[azasadny]

Originally Posted by motion

Legion, I applaud your feelings regarding this issue. We have a lot to be grateful for in this country and we owe much of it to the young people who sacrifice so much for us.

I'm a bit jealous about the treatment today's military personnel get... I was in the Air Force from 1980 to 1984 and let me tell you, things were different back then. When I was stationed at Biloxi, MS for technical training, then Barksdale (Shreveport, LA) for my first duty station, I might as well have had a contract on my head when leaving the base. Venturing out on your own was pretty much an invitation to get the living shiite beat out of you and to wake up in the gutter without your wallet. We had to go into town in groups of 4 or 5 in order to defend ourselves against the local redneck population. I know part of this is Southern Hospitality, but much of this treatment was residue from the Vietnam war, which had ended just a few years prior. You didn't dare drive your car off-base and park it in the wrong place: the military sticker in the front windshield made you a target and your car was sure to get vandalized.

Our country seems to be more tolerant these days to the point that common young men and women from across the country are respected for their service, no matter their economic or racial background. As it should be.

Yep! Same here for me as I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman from '82-'91 and we were treated like dirt until Desert Shield/Storm. No shame should be felt for not having been in the military, just treat people (including active duty and veterans) with respect.