How To Approach a Veteran

[WW2collector97]

Hello Everyone,

 

I have a general question on how to approach veterans, specifically WWII veterans.

 

Sometimes in public I will see a veteran and I would like to talk to him but I

 

do not want to be rude or invade his personal life. I realize one of the greatest

 

generations is passing away and I want to here about the war from them in

 

person. I do not intend on taking there items that they brought back, but more

 

so of hearing there story before its too late. I would also like to thank them for

 

there service as a sign of respect and to show that people still care about the

 

war they fought in. So basically I was wondering if people would happen to have

 

any tips on what to do or any advice in general. Thank you for any advice in advance! :thumbsup:

 

-Timothy

 

By the way, I am 15.

[Jack's Son]

Hi Timothy,

I don't believe ANY veteran would be offended by a sincere approach and statement that would be of this nature:

 

"Excuse sir, I noticed that you are a veteran of _________. I would like to say thank you, for your service and your sacrifice. I am young, but not to young to appreciat what you have done for our country, and my future".

 

I can't believe that ANY veteran will have heard sweeter words!

[Sarge8]

I usually just say, "I see your Vet of (WW2, Korea, Etc). I just want to say Thanks for your service!". Sometimes it takes them by surprise, but then they usually smile and say thanks, back.

 

Frank

[Bob Hudson]

If someone is wearing a ballcap identifying their military service, they are not going to be offended if someone offers up a handshake

 

I have found that many WWII and Korea vets have gone for decades without talking about their experience and have reached a point in life where they do want to be asked about it.

[m1ashooter]

I agree with everyone. I always say something when I see a vet wearing a ball cap. The hat is the ice breaker. Once I was getting a tour of the Atlantis Resort and saw a man wearing a WWII hat. I stopped, walked over to him and said Hello, thanked him for his service to our nation and my personal thanks that his service has allowed me to grow up in a free land and raise my family.

 

It makes my day when I can do such a simple thing.

[TrevorR]

I work ina very public place, and we tend to have vets from many wars come by. A lot of the time I will give them a dicount or buy them lunch/dinner. A few months back I saw a WWII Vet sitting by himself at a table. I noticed his hat he was wearing had a SS, PH, Victory medal bars on it. I walked right up to him with a two cups of coffee and asked him about his service. He gave a lot of good stories about his time. He was 29th ID and came ashore on D-Day. He was wounded there a little after landing by a gun shot to the leg. He returned to combat within a few days. and was wounded a few days later when a artillery shell landed sending shrapnel into his back, and taking a piece of his shoulder off. That is where he earned his Silver Star because, He did not leave his positition unitl his men were moved back. Some times you just need to walk up and thank them, and just ask small questions.

 

 

Trevor

[Buckshot329]

Hello Timothy

I am 18 years old and live in Belgium and have met and spoken to about 150 US WW2 Veterans the past 4 years. Some of them have become real close friends and this August I spend two weeks in the US staying and visiting WW2 veterans. Every veteran I have talked to so far is always very happy and eager to talk to someone who is interested in what they have to say especially when that someone is a young kid like you or me! Most of the veterans and relatives even are always sad that there seem to be very few teenagers in the US that are interested in the events of WW2! So go out there and don't be afraid talking to them, they even might enjoy it more than you!!!

[Too Much WW1 Militaria]

Robin,

 

You're right! The only one's that I'd like to hear more are "And, the sole 9 gazillion dollar Powerball winner is......"

 

LOL

 

John

 

Engaging a vet from any war in small talk is a good way to start. Hard for me to think of the WW2 guys as old. They were my dad and his friends. Great role models who seemed to be able to do just about anything they put their minds to. Not like my baby boom bunch! LOL I think the one thing our collective parents did when we were growing up was try to shield us from hardship (Depression) and horror (War). Well, in a little disagreement with my father, got kicked out of college, and was down to the Army, the Army, and the Army! LOL USAF and Navy were full, I'd seen what the USMC had done/turned my brother into (and it came out great!), but thought they were a little too regimented and I had/have authority issues, LOL Good reason to become a WO, you give garbage to all ends of the spectrum, and we have a Mafia of sorts! LOL

 

Figure the Powerball isn't going to happen, and I'm not going to get either younger or better looking. I'm just thankful for what I have now, when so many of my peers never had the chance.

