"Thank You for Your Service"

Picking up a thread from yesterday: GI Joe, the song, and following it to a general view of present day US military: I read a piece last week by Chris Floyd at Empire Burlesque: Broken Spirits, Burnt Grass: Brief Notes from an American Journey. It afforded me an opportunity to comment about something I usually feel reticent to express: discomfort at the strange, almost religious approach accorded to members of the military here in the USA. It leaves me feeling queasy. I have the greatest, and enduring, respect for all soldiers, sailors and airforce personnel of both sexes who fought with Britain in World War 2. The military now, in what passes for "peace-time", is a completely different animal.

"Thank you for your service" is a routine remark made whenever someone wearing the uniform appears on TV. As Mr.Floyd described, the habit spreads even to passengers in military garb travelling on a plane. Many in the military do no more than the average garage mechanic, cook or office worker, who don't ever get a public thank you for services rendered. For me, first and foremost, fire-fighters, lifeboat crews and all first responders to disasters deserve a public "thank you for your service" - but they have no identifying uniform when not on the job.

By the way, I most certainly do not wish to thank any drone operators!

This routine thanking, in my opinion, devalues the very heartfelt remembrances expressed on 11 November and Memorial Day.

Anyway...no more rant, I could, but I won't. Just to say I recommend the linked article, and the comments, mine is among them.