Originally Posted by Sidd Finch (Post 493683)

I agree with this.* That said, I have on several occasions bought drinks for US soldiers, particularly when seeing them in Europe. I'm not sure why, it just feels like the right thing to do.

For different reasons, I always and will forever buy any paramedic a drink (assuming we are in a bar). Those dudes saved my life and made me feel calm and safe when I was bleeding out in the middle of the road.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 493695)

Look, I'm happy to buy 'em drinks all around, but I fly first class now on long flights because I feel like shit if I don't. The damn youngsters can pay their dues in the back the way I did.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 493698)

I go to a family reunion every couple of years and the organizer, one of my cousins, always makes a point of having all the veterans stand up and get acknowledged for their service. This has always bothered me, maybe because I know too much about his politics, because of the implicit denigration of other forms of service. I have a cousin who helps run the volunteer fire department in the town where we do the reunion. One vet there was a doctor in the Army stateside for two years during Vietnam and then spent his career in a state mental hospital -- which was the bigger hardship? I have another cousin who has spent his summers fighting forest fires -- he has surely put his life at risk as much as the organizer who did his tour on a destroyer without anyone ever shooting at him. I don't object to honoring the vets at all, but exalting them while dumping on everything else the government does kinda bugs me.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 493698)

I go to a family reunion every couple of years and the organizer, one of my cousins, always makes a point of having all the veterans stand up and get acknowledged for their service. This has always bothered me, maybe because I know too much about his politics, because of the implicit denigration of other forms of service. I have a cousin who helps run the volunteer fire department in the town where we do the reunion. One vet there was a doctor in the Army stateside for two years during Vietnam and then spent his career in a state mental hospital -- which was the bigger hardship? I have another cousin who has spent his summers fighting forest fires -- he has surely put his life at risk as much as the organizer who did his tour on a destroyer without anyone ever shooting at him. I don't object to honoring the vets at all, but exalting them while dumping on everything else the government does kinda bugs me.

Originally Posted by taxwonk (Post 493702)

It has nothing to do with the soldiers at all. Think about Spartacus or Lancelot. They were sent out to die. In order to make that palatable, their sacrifice had to be lionized. They had to become heroes so we could deal with the guilt of killing them. When someone starts talking loud and proud about supporting our boys, em's saying "shut the fuck up with your complaining about the war, you shame these soldiers' honor by your dissent."

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch (Post 493727)

Dude -- I said I buy drinks for paramedics as well as soldiers. How many asses do I need to kiss to make you happy?

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 493635)

We've seen all kinds of reasons in our family for joining the military. I think my foster-nephew did it to emulate his foster father. I've had a couple relatives do ROTC, focusing more on the college payments than the after college commitments - at least one of them very explicitly thinking, pre 9/11, that he had little or no chance of deployment and it was a good gig for a couple years. We've had people in the military as doctors, priests, and social workers - all unlikely to get shot at or shoot anyone. At least one in-law was doing it for immigration and naturalization reasons. Two family members have done special forces training - my father, who dropped out of it, and a brother-in-law who started in the SEAL program but was transferred out of it into a leadership track and ended up commanding a nuclear sub (SEALs never end up running things, they're too crazy). Both signed up for it more for the prestige, they were looking for the most elite military role and the fastest advancing they could.

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch (Post 493689)

You make good points (but you still need to calm down). Mostly I think this underscores the problem with the term "hero." WTF does it mean? "Pure good guy?"

Using your Confederate soldier analogy -- I could certainly imagine such a story, portraying an individual as brave, selfless, whatever. I assume that the movie Das Boot has at least some likeable or sympathetic characters, and they are fighting for the Nazis.

I don't consider Kyle a "hero." Mostly, I found it an interesting and sad story, and he did get pretty f'd up by the whole thing. If he did anything "heroic", it was trying to help other f'd up vets when he came back, not killing people in Iraq.

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch (Post 493727)

Dude -- I said I buy drinks for paramedics as well as soldiers. How many asses do I need to kiss to make you happy?

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 493737)

Just because I'm responding to you doesn't mean I disagree with you. But to answer your question, you should buy drinks for tech lawyers too.

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 493732)

I was in St. Louis a lot a few years back on a lawsuit. I'd get to the airport, buy a ticket for their subway and in and then back a few days later. That cost like $4. I only had $20 it seems every time and the machine gave change in dollar coins. I hate dollar coins and no here seems to even know what they are. So about the fifth trip I was so sick of them that I just wanted to get rid of them. Flying home I had 10 of them left. I was in line at the airport to buy a water. Behind was a young guy in an army outfit. I offered to buy him lunch but he seemed puzzled. I think he was unfamiliar with the concept and thought I wanted to fuck him.

Originally Posted by Gattigap (Post 493738)

Oh, like THAT's gonna start happening.

Originally Posted by Gattigap (Post 493738)

Oh, like THAT's gonna start happening.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 493743)

I'm pretty certain I've stuck him with the bill for an overpriced drink or two along the way. It's all in how you shake the booty.