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- Posted June 9, 2012 by
- RogerNamVet Follow
Location
Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
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Friendly Welcome for Veteran at Friendly's Restaurant in Waterville, Maine
I had an unusual experience in the Friendly's Restaurant in Waterville, Maine, last Monday.
I had driven the 170 miles to the VA hospital in Augusta to have a skin lesion burned off from under my arm.
I stopped at Friendly's in Waterville for a bite to eat before the minor procedure, and to calm my nerves. For many years, me and my deceased WW II Navy WAVE Mother used to eat at Friendly's in New Jersey, SO I WAS THINKING OF MOM AS i NERVOUSLY WAITED FOR MY FOOD.
A young family was just leaving their booth, and as they walked by me, one of the young men, "shoulder bumped," me as he walked by, and whispered, "THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE!"
I was shocked, looked up as he passed, and laughed. But afterwards, I wanted to cry.
My Vietnam service was a bit too much for me, and I suffered a lot for it, over the years, including a lot of guff you get from fellow veterans who used to make fun of PTSD, or people at the VA, who thought you were just there for money.
Of course, you have to wonder what sort of money the US government was looking for in oil contracts and other goodies in these countries like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan that we try to occupy and own, using troops like bargaining chips in a corporate acquisition?
Anyway, it was a very pleasant experience, SO UNLIKE MY EXPERIENCES SINCE VIETNAM. "Wow!", is all I can say.
I had driven the 170 miles to the VA hospital in Augusta to have a skin lesion burned off from under my arm.
I stopped at Friendly's in Waterville for a bite to eat before the minor procedure, and to calm my nerves. For many years, me and my deceased WW II Navy WAVE Mother used to eat at Friendly's in New Jersey, SO I WAS THINKING OF MOM AS i NERVOUSLY WAITED FOR MY FOOD.
A young family was just leaving their booth, and as they walked by me, one of the young men, "shoulder bumped," me as he walked by, and whispered, "THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE!"
I was shocked, looked up as he passed, and laughed. But afterwards, I wanted to cry.
My Vietnam service was a bit too much for me, and I suffered a lot for it, over the years, including a lot of guff you get from fellow veterans who used to make fun of PTSD, or people at the VA, who thought you were just there for money.
Of course, you have to wonder what sort of money the US government was looking for in oil contracts and other goodies in these countries like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan that we try to occupy and own, using troops like bargaining chips in a corporate acquisition?
Anyway, it was a very pleasant experience, SO UNLIKE MY EXPERIENCES SINCE VIETNAM. "Wow!", is all I can say.
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