Why do americans love veterans?

jjbrien

I want to know this from an Irish point of view since most of us here are from Ireland. At home we dont glorify the army, navy or air core. My grandfather was in the air core and nobody gave him glory nor did he seek it. But here in the states they all go thank you for your service etc. It all seems like lip service from what I seen. I seen many homeless veterans. I think instead of thanking them maybe they should mean it and look after them and never allow them be without a roof and good medical.

But why do they go on about veterans so much?

JohnMearsheimer

They have the VA to look after the veterans. The VA looks after medical care, helps secure loans for housing, pays for college/university education etc.

InTheTrees

jjbrien wrote: »

But why do they go on about veterans so much?

Because apart from short gaps they've been at war for a lot of the last century.

jjbrien

InTheTrees wrote: »

Because apart from short gaps they've been at war for a lot of the last century.

True i guess. I just dont get the yanks at times. Was in a bar at the weekend and there was two navy dudes from the local navy base someone came up to them to buy them a drink to thank them for their service.

I grew up in Mullingar and nobody there would ever buy a solider a drink for being in the army.

InTheTrees

jjbrien wrote: »

True i guess. I just dont get the yanks at times. Was in a bar at the weekend and there was two navy dudes from the local navy base someone came up to them to buy them a drink to thank them for their service.

Well its Veterans Day today so they're certainly at their most patriotic.

Watch Saving Private Ryan.

It'll give you idea of what the fuss is about.

InTheTrees

jjbrien wrote: »

I want to know this from an Irish point of view since most of us here are from Ireland. At home we dont glorify the army, navy or air core.

I think next year in Ireland you'll see some glorification of Irishmen who fought for their country.

ProudDUB

Why do Americans love/glorify Veterans? As if to imply that other countries don't? Jesus, does the OP never watch the BBC? Wall to wall, non stop historical documentaries, on everything from the Battle of Agincourt, to the Charge of The Light Brigade, to the Somme, to D-Day. No one can appear on any telly show from Graham Norton to Match Of The Day - even if they have zero connection to The Glorious Dead - unless they are wearing the mandatory bloody poppy.

I lived in the US for nearly 20 years. While Memorial Day & Veterans Day are always observed. They are just that....one day. No one is frogmarched by the culture police into having anything whatsoever to do with honouring veterans, unless they actually want to. That is very, very far from being the case with the UK imo.

Uno my Uno.

ProudDUB wrote: »

Why do Americans love/glorify Veterans? As if to imply that other countries don't? Jesus, does the OP never watch the BBC? Wall to wall, non stop historical documentaries, on everything from the Battle of Agincourt, to the Charge of The Light Brigade, to the Somme, to D-Day. No one can appear on any telly show from Graham Norton to Match Of The Day - even if they have zero connection to The Glorious Dead - unless they are wearing the mandatory bloody poppy.

I lived in the US for nearly 20 years. While Memorial Day & Veterans Day are always observed. They are just that....one day. No one is frogmarched by the culture police into having anything whatsoever to do with honouring veterans, unless they actually want to. That is very, very far from being the case with the UK imo.

You must have had your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears for most of those 20 years. Almost every sports event here in the US, including many highschool football games to the World series starts with the singing of the national anthem and the "presentation of our national colours", by a military band in full regalia. Last Sunday every NFL team wore strips adapted to feature camouflage. Military fly bys are not uncommon at big events.

All year round people will thank military personal for their service, service people travelling in uniform get preferential treatment at airports, (much) cheaper car insurance and major benefits from their GI Bills, High profile recruitment drives happen throughout the year. I try not to be judgmental about it but it's totally alien to me. It's not ok to not support the troops. This year saw the introduction of the camo ribbon, the poppy doesn't seem so bad now does it?

During my two years living in the UK I saw the contemporary Military on TV twice a year, the queen's birthday and remberamce day. I was never asked to thank a squadie and the only RAF fly by was by the red arrows. Britain has a long military history and they are proud of it but it is rarely a matter of public consciousness in the way it is in the US.

THe best way I can describe the difference is this;

Rememberence Day = We will never allow this to happen again

Veterans Day = Join the Army!

endacl

Air Core? Like, the middle bit of the air that nobody eats?

iusedtoknow

as with most things in the US, it is very commercialized. At most sports games, the army/navy pay for spots "honoring" the troops.

