"Auslandseinsatz"

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.

[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.