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Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa UltimaDork
11/11/23 2:06 p.m.

Just a reminder.  Get your free stuff.

 

RonnieFnD
RonnieFnD Reader
11/11/23 2:11 p.m.

I refuse any free stuff.

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa UltimaDork
11/11/23 2:28 p.m.

In reply to RonnieFnD :

As is your right.

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
11/11/23 3:50 p.m.
RonnieFnD said:

I refuse any free stuff.

I am giving you some free appreciation for your service.

Good luck giving that back wink 

Although I do understand the sentiment.  I would honestly be a rather put off by a veteran who requests / demands it (in most cases).

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
11/11/23 5:20 p.m.

Like the knuckle head Jr Lieutenant that tried to get me to reenlist:

"Free medical

Free Dental

See the WORLD

Free clothing."

 

Right.  Away from home, I made $18,0000 in 4 years, if I wasn't a cook I would starve.

pump off .....

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter)
AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) PowerDork
11/11/23 8:53 p.m.

I took that free car wash today.  

j_tso
j_tso Dork
11/11/23 9:25 p.m.
Stampie
Stampie GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/23 9:46 p.m.

I'll be honest I hate the thank you for your service. It's especially weird when it comes from other vets.

secretariata (Forum Supporter)
secretariata (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
11/11/23 10:55 p.m.

In reply to Stampie :

Agree. 2 shiny happy person coworkers spent all day Thursday thanking me for my service. They were trying to get me to lose it and cause a scene. They don't know me well enough. I kept my cool and they will pay later.

Stampie
Stampie GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
11/11/23 11:27 p.m.

In reply to secretariata (Forum Supporter) :

Dead mouse in the back of a drawer works.  Just saying.

Teh E36 M3
Teh E36 M3 UltraDork
11/12/23 1:01 a.m.

I don't even know what to say to other dudes. I purposely avoid accidental mil identifying E36 M3 on days like today. Part of me wants to make a connection with others, but a lot of me just wants it to go away. 

Teh E36 M3
Teh E36 M3 UltraDork
11/12/23 1:02 a.m.

In reply to secretariata (Forum Supporter) :

berkeley those guys. I'm sorry man. 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter)
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
11/12/23 1:22 a.m.

I guess I can remember when saying that actually meant something, before it just became a "thing." 
 

The whole idea of some sort of statement like that is to connect with the person, to let them know that you're thinking of them and express that you care. Just rattling off a phrase like that is cheap and has no meaning anymore. If it's the current generation that's done, a tour, or multiple tours in the sandbox, the bigger question is, "how are you doing? How are your friends?" 
 

 We are still losing a lot of those guys on a regular basis. 

 Now it's just a hollow phrase to make the person that's saying it feel better. It's sort of like how I feel when I hear "thoughts and prayers." 
 

 

RonnieFnD
RonnieFnD Reader
11/12/23 7:04 a.m.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I guess I can remember when saying that actually meant something, before it just became a "thing." 
 

The whole idea of some sort of statement like that is to connect with the person, to let them know that you're thinking of them and express that you care. Just rattling off a phrase like that is cheap and has no meaning anymore. If it's the current generation that's done, a tour, or multiple tours in the sandbox, the bigger question is, "how are you doing? How are your friends?" 
 

 We are still losing a lot of those guys on a regular basis. 

 Now it's just a hollow phrase to make the person that's saying it feel better. It's sort of like how I feel when I hear "thoughts and prayers." 
 

 

This. Exactly this. Sometimes it's just better to keep your mouth shut if you have no personal connection, will not gain a personal connection,  and just want to make yourself feel better because you think someone cares about your empty thank you.  I'm in this weird middle ground age wise I think.  I'm 42, infantry Marine, Iraq 03, the Stan 05 so I've done FAFOed but I don't really care lol. I'm not the old guy with the hat that wants the thank you and I'm not the kid that wants free chicken wings lol.   Middle aged can be odd when the people on both sides of you are wildly different in how they handle things. 

 

Get off my lawn lol

Jerry
Jerry PowerDork
11/12/23 8:04 a.m.

I'm not into the free stuff, once or twice I did go out for a meal with SWMBO.  Tipped for both meals.  But it's just not a motivator for me.

