Hear Me Out: “Thank You For Your Service” Feels Cheap

Slate Debates

Slate Podcasts

Society & Culture, News

4.6 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… empty thanks? Memorial Day is meant to commemorate those who lost their lives in serving this country. Around such a heavy day — and on many others — the common refrain of “thank you for your service” can feel hollow to living veterans, as well as military families. What are we reflexively thanking these people for, and how could we tangibly show gratitude instead? Third-generation veteran and writer Lucian Truscott IV joins us to propose that, while words may be well-intentioned, there are better ways to thank those who’ve served. ________________ Note: this episode includes a brief discussion of suicide. If you or a loved one need support, help is always available at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — you can call and text 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 988. Veterans can access specialized resources at the Veterans’ Crisis Line. ________________ If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: [email protected] Podcast production by Maura Currie You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Hear Me Out. I'm your host Celeste Headley. Memorial Day is a study of
0:05.4	contradictions for many Americans. It's the beginning of the summer season and a
0:09.2	three-day weekend is a time for many of us to go out on the water to have a
0:13.7	barbecue. But for the many thousands of Americans who've lost a loved one to
0:17.9	war, it can be a difficult day when they want to dedicate solemnly to those
0:22.8	they've lost. This country has a complicated relationship with veterans, living
0:26.8	and deceased. So on Memorial Day or any other day, should we thank vets for their
0:32.9	service or call them heroes? All of that kind of stuff is free and easy
0:38.0	patron to us. It's cheap. Writer and veteran Lucian Truscott joins us on Hear Me
0:43.8	Out in just a moment. Stay with us. This show is sponsored by Better Health.
0:51.6	Giving back to others, our friends, our family, our neighbors is so important.
0:56.3	No matter how you do it. But when we spend all of our time giving it can leave us
1:00.4	feeling stretched thin and burnout. So it's important to support yourself too.
1:05.1	And therapy is one of the tools that can help you find more balance in your life.
1:09.2	I know I often end up feeling overwhelmed and the way I love helping other
1:13.7	people, it also leaves me with a little bit of compassion for teak from time to
1:17.4	time. And so therapy is one of those tools that really helps me recover. It
1:21.0	keeps me going and keeps me balanced. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give
1:25.6	Better Health a try. It's entirely online and it's designed to be convenient,
1:29.9	flexible and suited to your schedule. And you can switch therapists at any time
1:34.7	for no additional charge. Find more balance with Better Health. Visit BetterHelp.com
1:39.4	slash Hear Me Out today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelpHelp.com
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