Get your open concept bathroom here!

[Bob78164]

Reminds me of basic training. The latrine had the toilets lined up against the same wall and no side wall or doors. Just an open line of 10 or so toilets opposite the wall with the sinks. You either learned to do your sitting business in public or you learned to do it at 3:00 am when everyone else was asleep.

I don't think I ever knew you served. What did you do? --Bob

I waited until 3:00 am.

I'm genuinely curious (not about that part). What did your service consist of? --Bob

[BackInTex]

I don't think I ever knew you served. What did you do? --Bob

I waited until 3:00 am.

I'm genuinely curious (not about that part). What did your service consist of? --Bob

Army National Guard - Computer Programmer

[Bob78164]

I waited until 3:00 am.

I'm genuinely curious (not about that part). What did your service consist of? --Bob

Army National Guard - Computer Programmer

You're not old enough to have been drafted so you volunteered, yes? And no matter what your position, you could have been assigned to a position in harm's way, right? So thank you for your service. --Bob

[BackInTex]

I'm genuinely curious (not about that part). What did your service consist of? --Bob

Army National Guard - Computer Programmer

You're not old enough to have been drafted so you volunteered, yes? And no matter what your position, you could have been assigned to a position in harm's way, right? So thank you for your service. --Bob

Definitely volunteered. Senior year of high school through senior year of college. I hit that sweet spot where there were no incentives, no GI bill benefits, nothing but the straight pay-check for weekend or summer duty (which paid less than my part time job at Kroger). I wasn't on active duty long enough to qualify for official veteran status, or benefits, but I do have a DD-214 so I get my 10% discount at Lowes.

And yes, there was always that chance of being activated, but not much back then. Vietnam just ended and not much taste for sending boys off to fight. We didn't even have any good rioting during my time.

[Evil Squirrel]

Me and Wiki have an open concept bathroom. We call it "the back yard."

I hope y'all avert your eyes.

I can't avert my eyes, or I'll scamper through it! I don't like chocolate covered nuts, dude!

[Estonut]

You're not old enough to have been drafted so you volunteered, yes? And no matter what your position, you could have been assigned to a position in harm's way, right? So thank you for your service.

I believe all who serve deserve thanks, not just those who may be in harm's way.

Thank you for your service, BiT.

[Bob78164]

You're not old enough to have been drafted so you volunteered, yes? And no matter what your position, you could have been assigned to a position in harm's way, right? So thank you for your service.

I believe all who serve deserve thanks, not just those who may be in harm's way.

Thank you for your service, BiT.

Why do we thank those in the armed forces but not other public servants, such as, say DMV clerks? In my opinion, it's because those in the military, particularly volunteers, are choosing to sign on for a gig in which they know they may be sent into harm's way. --Bob

[BackInTex]

You're not old enough to have been drafted so you volunteered, yes? And no matter what your position, you could have been assigned to a position in harm's way, right? So thank you for your service.

I believe all who serve deserve thanks, not just those who may be in harm's way.

Thank you for your service, BiT.

Why do we thank those in the armed forces but not other public servants, such as, say DMV clerks? In my opinion, it's because those in the military, particularly volunteers, are choosing to sign on for a gig in which they know they may be sent into harm's way. --Bob

This is not really something to get into a heated discussion about. I think what Bob meant, and I agree, anyone who joins the service, when they take the oath, is putting themselves at risk of being sent in harms way. Even for someone like me that signed up to be a computer programmer, we all go through Basic Training, learn to shoot, through grenades, get in physical shape, because when and if we are asked to go into harms way, we are ready. Had I flunked out of programming school, the Army would then decide what my MOS would be and it would likely have been infantry. I wouldn't have been able to say "No thanks". I would have been in the National Guard, but then more likely be sent into harms way. No one in the military is ever free of that risk.

And what Bob said "even though", which triggered Esto's comment, does not trigger such response in me. It is confirming for me because for years I never really acknowledged my service publicly. I wasn't in harms way. I served 2-day a month and 2 weeks every summer. I wrote computer programs when they asked, very rarely, but mostly sat around and shot the bull with a bunch of Vietnam Vets. And officially, the US Government doesn't consider me a veteran because I was a small number of days short of continuous active duty service to qualify. The only times I really enjoyed my service was that one weekend a year when we'd go on bivouac and re-qualify with the M-16s and M-50's and the two weeks spent at Fort Hood. But my kids knew I served and when at athletic events when they started asking those that served to stand (after 9/11), or as our high school would do, play a medley of service hymns and ask those who served to stand during their service's song, my kids would always say "Daddy why don't you stand? You were in the army.". So I started standing, and acknowledging my service.

So, thanks Bob for your comment, and acknowledging the "even though". I understand what is meant, because I felt otherwise for a long time.

[Beebs52]

I believe all who serve deserve thanks, not just those who may be in harm's way.

Thank you for your service, BiT.