Compared to a friend of a friend who lined up all the free E36 M3 he was going to get over the course of a day one year.  (We aren't friends anymore, not a surprise.)

And I never know how to respond to the Thanks.  More thanks?  You're welcome?  Nod and smile?

For fun, here's Shock Trials.  My first cruise after I got to the ship in '87, blow up a E36 M3 load of dynamite and see what happens.  Repeat 3 more times closer each time, over the course of a few weeks.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
11/12/23 8:22 a.m.

Free stuff?  I didn't pay property taxes the first 10 years I owned my home.  Purple Heart recipients never pay school tax.  Ever.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
11/12/23 9:01 a.m.
914Driver said:

Free stuff?  I didn't pay property taxes the first 10 years I owned my home.  Purple Heart recipients never pay school tax.  Ever.

How does that work? My dad got a purple heart in World War 2, paid a ton of property taxes to the State of California until Proposition 13 froze them. Then he got Mello Rooed, moved to Colorado and paid even more property taxes to that state.

secretariata (Forum Supporter)
secretariata (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
11/12/23 9:21 a.m.

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

These things vary by state, so only applies if you live in a state that has those laws on the books. Just like some states don't have income tax, but their sales tax is a whole lot.

secretariata (Forum Supporter)
secretariata (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
11/12/23 9:24 a.m.

In reply to Teh E36 M3 :

They're actually good guys and were just messing with me. I do the same kind of E36 M3 to them. They just seriously underestimated my ability to filter my speach because I usually don't.

secretariata (Forum Supporter)
secretariata (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
11/12/23 9:31 a.m.

I never go out for free stuff on Veterans Day. I don't feel right going somewhere that I wouldn't normally spend money and taking advantage of them giving stuff away. Plus I would assume there are lots of people getting their free stuff so places are probably crowded which makes them places I don't want to be.

Now places that I normally shop and offer a veterans discount year round are a different story.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
11/12/23 9:33 a.m.
secretariata (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) :

These things vary by state, so only applies if you live in a state that has those laws on the books. Just like some states don't have income tax, but their sales tax is a whole lot.

I know all states are different, but I never heard of a state doing this before. Sounds like a good thing. 

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
11/12/23 10:53 a.m.

Even in NY, it varies county to county.  It's been 40+ years since I applied, but IIRC you take your DD-214 to the County Veterans' Affairs office.  Just make some calls asking about Veterans' Exemption.

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
11/12/23 11:12 a.m.

While I wholeheartedly support anyone that's served in the military ( I would have been medically ineligible, I've broken too much E36 M3 as a child) I've noticed something over the years. The more often people lean on the "I'm a veteran gimme free E36 M3" thing, the less likely they are to....deserve it? I'm not sure there's a great way to word that, but let me see if I can explain-

 

SWMBO's ex is a veteran. He's also a gigantic piece of E36 M3. He's actually managed to steal valor while ACTUALLY having been in the military- claiming to have been to sniper school and all manner of E36 M3 while having been a diesel mechanic, and likely his medical discharge was caused by his battle buddies during a training exercise because they hated him so berkeleying much. There's a lot more to it than that, but yeah. Not a good human. Will also lean as hard on the "I'm a vet you owe me" tag as much as he can. Currently lives in the woods in Ocala with his 3rd (!) wife who just got off probation for a meth and trespassing conviction. It's my fault he's homeless. He's actually told SWMBO this before despite the fact that he has no confirmation that i'm even here.  

 

So- I appreciate what y'all do, and have done. Same goes for law enforcement and other jobs that automatically get you hated just because you went to work that day. Can't be easy. I don't want that EVER misconstrued at all. It's just something I've seen.

yupididit
yupididit GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
11/12/23 11:20 a.m.
j_tso said:

 

I love Larry David. 

My wife and I have always tried our best not to wear our uniform to and from work. She keeps hers at work and only takes them home to wash them. I haven't had to wear a uniform in the last few years and it feels good to be able to go out somewhere for lunch and not be interrupted with a "thank you for your service" or a "I was going to join the army but they wouldn't let me in because of my kidnapping felony" lmao

Aaron_King
Aaron_King GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
11/13/23 10:26 a.m.

I try not ot let the Thanking get on my nerves, like others have said its more for the person saying it than me and if it makes them feel a little bit better thats fine.

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