Veterans day is no worse than armistice day in the commonweath. Personally, I can't stand it, and cringe whenever I hear people "thanking" soldiers, police, fireman etc for their "service". But you just learn to ignore it.

whitey1

jjbrien wrote: »

True i guess. I just dont get the yanks at times. Was in a bar at the weekend and there was two navy dudes from the local navy base someone came up to them to buy them a drink to thank them for their service.

I grew up in Mullingar and nobody there would ever buy a solider a drink for being in the army.

Maybe because in the US they actually get deployed to war zones and get paid feck all for putting their lives in danger.


Read Band of Brothers or the Greatest Generation and hopefully youll understand it a little better

ceadaoin.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

You must have had your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears for most of those 20 years. Almost every sports event here in the US, including many highschool football games to the World series starts with the singing of the national anthem and the "presentation of our national colours", by a military band in full regalia. Last Sunday every NFL team wore strips adapted to feature camouflage. Military fly bys are not uncommon at big events.

That's just for marketing and recruitment purposes and comes out of the defense budget. The military has paid more than $5 million to the NFL the past few years for these displays.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25181085/nfl-teams-received-54-million-from-defense-department-in-last-4-years

BoJack Horseman

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Bit of a silly comparison OP. They spend over half a trillion on military each year. The UK spend about 60 million. The US has a population of about 320 million, the UK is about 60 million. So that means that the US spends 10,000 times more on military than the UK despite only having about 5 times the population.

I suggest running the numbers again there.

jjbrien

endacl wrote: »

Air Core? Like, the middle bit of the air that nobody eats?

Never heard of the Air Corps? Baldonnell eh? I know we dont have much of an air force at home at least we have one.

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

You must have had your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears for most of those 20 years. Almost every sports event here in the US, including many highschool football games to the World series starts with the singing of the national anthem and the "presentation of our national colours", by a military band in full regalia. Last Sunday every NFL team wore strips adapted to feature camouflage. Military fly bys are not uncommon at big events.

All year round people will thank military personal for their service, service people travelling in uniform get preferential treatment at airports, (much) cheaper car insurance and major benefits from their GI Bills, High profile recruitment drives happen throughout the year. I try not to be judgmental about it but it's totally alien to me. It's not ok to not support the troops. This year saw the introduction of the camo ribbon, the poppy doesn't seem so bad now does it?

During my two years living in the UK I saw the contemporary Military on TV twice a year, the queen's birthday and remberamce day. I was never asked to thank a squadie and the only RAF fly by was by the red arrows. Britain has a long military history and they are proud of it but it is rarely a matter of public consciousness in the way it is in the US.

THe best way I can describe the difference is this;

Rememberence Day = We will never allow this to happen again

Veterans Day = Join the Army!

Totally agree I lived in Liverpool for 4 years ok they wear poppies, but you wont see people there buying soldiers pints or giving them cheap car insurance. You never see them presenting the colors in Anfield. I guess its another thing ill have to ignore. I lived in Canada for nearly 2 years they dont go overboard the way the Americans do. I guess its just another odd american thing. Some poster said earlier that all the veterans are looked after I have seen many homeless ones begging in NJ, NY, Minnesota and California so they arnt really looked after. If an irish service man or woman got injured at home I know they get looked after even if it wasn't honorable.

FloatingVoter

jjbrien wrote: »

Never heard of the Air Corps? Baldonnell eh? I know we dont have much of an air force at home at least we have one.

Reread your OP. Check for typos or spelling mistakes. And to prove I'm not being anal, I actually believed that Africa Korps was pronounced "corpse" for several of my teenage years.

On the personal level, thanks to the GI bill, plenty of US families benefited from serving in the forces. From shack to army to college to middle class in one generation. So the military is a lot more integral to US life than it is here. Add in, all those army bases are like multinational firms setting up here. The amount of secondary employment created by them is colossal. I'm Bob - I own a bar and 95% of my custom is army issue. Damn straight I'll salute the main source of income the flag.

I know plenty of people who disagree with US foreign policy and can actually come up with solid reasoning to back that - they do not dispute the bravery or disrespect the men and women who wear the uniform.

iusedtoknow

FloatingVoter wrote: »

I know plenty of people who disagree with US foreign policy and can actually come up with solid reasoning to back that - they do not dispute the bravery or disrespect the men and women who wear the uniform.

I do, and frankly, while I don't disrespect them, then I don't respect them either. They are paid to wear the uniform, they get benefits - sometimes they are doing it just as there no other way out of crappy life situations (particularly the enlisted ranks). They are paid to kill whoever their commanders tell them.

