A few days ago I let SSGt Old School dictate the proper etiquette for my fellow vets today. This one's for the civilians.
- Memorial Day is for our fallen. Today is for us. Either way, don't take it personal if a well-meaning "thanks for your service" gets downplayed, brushed off, or minimally acknowledged. Some of us still have odd reactions to actual praise.
- No, you are under no obligation to let someone in a moto t-shirt cut in front of you in line, let a vehicle with a branch sticker on it go ahead of you in traffic, or fall for a vet's pickup line.
(Though if you consider that last one the very essence of your patriotic duty, ladies, then by all means... pm me. )
- Want to do something substantial? There's a ton of nonprofit and volunteer organizations dedicated to helping veterans, service members, and their families. Find one that strikes your fancy and ask what you can do.
- Want to do something substantial but have no time, money, or attention span? Unemployment hits veterans particularly hard as a demographic. And unless they've written a book (probably with the word "warrior" in the title) they're probably not marketing themselves as well as they could. Find a vet who's work you've seen and like them on Linkedin or something. (Do you "like" people on Linkedin? I still kinda suck at Linkedin.)
Anyways, that's all I got. Have a good one.
- Memorial Day is for our fallen. Today is for us. Either way, don't take it personal if a well-meaning "thanks for your service" gets downplayed, brushed off, or minimally acknowledged. Some of us still have odd reactions to actual praise.
- No, you are under no obligation to let someone in a moto t-shirt cut in front of you in line, let a vehicle with a branch sticker on it go ahead of you in traffic, or fall for a vet's pickup line.
(Though if you consider that last one the very essence of your patriotic duty, ladies, then by all means... pm me. )
- Want to do something substantial? There's a ton of nonprofit and volunteer organizations dedicated to helping veterans, service members, and their families. Find one that strikes your fancy and ask what you can do.
- Want to do something substantial but have no time, money, or attention span? Unemployment hits veterans particularly hard as a demographic. And unless they've written a book (probably with the word "warrior" in the title) they're probably not marketing themselves as well as they could. Find a vet who's work you've seen and like them on Linkedin or something. (Do you "like" people on Linkedin? I still kinda suck at Linkedin.)
Anyways, that's all I got. Have a good one.
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