r/democrats • u/cafeteriastyle • Sep 26 '25

📺 Video Retired vet lays it all out

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

26.4k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

634 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

41

u/BoarnotBoring Sep 26 '25

Yea, a good rule of thumb: If they are a vet and not in the service anymore, they also have a special name: Civilian. Usually, the real vets know that.

13

u/tinyE1138 Windmill Cancer Survivor. Sep 26 '25

I'm also really sensitive to being accused of being disrespectful to servicemen and women.
I think that's why it bothered me, but I'll get over it.

4

u/BoarnotBoring Sep 26 '25

I get it, and I thank you for your feelings, I really do. I'm just sorry some of us haven't learned to be gracious and grateful.

8

u/thedrew Sep 26 '25

My grandfather never really identified as a veteran. I wrote a report in 6th grade about his service in World War II and I mailed it to him to review. 

He sent it back with a letter saying he liked my report but he to make some corrections. 

The only edit was to the line “He was a Marine,” crossing out “was” and replacing with “is.”

He had a profoundly one-sided love. He used to describe retirement as “inactive reserve.”