I also know a soldier personally that refuses to tell people that he is in the military service , not because he is embarrassed about it, but because he hates being "thanked for his service". He recognizes it as a job...one that has provided well for him and his family. He just says he's a civil servant.

jjbrien

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Reread your OP. Check for typos or spelling mistakes. And to prove I'm not being anal, I actually believed that Africa Korps was pronounced "corpse" for several of my teenage years.

Thank you very much for showing up my disability. I have reported your post

silja

**** Folks, people make spelling mistakes because they are on phones or other reasons. Let's get back to discussing the actual question in the OP. ****

FloatingVoter

Corps=core=lame apple joke=me sticking my oar in=my getting reported. I'm sorry, boss.

Lads (for I know lads when I'm among 'em) , some of you should join the army. An army. Any bloody army once its deployed overseas.

endacl

jjbrien wrote: »

Thank you very much for showing up my disability. I have reported your post

He didn't. I did.

mulbot

It's because they are led to believe through tons of propaganda that the military is necessary, has kept the ordinary person"safe" and it protects their "freedom". Oh the irony

simdan

mulbot wrote:

It's because they are led to believe through tons of propaganda that the military is necessary, has kept the ordinary person"safe" and it protects their "freedom". Oh the irony

Exactly. Pumped into them from birth, it's very sad.

yew_tree

I have huge respect for anyone who serves in the military. Of course there are bad eggs like in every walk of life. For the most part I have found service men and women to be very respectful and dignified. A few of the scumbag youth's rampaging through Dublin and other Irish cities could do with a stink in the army and learn some respect. (A little off topic I know but rant over).

helimachoptor

especially since 9/11, you knew you werent signing up to sit in a barracks all day.

I give credit to those who signed up after seeing their country men come home with arms/legs missing

Uno my Uno.

ceadaoin. wrote: »

That's just for marketing and recruitment purposes and comes out of the defense budget. The military has paid more than $5 million to the NFL the past few years for these displays.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25181085/nfl-teams-received-54-million-from-defense-department-in-last-4-years

I would suggest that for the exposure the have received 5 million was the deal of the century. It doesn't really matter if it's paid for or not, the point is it happens, no one here is aware it is paid for and the all rand, take off their hats and cheer.

RedemptionZ

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

I suggest running the numbers again there.

I feel silly now. Me and big numbers just don't go together.

Taxburden carrier

If you've been to any city in the States you'll know that there are loads of homeless veterans, many of them with mental health issues , on the streets. Whereas the perception the U.S. wants to present is " we love our veterans", the reality on the ground is often different.

TeaBagMania

jjbrien wrote: »

I have seen many homeless ones begging in NJ, NY, Minnesota and California so they arnt really looked after.

Because it’s totally improbable for someone that has never served in the military to write “Homeless Veteran” on a cardboard sign playing the sympathy card for money.
The programs are out there for any veteran looking to better their life. They are shoe in at the post office, and then there are some that just don’t want the help and would rather lead the homeless lifestyle

Taxburden carrier

TeaBagMania wrote: »

Because it’s totally improbable for someone that has never served in the military to write “Homeless Veteran” on a cardboard sign playing the sympathy card for money.
The programs are out there for any veteran looking to better their life. They are shoe in at the post office, and then there are some that just don’t want the help and would rather lead the homeless lifestyle

Assuming of course that mentally, they are in a fit state to reach out for such help.

iusedtoknow

Taxburden carrier wrote: »

Assuming of course that mentally, they are in a fit state to reach out for such help.

agreed. My neighbor is an ex-marine. Proud of his service, but suffers from agoraphobia and depression. If it wasn't for his very capable partner, he would be on the street very quickly.

emigrate2012

Nothing wrong with being proud of your military, (though the yanks are a bit extreme)

What annoys me about it is, since the Korean war, anyother they've stuck their oars into/started aren't justifiable or legal.
Sure venerate your veterans of the wars that were absolutely necessary for America to get involved with (ww1,ww2 and at a stretch Korea) but imo all that followed they should never have gotten involved with.

Look at mess they've made in Afghanistan and Iraq, funding the mujahadeen against the Soviets in the late 70's early 80's led to the eventual rise of the tali ban and indirectly to is is. They and the UK lied through their teeth to start an illegal war in Iraq. It the veterans of these wars I think don't deserve the plaudits so deserved of ww2 vets.

Eisenhower in his farewell speech, warned of the rise and dangers of the military industrial complex. This near constant state of war/battle readiness is the result. Can't have all them toys and nowhere to play with them!