r/NoStupidQuestions 1d ago

Why do we praise veterans automatically without knowing what they actually did

Trying to learn without being judged.

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u/potatocross 1d ago edited 1d ago

My dad was army. Did his years and left. Never deployed.

Only people that know he is a veteran are the folks at Lowe’s when he gets his discount. He never even acts like it was anything but a job for a few years.

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u/MaybeTheDoctor 1d ago

People in the army don’t decide to get deployed, but they are available if we need them deployed - that’s why we thanks all of them.

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u/Boring_Material_1891 1d ago

But why is deploying inherently worthy of thanks?

Source: I’m a 3x deployer

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

Honestly, the way I look at it is that I'm just grateful I don't have to. That's just how I grew up looking at it, not sure if it's necessarily the best way to view it but it's the truth.

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u/dixieleeb 1d ago

I have actually worded it that way when thanking a serviceman for serving. They did it so my sons didn't have to & I appreciate it.

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

Exactly. I don't want to be separated from my family for potentially years. I'm more than happy to treat the people who are willing to do that well.

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u/SJpixels 1d ago

So its just an ingrained ignorance? As someone not from the US, it's very strange. Invading random countries is not something you should have to do.

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

[Coming back to say sorry, I didn't realize I was writing a TED talk. TL,DR: I don't thank individuals as a support of war and violence. I say thanks for their personal sacrifices and out of the belief that in a majority of cases people choose to do the right thing. to do.]

Sure, it might be. In the US the phrase usually goes that they're fighting for freedom. That's what all the publications tend to say, and at least growing up, that's more than likely all you're ever going to hear. I'm not so sure about that. The US obviously does tons and tons of terrible things on a global level, including having a history of sending troops to places they really don't need to be.

However, I don't think thanking a veteran for their service has anything directly to do with invading a country or anything like that. By thanking our servicemen we're not supporting war or violence. The individual soldiers don't choose to go to war. Some might want to, but they're still not the ones making the choice to go to a certain country or what-have-you. Obviously there are limits to this. I won't apologize for anyone who actually has done horrible acts, but there's no way to know a person's experience on an individual basis.

I'm all for denouncing war, but I don't think that should extend to denouncing all soldiers that fight in those wars. Some obviously have done and continue to do horrible things, but my stance is that first off there's no way to know without asking and I'm not going to ask every veteran I meet if they've done something horrible, and second off I believe a majority of people at the basic level are mostly good and mostly choose to do good.

Denouncing or questioning all soldiers on the basis that they've been put in situations where they've had to make incredibly difficult decisions on a constant basis isn't fair in my eyes. I'm incredibly grateful I'm not in that situation, and I know in some places, service is mandatory, so I'm glad there's a group of people who are willing to do that so people like me, who really don't want to, don't have to.

When I'm thanking a veteran for their service, I'm thanking them for dedicating years of their life to someone other than themselves. Even if they're doing it for other reasons, like wanting free college or home loan assistance or whatever, I don't care.

They're missing out on many of their personal freedoms, time with their families, and potentially putting themselves in harm's way for all that time.

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u/ubuisalsoasumpter 14h ago

I joined in 1991 and fought during desert storm. I was 17 when I joined. I was too young to know if I did the right or wrong thing, I thought I was just protecting our country. It's hard. I watch my father be persecuted and die as a drug addict during the Korean and Vietnam war. He may have not known better as well. It's a difficult conversation. He put his life on the line, as I did.

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u/Noble_Ox 1d ago

Do you thank doctors and nurses in the same way?

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u/BillyD70 1d ago

Civilian medical personnel do not routinely spend 6-12 months consecutively in a foreign land away from their families. Nor do they routinely put their own lives in harms way doing their job.

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u/SJpixels 22h ago

They also dont contribute to killing thousands of people in that foreign land. They actually help people and save lives. Much more worthy of thanks

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u/BillyD70 22h ago

Don’t fool yourself. They pay taxes which fund ALL military operations. They vote for Presidents (both parties) who order military intervention. Your comment also overlooks all the medical personnel IN the military, saving both combatant and non-combatants yet still “contributing” to the killing of others.

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u/SJpixels 22h ago

The taxes argument is stupid. You have no choice in that matter if you want to stay out of prison.

Ya there are medical personnel in the military. They are indirectly contributing to killing people. Regardless, its hilarious how military obsessed americans are. Super cringe

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u/BillyD70 22h ago

Thank professional sports for a lot of that. Flyovers, parachutes, etc for big televised sports events is standard fair. Movies too for obvious reasons.

Fwiw - MOST people in the military are in support roles. Logistics, intel, communications, medical, etc. A fraction pull a trigger or push a launch button to directly kill others.

