May 9, 2020

The Sign in the Window reads:

“We give Veterans Discounts”

“How nice! I’ll go in and select a few things to buy.” It’s not much, just some socks and a few other things for the fall season. I head to the register, and immediately am told that the veteran discount is 10%.

“Whoa there Cletus; don’t kill yourself with percentages like that,” I say to myself as I chuckle out loud.

“What’s funny, Sir?” the register attendant asks me.

“Oh, I was just chuckling at 10%. That’s only a dime for every dollar.”

She smirks and continues scanning my items. Then the inevitable comes.

“Oh, I am sorry Sir… the discount is for Active Duty Service members and their families only!”

I swallow hard and think about punching her in the throat. My professionalism takes over, and I don’t.

“Um, I got a question for you Ma’am. Why does it say ‘veterans” then?”

She balks, because of course she doesn’t have a clue what to say.

I seize the opportunity.

“Ma’am, do you know what a Veteran is?”

She picks up the phone and calls her manager.

“Just a minute Sir.”

“Do you know what a Veteran is?” I ask again.

“Sir, just one minute.”

She is soon saved by her manager, a man of at least 25 years of age.

“What can I do for you Sir?”

I look at him hard.

“Do YOU know what a Veteran is?”

“Of course Sir. It’s a person that served in the Armed Forces.”

“Sweet. So, tell me…why does your sign say, “We Give Veterans Discounts” when you are only giving discounts to Active Duty personnel?”

“Well, that is the policy Sir!”

“Do you have a senior manager here?”

“Oh yes Sir. I can go get him if you like, but I’ll be happy to override the register and give you our discount if you have a veteran’s ID.”

I hand him my VA card, and my retired identification.

My VA ID states that I am service connected, and my retired ID says, “US Army Reserve Retired.”

The young manager gazes at them for a minute.

“Um, Sir, you were not Active Duty.”

Again, I restrain the urge to drop kick him in the gut and toss him out of the window that is nearby.

“And how did you come to that determination Sir? I ask in a moderate tone.

‘Well, you’re card clearly indicates “Reserve” Sir.”

“Sure,” I say; “I retired out of the Reserve because I was a dual status technician. I also served six years in the National Guard, and 9 ½ years of Active Duty, including two deployments to Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom One.”

They both look at me with the same eyes that a raccoon does when you catch him in your trash at 11 PM.

It is about now when the Store Manager shows up and approves the discount.

This entire diatribe lasted about 22 minutes. It should have never happened. A person that served in the military, particularly one with an ID that says “Service Connected” deserves everything that is coming to him. Most people are cool with that. But there are always those ignorant few that never understand that military service meant sacrifice by the men and women that towed the line and kept you safe.

-Jim 

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