26 January 2010

I got stuck in a meeting at work this afternoon and didn't have time to change out of my uniform before I went to class. It happens on occasion, and I've never really had a problem with it before. But today was a little different. As I walked through the hall toward my second class, a guy looked at me and then said something to his friend about holding a flag-burning ceremony. I think he was trying to get me fired up or something. Then once I got to class and sat down a different person got up from his chair next to me and moved to the other side of the room. Usually if I stop into the store or whatever on the way home from work I'll either be treated normally or have someone come up and thank me for my service. I don't expect people to have the same beliefs as I do or to support the mission of the military, but I've never really felt so out of place wearing the uniform as I did today.

I was able to get my pay issue sorted out today, so that is a good thing. It's always nice to be paid when you expect to be paid.

I got one of my coworkers to try out Postcrossing. She seemed pretty excited about it, but some of the other people at work didn't really get it. I guess for some people the mail is just a mechanism while for others there is a certain aura of magic and excitement that goes along with letters, postcards, and packages traveling throughout the world by way of the post. I have loved the mail for as long as I can remember.

Now I am off to give myself a haircut and take a shower so I can go to bed and wake up in time to get my sleepy butt to work in the morning.

7 comments:

  1. Ignore them... be proud of the uniform you wear, and what it means you do... in the case of the people you mention, they may have intelligence but they lack imagination... your service, and that of your colleagues, and that of my countries army, and all those deaths, is what allows these prats to make the stupid comments they do....

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  2. How odd. I have heard similar comments from American friends before, especially Vietnam veterans.

    Here in England, Labour's colonial wars are hugely unpopular (we are currently having another enquiry into how we got involved in the mess in Iraq) but our service people are equally very popular.

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  3. I've only seen it a couple of times, where civilians have hassled a member of our armed forces for their occupation. In each of those situations I made my displeasure known. Even took on a crowd of ingrates at a metal show.

    They were purposely standing in the way of a kid who had his legs blown off by a roadside bomb.

    I moved them.

    Hearing about what happened to you makes me angry. Sounds like you handled it better than I would though. Poise man, you got it.

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  4. I'd like to say I have poise, but I think my extremely non-confrontational personality is mostly to blame. And what do you really say to someone who just gets up and goes to sit somewhere else. "Hey! Come back here and sit next to me!"

    If that concert was local, I may know the guy you're talking about. He was in my unit and I was on one of the gun trucks that responded to the blast. I wasn't very close to him as he was in another platoon, but he was an acquaintance. The unfortunate thing about roadside bombs is that there is really no one to fight. They just blow up and either people get hurt or they don't.

    On the positive side, over the last several years those one or two negative incidents are balanced out by hundreds of handshakes, pats on the back, and free burgers from people who feel a connection to the uniform for various reasons. I don't think they necessarily see me as a person, but they see a person in uniform as a stand-in for a relative or friend overseas or even as a symbol of ideas that they value.

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  5. I go out of my way to say thanks to the military if I see someone in uniform. They, and you, have a hard enough time without some prat at home making it worse.

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  6. this makes me mad. especially the story of the kid that lost his legs. so ungrateful. but im sure you know that your family appreciates you and dont care what inssignifacant people think. anyways i would like to try this postcrossing thingy. getting the mail is the highlight of my day in CA.

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  7. Wow, what a joke. I feel embarrassed for those people. I know people say don't let it get to you, but it's hard sometimes. Hopefully it doesn't happen again. Idiots.

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