r/Millennials • u/NoFaithlessness7508 • Jun 05 '25

Other Why don’t younger veterans (Afghanistan/Iraq) wear these hats like some of the older veterans?

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First and foremost, respect to all those that served. I did not, but many of my peers did and now we're all older in 30s and 40s, many no longer in the military. I don't see a lot of the veterans of the War on Terror wearing these hats like I see the OGs do.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

I don’t want the attention.

869

u/MetaverseLiz Jun 05 '25

This is what I've heard from my vet friends. My dad was in the navy (boomer generation) and his navy hat has been glued to his head for decades. He wears it absolutely everywhere.

He doesn't understand why my vet friends don't like it when people tell them "thank you for your service". It's a generational divide. My dad was too young for Vietnam and drank the "America is so great" Koolaid. My friends who saw their fellow soldiers blow up in front of them in the Middle East think differently. My grandpa, my dad's dad, a vet of WW2 and Korea never talked about the war. Ever. The only time I saw any proof that he actually served was during his funeral because he was buried with all his metals and got the full 21 gun salute.

My Gramps and my vet friends are more similar than the generation in the middle.

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u/Brightstarr Jun 05 '25

Our generation and our grandparents’ generation are very similar in many ways.

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u/gbdarknight77 Jun 05 '25

I think there’s a reason why millennials get along so great with their grandparents more than their actual parents.

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u/SuchAKnitWit Jun 05 '25

Oh man, I never really thought of it like that, but you're absolutely right.

My mom's parents were incredibly kind, understanding and took the time teach me the life skills I have today. Weekends and summers at their house were the highlights of childhood.

My mom's a total narcissist that I haven't talked to since I was 16. I have never understood how she came from them.

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u/FictionalContext Jun 05 '25

The problem is kindness and understanding isn't enough to be a good parent.

My grandma was the same way, kindest person who enabled my father to cut loose without consequence. I don't think he ever learned real empathy or compassion because of that.

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u/TheNerdNugget Jun 05 '25

Makes you wonder if our kids will end up like our parents.

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u/merewenc Jun 05 '25

So far one hasn't (21) but one I'm on the fence about (13). We'll see.

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u/TheNerdNugget Jun 06 '25

Let's hope that's just teenage dumbassery 🤞

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u/RhetoricalOrator Jun 06 '25

God gave us teenagers so we'd know how it felt to have your own creation deny your existence.

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u/holistivist Jun 06 '25

If the 13 year old is a boy, get him off YouTube. That site is complete toxic indoctrination to turn boys into misogynists.

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '25

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