 

 

Hi Timothy,

I don't believe ANY veteran would be offended by a sincere approach and statement that would be of this nature:

 

"Excuse sir, I noticed that you are a veteran of _________. I would like to say thank you, for your service and your sacrifice. I am young, but not to young to appreciat what you have done for our country, and my future".

 

I can't believe that ANY veteran will have heard sweeter words!

[oldfireguy]

Nursing homes, veterans homes, and care centers are full of forgotten WW2 vets. Go visit one and make some friends. Most of these men and women desire to have anyone come and contact them. They may talk about their experience or they may not until they meet you a few times.

 

Before I retired I always asked my older patients if they were veterans and thanked them for their service. I would ask them what they did and heard some great stories. Some didn't talk at all about their experience.

 

I applaud you at 15 to be interested in doing this. When I was 15 it would have been way out of my comfort zone.

[Dakota]

I have 2 stories to relate. I dont usually thank veterans(No, I'm not a person who doesnt respect veterans) because Im 13, and pretty shy especially when coming to thanking veterans. There was a Vietnam Veteran at Hartville Flea Market, selling his uniforms, and I thanked him for his service. Just 1-2 weekends ago, Theres always this one Korean War Veteran, who always sit by himself selling antiques(No military), and I finally walked up to him and said "I noticed your a KW Vet," and he replied "Yeah, so long ago Haha."And we got to talking, and Found out he was a T/Sgt, M/Sgt and was in the Medical Corps. After we got done talking, I shook his hand and thanked him for his service, and he replied, Your welcome. It made my day alot happier, and I bet his also.

 

And these are just my 0.2 of conversation with veterans

 

 

 

Dakota

[Brig]

I've always thanked them since freshman year in high school when I really began diving into history...and now that I'm in the Marine Corps, I find it gives common ground in discussions and vets are much more eager to discuss their service to an extent they normally wouldn't have had I been a civilian. Understandable, but being a veteran also allows me to appreciate their stories that much more, as I can relate

[Too Much WW1 Militaria]

Brig,

 

My thanks goes out to you young guys who exist in an environment where lawyers are too involved, and we humanize our enemies. Add in the almost zero tolerance/defect environment, well, I don't know how you do it, especially with the current OPTEMPO. Three of we retired Vietnam vets my boss a retired USMC Recon LTC, another guy a retired SF Majar, and me a retired SF CW04 added up our Article 15's (the boss also had an Article 32) we came to the conclusion that none of us would of made 20 much less 30. I wouldn't do well in today's PC environment, and my hat is really off to those of you that do. So, THANKS!

 

John

[Brig]

Thanks, that really is the toughest part, the rapid shift into politics and PC. I've only been in 8 years, but it is like night and day from the day I joined vs today. It gets very frustrating, as I HATE politics

[Bluehawk]

Nursing homes, veterans homes, and care centers are full of forgotten WW2 vets. Go visit one and make some friends. Most of these men and women desire to have anyone come and contact them. They may talk about their experience or they may not until they meet you a few times.

 

Before I retired I always asked my older patients if they were veterans and thanked them for their service. I would ask them what they did and heard some great stories. Some didn't talk at all about their experience.

 

I applaud you at 15 to be interested in doing this. When I was 15 it would have been way out of my comfort zone.

Amen to all that...

 

On a visit to Arlington awhile back I brought along my Legion cap to show respect during Tomb ceremonies, and about every 20 yards walking up there a stranger would put out their hand for a shake and a thanks... in all my years of going there I'd never seen anything like it.

 

Very humbling.

[101CH47]

I am a veteran and still have trouble approaching the WWII / Korean War veterans. When I was growing up in the 60s nearly everyone of my friends' fathers was a veteran of at least one of those wars and I was taught not to bother them about it. Guess that training still lingers on some how to this day. The few I have talked to in recent years really appreciated the opportunity to talk with someone about their service and I have enjoyed talking with them.

 

When someone approaches me I still feel odd about it because having entered the military in 1979 I still remember the attitude people had toward the military then as opposed to how it is now. I just don't feel I deserve any thanks for doing the job I chose. I still remember the weekend after the attacks on 11 Sep, several of us went out to dinner that night after work, still in flight suits, after we finished we found out a group had paid for our meals and had drinks sent to table. People came by and thanked us for being in the military. I got so choked up I had to leave, I had just never been treated that way in the 22 years I had been in the military at that point. It was somewhat of a shock.

