“Ladies and Gentlemen, please take a moment to stand and honor our service members and veterans in tonight’s ‘Salute to the Troops.’”
I am a veteran. I served as an infantry officer in Iraq, and therefore I should appreciate these moments at professional sporting events. I did once, but not so much anymore. Neither do a surprising number of the men with whom I served. Don’t get us wrong. We do appreciate those who stand and sincerely applaud. And we are not embittered grumps, cursing into our beers. We enjoy the games with the most passionate of fans. But these moments, after a decade and a half of continuous war, have become rote and perfunctory, unintentionally trivializing what began with the best of intentions.
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