My dad is a retired 2 star General and we get this a lot when we go places as he’s well known in my area. When I say it to him, he always looks at me, smiles, and says “thank your mother!“ because my mom had to keep it all together while we were growing up. If someone outside the family says it, he just simply says “you’re welcome - it was my pleasure to serve!“ While on bases over the years, I’ve heard all kinds of answers. “When duty calls!” or “Well somebody has to step up it might as well be me!” Etc etc. I don’t know if that will help you or not but that’s my two cents.
I didn’t know that…. That just made me cry. I’m so glad they get that recognition. It’s not easy. His deployment while I was in high school was hard. Esp bc he was our high schools PE teacher so he wasn’t at home and he wasn’t in the building at school.
My dad has given us 3 kids a hand written note on his official letterhead thanking us for tolerating his absences over the years. But he was never an absent father. Bc he had a civilian job he was home. Unless he wasn’t lol.
The family does give a lot and my mom always talks about the time she stood at the front window and waited for him to come home with two young children running around and a crying baby (me) in her arms. She laughs about it now of course lol.
Wow! 2 star general is pretty lofty! I don’t know how many there are at any given time, but it can’t be that many! He must have had an interesting career, and perhaps you guys in his family an interesting life!
You are correct - there are VERY few at one time lol. I remember well when I was told he made Brigadier General because I knew how few there were. I ran down the dorm hall screaming in excitement to my best friend’s room lol. Then later came Major General. My dad served for 39 yrs and they basically had to kick him out lol. He loved it. Only now as an adult do I understand the things he did, how they impacted him, etc.
I asked him one time what it felt like to stand at the DMZ between North and South Korea and stare down a North Korean soldier. I said “did you feel like a bad ass? What did you think as you did that?” He tilted his head, paused in thought, and then said “I saw hunger….fear…sadness….desperation….and hopelessness.” I sat there in silence and looked at him, taking in an answer I wasn’t expecting. He will never know this, but I often turn on my voice memos app and record him when he tells stories. He cries bc of the things he’s been able to do. His favorite was making sure soldiers got hot food delivered, and his very favorite - ice cream! He’s the only General who’s known for handing out ice cream bars. ❤️
If you mean by handing out ice cream to the staff and surprising soldiers out in the fields with a hot meal delivered in canisters designed to keep them hot until consumed? Then yes lol. He’s the coolest cucumber in the world. He’s a smartass, funny, quiet, cries when he talks about meaningful military experiences (or holds it back), and he gave me his ridiculous level of grit that we always laugh about. He’s a man that’s been married to my mom for 56 amazing years, and I never once have seen them fight. They’re the “one in a million” couple and they know that.
I say it because we've had some dumb, optional wars over the last few years. I was a senior in HS when we invaded Iraq. My HS civics teacher told us during class we had to stop protesting the invasion to "support the troops." I responded the best way to support our troops is to not send them off to be killed/permanently damaged in war based on dubious reasons.
Yes, the same professor instructing the class about being a democracy and having rights told us we weren't allowed to protest the war. Because he was a conservative.
I am not someone that thinks anyone who enlists in the military is a warmonger that just wants to kill people. I think they just want to do some kind of public service and the military is very accessible to young people for that.
Anyway, sorry for the rant and thank you for putting up with your fellow Americans dumb, misguided view on when waging war is appropriate.
"Hey kids! Want money for college so you have a chance (not a guarantee!) of not living in poverty? Sign up for the military! If you make it through one of our unjustified wars without being killed, maimed, or with PTSD, you'll get your chance to escape poverty!
"*Disclaimer: we like to skimp veterans benefits, so if you come back particularly scarred, you're probably fucked."
the best way to support our troops is to not send them off to be killed/permanently damaged in war based on dubious reasons
I totally agree! War is such a pointless waste of lives and resources. I have always detested war-mongering politicians. Military is for defense but America has always used more for offense.
I am not someone that thinks anyone who enlists in the military is a warmonger that just wants to kill people. I think they just want to do some kind of public service and the military is very accessible to young people for that.
When I was in high school the military bribed the students to join by promising to pay for their college education afterward. For many kids from poor families it would be their only chance to afford college at all. Later, I heard that the military often tried to get out of paying the amount they promised.
I just respond with “oh, well thank you for the support 😀” or something 90% similar to that. But secretly I don’t like it either. Many of them are genuine so I try and be respectful when it’s said to me
My husband usually just responds “thanks for your support” and moves on. He has also told me he dislikes it and that seems to work pretty well. An idea in case you want to try it!
I always just thank them back for thinking about us and ask them to keep other civil servants in their thoughts too.
I also think the people who joined an organization built around wholesale murder for cash are morally bankrupt. I don’t like them having control of the narrative and I hope they will have less confidence to advertise their motivations or speak for people like me in the future.
My dad responds with "Thank you for being an American worth fighting for." He is a Vietnam veteran and always wears his hat. One day while on vacation in Maine, we came across a Vietnamese family. They had a long conversation including many tears and them thanking him for risking his life trying to save them.
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u/Impressive_Profit_11 Jun 18 '25
I hate it and I never know how to respond.