[rr01]

Nursing homes, veterans homes, and care centers are full of forgotten WW2 vets. Go visit one and make some friends. Most of these men and women desire to have anyone come and contact them. They may talk about their experience or they may not until they meet you a few times.

 

Before I retired I always asked my older patients if they were veterans and thanked them for their service. I would ask them what they did and heard some great stories. Some didn't talk at all about their experience.

 

I applaud you at 15 to be interested in doing this. When I was 15 it would have been way out of my comfort zone.

And bar stools. About ten years ago I met one of these older fellows while a friend and I were at his favorite watering hole. He was a regular so the group had him take out another copy of his narrative about being a WWII POW in Europe. I glanced at the several pages, put them aside, explained I was a pilot and aircraft owner and asked him what it was like to fly the B~17. He obviously did not expect the question but quickly launched into the pros {rugged} & cons {rugged} which, to him was a lot like being married.

The point is we vets are not really any different than the next guy. I may relate instances here that I don't normally primarily because this is the "forum" for such things. I avoid the more colorful vernacular because it isn't necessary but it is usually that vernacular that makes the story credible which isn't always appreciated by the more "enlightened" within our society.

I also thought of something else, have a seminar. I belong to one association that stresses the telling of combat experiences to the younger military in the belief that something that came before might be useful today. The same could be said when trying to put together an accurate collection or re~enactment. Coordinate with your library, community center or local armory to sponsor a "vets appreciation day BBq" {with BBq being the operative word} and then post a simple notice in your local newspaper. Ask for people to dig out old photo albums, news clippings and etc as part of their story. You might be surprised by the resposnse.

Be creative and don't worry about what others might think, be respectful and these men & women will be respectful of you. We all put our britches on the same way, except us older folk might have to do so sitting down ;-}

[manayunkman]

My approach has always been

 

Hi my name is M can I ask you a question ? Out of the thousands of vets I have talked to only one said no.

 

Next question is " anyone in your family ever serve overseas in the war ?

 

Why yes I did.

 

If they do not have a vet hat on I never try and guess what war they were in. I have made the mistake of thinking people are older than they actually are.

 

So I low ball the age.

 

If I think they might be WW2 I ask them if they were in Vietnam.

 

Oh no I was in...

 

Learn a lot about the history of different units.

 

Nothing pleases a vet more than you knowing something about their unit and what they did.

 

I knew so much about one guy's unit that he asked me if I was there. Sorry born 30 years too late.

 

When they see that you can relate to them the conversation gets much easier.

 

I have had wives tell me that they never heard so much from their husbands about the war.

 

Don't be afraid to talk to people. I have approached people while they were mowing their lawn or doing other house work.

 

They will stop and put everything down in most cases.

 

This is a general guide that you can perfect with your own personal touches.

[FNGRyan]

Theres a ww2 vet who comes by our small historic village every saterday to help us out with the tours and such and he loves to talk about his time in service. And yes, it does please them when you know a little about their unit and what they did. One of our family members also got Leo Champane (?) who was at the first flag raising at iwo jima, to speak at our local high school. He was ecstatic that we was going to talk to the kids, but sadly, he got sick and had to cancel.

just remember their still people and they don't like being called a hero for their service.

And i also agree with what manayunkam said

Ryan

[Garandomatic]

Not a tip, but an encouragement to talk to these guys. I had the ultra-rare opportunity to be in the presence of a USS Indianapolis vet. We were at the Veterans' Day parade maybe 10 years ago. 3 men from my town were on her, and here was Charlie Zink, sole survivor of the three, right in front of me. One of the two that perished was my grandpa's best friend. Anyways, I was absolutely starstruck, crappy word to use, but even then I was pretty darned familiar with her story. I would like to think I wouldn't raise an eyebrow if most modern celebrities were right in front of me, but I was speechless when I read the words "USS INDIANAPOLIS SURVIVOR" on his well-worn and heavily faded dark blue veterans' hat. I missed him by a couple of years, ended up working with a relative of his, and he is sadly gone like so many others. You might not get the second chance.

