More readers sound off on the popular thread:
Our HOA is run by our developer until we sell more houses, and he uses an inept property management company for the day-to-day. At our annual meeting, we were all complaining to our developer about the shoddy work of the management company. An Iraq vet stood up to complain that while he was overseas, the management company had given his wife the runaround and wouldn't take into account that the husband was too far away to deal with endless paperwork. When it was time for the developer to answer, he said, "First of all, I'd like to thank you for your service," and got us all to applaud for the guy. That enabled him to completely dodge the question and move on.
I often think that the thanking has more to do with the person thanking ("I feel awkward in your presence because you are more of a badass than me") and in this case, was really used in a vile way to deflect from criticism. I'd kinda liked our developer before that, but I found that disgusting.
Another writes:
I'm flabbergasted by the hostility some readers have shown to people offering a simple "thank you" to those in the military.
Just a personal anecdote: I met a guy at a bar who brought up the fact that he had just gotten back from Afghanistan. I said "thank you," and he was totally floored. He gave me a hug and said I was the only person who had thanked him, and he felt that nobody gave a shit about people in the military.
I don't care, frankly, whether your readers "want" or "need" my thanks; I will continue to thank those who deserve it. If I hold the door open for you, and you thank me, I don't interpret that as you suggesting that the only reason I held the door was for your thanks. I'm not saying, "I know you only served so I would say thank you," I'm saying, "thank you." If you're such a self-righteous jerk that you can't accept a kind gesture from a stranger, then the problem is with YOU, whether or not you bravely served your country.
One more:
I was on the honor guard at my last base. For a few years it seemed we were doing 4 or 5 funerals a week, mostly WWII vets. During the second funeral, one 100 degree plus Saturday, one of our flag folders was stung by a bee right beneath his eye. I was standing across from him. He was facing the funeral party. I watched his face swell beyond what I thought possible. He never broke his bearing. We folded the flag. I did the handoff to the spouse instead of him; I wasn't sure he could speak.
We marched back to our van. A guy walked up to us as we loaded our gear. He handed us an address to his brother's bar. Said drinks were on the house. That he'd never seen anything like what my buddy did. In truth, I never had either. After we got him to a doctor, we made a bee-line for that bar.
"Thanks" wouldn't have cut it. But does it ever? It's quite literally the least anyone could do. I have to agree with my fellow vets. The thank yous get pretty annoying. It's just uncomfortable. I never knew how to respond. "You're welcome?" It's just awkward. But once while waiting to deploy at BWI, someone picked up our check at the bar. He was an old vet. He just came up, shook our hands, told us to "be safe", and left. That, we appreciated.
The Dish 