Why do we thank those in the armed forces but not other public servants, such as, say DMV clerks? In my opinion, it's because those in the military, particularly volunteers, are choosing to sign on for a gig in which they know they may be sent into harm's way. --Bob

This is not really something to get into a heated discussion about. I think what Bob meant, and I agree, anyone who joins the service, when they take the oath, is putting themselves at risk of being sent in harms way. Even for someone like me that signed up to be a computer programmer, we all go through Basic Training, learn to shoot, through grenades, get in physical shape, because when and if we are asked to go into harms way, we are ready. Had I flunked out of programming school, the Army would then decide what my MOS would be and it would likely have been infantry. I wouldn't have been able to say "No thanks". I would have been in the National Guard, but then more likely be sent into harms way. No one in the military is ever free of that risk.

I thank you too BiT, and agree with you about discussion, etc. Also, Bob, many people thank our first responders all the time.

[Bob78164]

Why do we thank those in the armed forces but not other public servants, such as, say DMV clerks? In my opinion, it's because those in the military, particularly volunteers, are choosing to sign on for a gig in which they know they may be sent into harm's way. --Bob

This is not really something to get into a heated discussion about. I think what Bob meant, and I agree, anyone who joins the service, when they take the oath, is putting themselves at risk of being sent in harms way. Even for someone like me that signed up to be a computer programmer, we all go through Basic Training, learn to shoot, through grenades, get in physical shape, because when and if we are asked to go into harms way, we are ready. Had I flunked out of programming school, the Army would then decide what my MOS would be and it would likely have been infantry. I wouldn't have been able to say "No thanks". I would have been in the National Guard, but then more likely be sent into harms way. No one in the military is ever free of that risk.

I thank you too BiT, and agree with you about discussion, etc. Also, Bob, many people thank our first responders all the time.

Thank you, BiT, for correctly understanding my intent. And I agree with you that this should not be the subject of a heated discussion.

Beebs, I think first responders also have accepted a position knowing that they may, because of their job, be sent into harm's way. So like you, I thank them, as well, for their service, when it's brought to my attention.

On the other hand, I've never been tempted to thank, say, a DMV computer programmer whom I might meet socially for his or her service, and I believe most people feel the same way as I do about that. So my intent was to explore why we thank some public servants and not others.

The thought may have been triggered, in my mind, by BiT's initial deflection of my question (which I assumed was deliberate rather than a genuine misunderstanding). I attributed BiT's reticence to his possible belief that, compared to the service offered by many others (and in particular, the risks those others ran and the price some of them paid), his was not worth making a fuss over. (It's true that modesty is not usually a quality I attribute to BiT but in this case an exception seemed appropriate. Hell, he's been part of this community for decades and as far as I know this is the first time he's ever mentioned his service.) Also, I wasn't certain in my understanding of how the National Guard operates.

So to avoid embarrassing BiT by having him think my thanks were overkill or for some other reason inappropriate, I wanted to be very clear about precisely what aspect of his service I was thanking him for, and also to be sure that his service did indeed fit that description. --Bob

[Beebs52]

I thank our grocery peeps too.

[BackInTex]

I thank our grocery peeps too.

At the time of their service to you, yes, that is being polite, but, what if you are introduced to someone who at some point lets you know that he/she worked at Kroger for 4 years through college, somewhere you've never been so they could not have possibly bagged your groceries. Do you thank them then?

I think the "Thank you for your service." to a serviceman or servicewoman, or a former one, is not thanking them for performing their duties. It is saying "I'm thankful and appreciate, that on my behalf, you put yourself in a position of risk to protect me, my home, my family, my country. And for that I'm grateful." I don't think you intend that meaning to a cashier when you say "Thank you."

[Beebs52]

I thank our grocery peeps too.

At the time of their service to you, yes, that is being polite, but, what if you are introduced to someone who at some point lets you know that he/she worked at Kroger for 4 years through college, somewhere you've never been so they could not have possibly bagged your groceries. Do you thank them then?

I think the "Thank you for your service." to a serviceman or servicewoman, or a former one, is not thanking them for performing their duties. It is saying "I'm thankful and appreciate, that on my behalf, you put yourself in a position of risk to protect me, my home, my family, my country. And for that I'm grateful." I don't think you intend that meaning to a cashier when you say "Thank you."

I was strictly referring to the covid era.

[tlynn78]

I thank our grocery peeps too.

At the time of their service to you, yes, that is being polite, but, what if you are introduced to someone who at some point lets you know that he/she worked at Kroger for 4 years through college, somewhere you've never been so they could not have possibly bagged your groceries. Do you thank them then?

I think the "Thank you for your service." to a serviceman or servicewoman, or a former one, is not thanking them for performing their duties. It is saying "I'm thankful and appreciate, that on my behalf, you put yourself in a position of risk to protect me, my home, my family, my country. And for that I'm grateful." I don't think you intend that meaning to a cashier when you say "Thank you."

I was strictly referring to the covid era.

Several of my peeps complain that they don't get thanked for persevering through the pandemic (like healthcare workers, first responders, and the like). I'm never quite sure what to tell them. We are considered 'essential' so for most of us, it was business as much like usual as possible. Having them work from home was, for the most part, not feasible. I can only do what I can for them to express my own appreciation that they didn't all simply walk off the job and collect unemployment (providing lunches, snacks, extra time off, early outs and the like). It would be utterly impossible to make sure everyone who made sacrifices through this mess got the thanks they deserve - one would exhaust oneself trying.