You don't owe me anything.
Let me clarify that statement. I'm a former U.S. Marine. I served four years in the Corps before coming to Dartmouth this past fall. I've done "my time." Mentioning this to people usually garners a few common responses, the most popular of which is, "Thank you." I try to shrug it off, but I've learned that the quickest way to move on and spare any awkwardness is to just accept the gratitude by saying, "You're welcome." I've known a lot of veterans, some of whom are old enough to have served in World War II, and almost all of them are extremely modest about their military service. They'll dismiss praise and say, "I was just doing my job." For the most part, they want to be treated not as heroes, but just as regular people.
Still, I find it refreshing to see many of our troops returning from the various ongoing wars in the Middle East being given the respect they have earned. Only a few generations ago, troops returning from Vietnam were shunned by the same society they had supposedly fought for, and I suspect that some of the current positive attitudes toward servicemen and women are rooted in guilt over these past wrongs. Today, it is acceptable to criticize the president, the military bureaucracy and the military-industrial complex, but not individuals who serve in the military. The statement, "I support the troops but not the wars," embodies this sentiment. If anyone today spat on a returning soldier, they would be crucified by society.
Unfortunately, all of this gratitude, acknowledgement and pro-troops flag waving has manifested into something that I find unsettling. Recently, I was speaking with a classmate about our military's budget, and I was struck by how carefully he chose his words and essentially tiptoed around the issue at hand.
Relax. As a former marine, I may have been trained to "do bad things to bad people," but I'm not going to bite your head off if you say something I disagree with. If my feelings were easily hurt, I wouldn't have lasted one hour in boot camp. My thoughts and opinions may be backed by my different experience, but that doesn't make yours any less valid. If you believe I am flat-out wrong, I expect you to tell me. In fact, I welcome discussion on the issues facing our military. I'm a student, just like you, and I would feel cheated if my views were never challenged.
Our society has developed a reticence to speak to military members about issues that presumably run contrary to their values or beliefs. This reticence might be rooted in a sense of guilt over past treatment of vets or a fear of appearing to be against the troops. It might be based in a feeling of debt that those who were unwilling or unable to defend the country somehow owe us veterans unending gratitude and assent with whatever we believe.
But those who pay their "debt" by giving veterans the final say in all arguments and discussions regarding military affairs undermine the spirit of democracy this nation was founded upon. Every member of the military raised their right hand and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and that includes the right to free speech. Exercising that right when you speak to veterans shows more gratitude than a hundred "support the troops" bumper stickers and a 10 percent discount for service members at the Home Depot.
Lieutenant Buck Compton from the World War II miniseries "Band of Brothers" said it best: "Today, when people thank me for my service, I figure three years of my time is a cheap price to pay for this country. Nobody owes me a thing."
Some of the vets you meet really are heroes. Most are ordinary people who made some incredible sacrifices and did some incredible things. Veterans should be respected and lauded for their accomplishments. But you certainly don't "owe" us anything.