[pchepurko]

I have spoken to many a war time vet and ity has been my experience that they usually love to talk about their service. I was in a vet home a few years ago and saw a man wearing a cap that said USS Hornet. I went up to him and said you were on the Hornet in WWII and he said yes. I asked him if he was on the first one or the second one and he said first. When I commented that he saw the Dolittle raiders go off, his eyes lite up and he started talking.

 

It is sometimes hard to break the ice with these guys but once you do it is well worth it.

[Jack's Son]

This thread has really picked up momentum! :thumbsup:

[kklinejr]

My wife knows when a veteran is near because she says I get the "veteran smile" on my face. From what she tells me, my eyes light up, I start to not hear here, and I begin silently identifying the medals embroidered on the veteran's ball cap. Her response is usually, "Well, see you in an hour." Keep in mind this usually takes place in some big box store that we happen to be in.

 

My words to a veteran are always short but respectful: "I noticed your hat and just wanted to thank you for your service." If they seem to be the type to chat, my next question is about their unit. And then, my wife is correct... she'll roam around the store for an hour or head out to the car to read while I am captivated by the veteran's stories. Some people get "gaga" when they are around a Hollywood actor or a pro ballplayer- I am only like that around veterans. I turn into that 8 year old kid I once was who sat at the Legion bar every Saturday with his grandfather eating poorly fried food and drinking countless good sodas- listening to all of the WWI and WWII stories the guys could muster. Call it hero worship or what you will, but these are some of the greatest people I have ever met in life. And, I'll tell you, I always feel guilty when they honestly thank me more for thanking them in the first place. How sad is that many just don't take the time to give a simple thank you, or handshake, or nod, or smile? Kudos to those of you who do!

[Apache101]

I have read with interest the stories of thanking veterans. My service started in 1965 My first real unit was the 7th-SFG In DR. The following year, I reenlisted for the 173rd Airborne Brigade in VN. Then went to flight school and went back to VN. My last war was the gulf war flying Apaches. I retired in 1995.

 

I am writing because. I wear no hats or other insignia indicating that I am a vet. I was approached for the first time a month or so ago. The grocery store I use made a reserved for veterans spot and I used it. And a young man of college age approached me stuck out his hand and thanked me for my service. I responded thank you and started to walk away. He then asked sir where did you serve. I started to tell him and My eyes filled with tears. I could not talk. I try really hard, but if I am caught unprepared. My mind takes me to places I really do not want to go and my brain flashes scenes of bad times and comrades lost. I no longer use the parking spot.

 

I appreciate the belated gratitude. But some of us are still carrying some baggage. So if you have the chance to thank a vet, please do so. But I suggest you not try to engage right then. Ask if maybe we can have a cup of coffee sometime. I would enjoy talking to you. And let the vet decide.

 

This would give him or her the option and time to prepare.

 

Just a suggestion.

[CW4AFB]

I've never regretted a single time that I've stopped a vet to talk to him and I have regretted just about every time I didn't....

[Blu1989]

I've been very fortunate to grow up in a household with many war veterans but sadly only my dad remains of them. However it is always a pleasure to hear my dad's stories about Vietnam as I know he's more comfortable about telling them to me as I get older and understand more. I've also had the pleasure of meeting many veterans of WW2 and Korea out in the world. Two experiences get to me the most. A few years back I was going to college and stopped into the local Walmart to grab some items for my dorm room. I finished shopping and as I was leaving out the door I noticed this little old man sitting inside the door on a bench wearing a Marine Corps veteran hat that had a 4th Marine Division pin on it. I thanked him for his service and told him my dad was a marine but from Vietnam. I asked him if he had seen Iwo Jima and he sadly nodded yes saying that he lost many friends there but he managed to get out of there due to a bullet through the leg. I must've talked with him for about half an hour before I had to leave and thanked him again for his service and for the amazing conversation. The other experience happened to me at the bank a few months ago. An old man was behind me in the teller line at the bank and I happened to glance back and noticed he had a navy hat on. I asked him when he served and he told me in WW2. I talked with him a bit and learned he had been a navy fighter pilot who had taken part in the Marianna's Turkey Shoot. He even had a picture of him from that day still in his flight gear in his wallet. That was the best trip to the bank I've had in a while.