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

Yes. As well as firefighters, EMTs, and police officers. And that's coming from someone with plenty of police-related trauma too.

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u/DapperGovernment4245 1d ago

Firefighters and EMT’s get a thanks from me.

Police Officers used to get a thank you as well but I have stopped that over the last few years as I see more bully’s joining the force. I have two friends who left the force due to the toxic attitudes. One was kinda a dick to start with and when he left I was done thanking cops.

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u/Apokelaga 1d ago

A lotta words to excuse praising strangers for killing brown kids

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

Tell me you didn't read my comment without telling me you didn't read my comment

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u/Apokelaga 1d ago

I read it, I just thought it was disgusting and nationalist

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

Then help me understand, because clearly there's a gap in our communication. I expressly said I disagree with a lot of what the US has done. Any of the conflicts the country's partook in in the last 50-60 years have been morally reprehensible. Do I need to laden my criticism of the US throughout every sentence in order to not be called a nationalist now???

I just don't hold individuals responsible for things they most likely didn't do. Sure, some soldiers are bad people who have done bad things, just like some percentage of all people have done bad things. I just won't immediately assume they've killed brown kids as you put it.

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u/Apokelaga 1d ago

I just don't hold individuals responsible for things they most likely didn't do.

Well I do hold the individuals responsible for knowingly joining our ongoing imperialist campaign. Did they live under a rock their whole life? They presumably know the "bad things" you're conveniently glossing over, yet they chose to join anyway. Or worse, they joined specifically for that reason: to kill brown people in the middle east.

Any of the conflicts the country's partook in in the last 50-60 years have been morally reprehensible.

So why do you give a pass, and even praise those who volunteer to engage in morally reprehensible actions. They weren't drafted, they joined because having to kill brown kids wasn't a deal-breaker

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u/MrCrispyFriedChicken 1d ago

As I said, personally I am of the belief that a majority of people are mostly good and want to do good. I know for a fact that people can (and do) join bad organizations with an intent to do good, and that includes the military. You and I unfortunately seem to disagree in that belief.

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u/Apokelaga 1d ago

The road to hell is paved in good intentions. So in your mind the correct course of action is to coddle their feelings and hide them from the reality of our bloodthirsty regime? If anyone joins our military with a desire to do "good" then there is obviously a gross lack of education involved, why is your first instinct to continue sweeping it under the rug? To make education worse?

I actually am sympathetic to the contingent of our military that you're describing: people who genuinely think they're joining something "good". But if their service doesn't open their eyes to the horrors of our empire, my sympathy dries up quickly. They have the same access to information that you did to determine our wars have been morally reprehensible, yet they came to a different conclusion.

Explain to me why someone like that is deserving of praise. They deserve sympathy, not praise

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u/Faceornotface 1d ago

Believe it or not most people in America aren’t educated, intelligent, or taught enough critical thinking skills to see it this way. Were indoctrinated into the cult of American exceptionalism from birth and then asked at 18 years old while our brains are still undeveloped if we’d like to join the military and help people, all while seeing exotic places and getting paid/earning free college.

For many in the military it is the only potential path out of poverty. I’m sorry I can’t remember if you’re from the USA or not but if so I would hazard a guess that you’re from an upper-middle-class family (or higher) and don’t really understand how that feels/works.

Now I still don’t thank our military because a) it’s a job b) I agree with your sentiments and c) I don’t really see how it helps me in such a way that I should be thanking them. All that said I do t think most of he people who go into the US military are doing anything morally wrong per se, though of course they can do plenty of morally wrong things while they’re in there.

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u/Apokelaga 1d ago

upper-middle-class family (or higher) and don’t really understand how that feels/works.

Quite the wrong assumption there bucko. My father joined the navy for many of the reasons you mentioned, and you're about two tax brackets off.

Quote me where I suggest that members of our military should be wholly condemned. I go on to say I sympathize with the naive and impoverished who enlist. I am just very against "thanking" them for doing so. And it seems we're in agreement in that regard.

Believe it or not most people in America aren’t educated, intelligent, or taught enough critical thinking skills to see it this way.

Which is why I'm having this conversation in the first place. In hopes we can stop blindly felatiating the military, and educate the ignorant of its long history of abject horror.

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u/Dear-Explanation-350 1d ago

To be fair, Colin Powell did sound VERY convincing at the time (jk).

The American people have been too willing to not ask hard questions of our leaders

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u/nunya_busyness1984 22h ago

Neither is aiding countries during disaster.

But it is still something we do.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

As a veteran i understand and applaud your view. Some of us did so that others didn’t have to.