Shack, I'm guessing your
indicates you know what
techie is on about, and I'd like to back him up.
What he's talking about is the habit that is creeping over from across the pond. The American public, racked with guilt for the despicable way they treated their guys returning from Vietnam have swung the other way, so that now every clerk in the Pentagon who's never set foot out of the US gets a round of applause and thanked for his or her service.
I've said this on here before, and got roundly condemned for it, but I am right behind
gr4techie on this one. Serving in this country's armed forces should not make you feel entitled to any special treatment -I except of course those returning from Afghanistan, etc, minus bits of themselves, who are entitled to all the respect and practical help we can give them. But as for the rest of us expecting to be applauded and expecting discounts for just having done our jobs and been reasonably well paid for it - well count me out.