottentot]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Strange, it's the same over here but just in the other direction. I get belittled for having been in the military...

Any specific reason for that? I mean, I sure have heard of some less than admiring attitudes towards the military in various foreign countries. We are, for example, often adviced not to put any references of our army service to our CVs if applying to jobs abroad because it might be understood the wrong way. But in general, why would you get belittled for it?

Edit: Now that I think about it, I'm fairly sure that Penguin has enlightened me on this subject in the past, but I'm nevertheless interested in hearing this. Seeing all the stuff I have heard due to my choice, the idea feels absurd from my point of view.

[Schroeder]

@Hottentot
Well, those who do civil service usually do something that has a direct effect on someone, like helping in an old people's home or similar stuff. They often don't see the necessity for any form of military anymore and see it just as a huge waste of money (hey, we "won" the cold war after all so there is no direct threat anymore). To them there will never be a need of armed forces again because we don't have a direct threat right now and so they don't see the service that a soldier performs and the sacrifices they make even in peace time. There is no direct effect a soldier has in peace time, especially not when there is no direct threat pointing towards one's country. There is only an indirect one of keeping combat readiness up and standing vigil for the case where protection against an outside aggressor might be needed again however likely or unlikely that might be at a time.
They can't understand why someone would be "dumb enough to join an institution where you get yelled at, have to sleep with 6 guys in one room, get your rear end kicked (not literally but you know what I mean ) and don't do anything useful at all".

On the other side I also now some military veterans who belittle the civil service guys calling them wimps and such BS....
Actually I think we've all served our country in one way or another and there is no "superior" way of serving. I don't belittle those who chose the civil service as I think they did society a great service but I also expect not to be belittled because I chose the join the armed forces.

[Hottentot]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

To them there will never be a need of armed forces again because we don't have a direct threat right now and so they don't see the service that a soldier performs and the sacrifices they make even in peace time. There is no direct effect a soldier has in peace time, especially not when there is no direct threat pointing towards one's country. There is only an indirect one of keeping combat readiness up and standing vigil for the case where protection against an outside aggressor might be needed again however likely or unlikely that might be at a time.

Ah, that I can understand. An argument I've heard from my not-so-bright fellow civilian service guys. Another one being "Lolz if there will be war, it will be with Russia and they will NUKE US OMG!!!!!!"

I have been actually waiting for someone to answer that question of mine: "I made sure you could do what you did." That's what I would say in their place. Then we could actually have a proper discussion and not idiotic "Mine is better than yours" arguing. Sadly I have yet to meet anyone who could offer me anything apart from empty rhetorics with lots of magic words like "fatherland", "manhood", "duty" and such thrown in for a good measure. Heck, I've even had the "Winter war" thrown at my face once (and fortunately only once, because I nearly died of laughter after getting behind the nearest corner). Words with meaning that become completely meaningless when they are being used as substitutes for real arguments.

Personally I would have more respect for these individuals if they actively took part in military after their service, much like I have continued taking an active part in the guide dog scene after mine. You know, if they participated in training, even made a career in the army, or at the very least somehow kept up the skills they learned there.

But they don't, though that's not entirely their fault. In the worst case they are people who have surfed through the obligatory service and believe that this entitles them to talk down on everyone else for the rest of their lives. "Rest of their lives" meaning also the time when they are about 70, overweight, and haven't shot anything but their mouth in 52 years. When a person like that tells me that my service hasn't done anything good to this country, I simply can't take it seriously.

Actually I think we've all served our country in one way or another and there is no "superior" way of serving. I don't belittle those who chose the civil service as I think they did society a great service but I also expect not to be belittled because I chose the join the armed forces.

This.

Originally Posted by Schroeder

Strange, it's the same over here but just in the other direction. I get belittled for having been in the military...

Back in the good times, I was standing at the Berlin Zoo station, waiting for my ride home while wearing uniform and my blue beret with a nice aesculap staff... so... Even a complete Idiot could tell: "Hey, that´s a MEDIC"...

But what happened? A stupid jerk walked by and insulted me, not too quiet, as a "murderer" and "rapist".

I was speechless

Germans enter full-retard-mode quickly when it comes to uniforms and mitlitary at all. Still wearing blinders, Im afraid...

[August]

It's a dirty rotten shame when vets are not treated with the respect and love they gave their country. You all have my sympathies.

Really appreciated!

[August]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Really appreciated!

We have a greeting for vets in my country that goes:

"Thank you for your service to our country"

But since we're not countrymen instead let me modify that a bit and say:

Thank you for your service to the country of my Grandfather.