Im terrible with social interactions and a bit shy, however I’m really working on it. I met two veterans at a Starbucks today and I was wondering Do any veterans find a fist bump disrespectful? I gave one a fist bump and told him” Thank you for your service,” and gave the other a handshake.

5 comments

  1. If you’re thanking them and being polite, then I don’t think any reasonable person would feel disrespected.

    As a vet, I feel awkward when people say “thanks for your service.” I never know how to respond to that.

    I don’t think anyone is going to get upset because you simply recognized their service. But a lot of vets have mixed feelings about their time in the military, so it’s a good idea to gauge how receptive they are before asking a ton of questions.

  3. I’m a veteran myself. I’ll also add that I did not deploy.

    The “thanks for your service” will get you some sort of polite response thanking you for the acknowledgment. Some of us don’t know how to respond, some do.

    The fist bump or handshake to go along with it would be seen as a bit excessive and/or awkward.

  5. My SO was in 3 different branches of the service and he says that a fist bump is not disrespectful at all.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like