Used in a sentence: "With Veteran's Day just around the corner, it might be as good a time as any to highlight a recent trend which is to think twice before you speak to a veteran, as chances are that they might better appreciate hearing "no thank you for your service" instead of "thank you for your service".
That latter phrase slips out almost on auto-pilot any more, and *that's* part of the problem. It's perceived as a canned response and, in a world of "volunteer" soldiers (where "volunteer" is sometimes heavily dictated by race and/or socio-economic status), it's often viewed as a cop-out from a public who really has no idea what sacrifices veterans make, and who too quickly assumes that that little phrase is all that needs to be said to bridge the gap.
It's a tricky situation to be sure ... because each veteran's military experience was different and each veteran's sensitivity level is varied. There may be a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" feeling after you process this information -- but here's the kicker ... maybe there are no words. Maybe words are hollow. Maybe actions are better -- volunteer, donate to a worthy veteran cause, or don't speak and just listen.
Because for you, veteran's day may be just one day in November when you jump on a bandwagon and spout off the obligatory phrase or post a meme or update your social media status with the thing that everybody says ... but for them, *every* day is veteran's day -- because they have that classification because they lived it.
Something to think about it going into next week ...
THE SOURCE FOR THIS PERSPECTIVE:
https://military.id.me/community-news/dont-say-thank-you-for-your-service/
AND THEY DON'T ALL HAVE PTSD EITHER:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303980004579576423045207210
THINGS YOU *CAN* DO INSTEAD:
http://www.military.com/veterans-day/8-ways-to-express-appreciation-on-veterans-day.html
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