Has military worship in this country gone completely off the rails?

Why, yes I do. I joined the Marine Corps because I wanted to, not so everyone will say "Thanks". Granted "thanks" is better than "Fuck You".

In a time of peace, our country sees soldiers as folks in funny clothes performing mundane tasks on bases or ships. In war time, thanks to the technology of the internet and cable TV, the country sees the devastation, the blood, and our soldiers fighting against those who have proven they can come here and harm us on our soil. Whatever spin the media puts on it, young men and women are being wounded and have died. It is no longer a "mundane job". And we all see it. We, as a country, have learned to appreciate it. My Army son says that he finds it awkward when he is thanked for his service. He's just doing his job, serving his country. Like shaking his hand makes you a "member of the Club". I get that. From my now civilian POV, I see the folks who want to shake a celebrity's hand and the folks who know and understand the sacrifices made by service men and women to do what they do. These are the ones who have learned from our country's mistakes after Vietnam and want to make sure no veteran is treated that way again. People are a lot less ignorant than they were in the 60's and 70's. There is a sense of guilt in those who grew up during that war. However, trying to atone for the actions of others is difficult. Knowing the conflicted feelings in my son, I am hesitant to just walk up to some strange soldier in the airport and shake his hand. I will, however, smile and nod my head at him and hope he gets the message. But, if all this patriotism, superficial or otherwise, gets our veterans the help they need from the government and the public, even better!! So, when a stranger walks up to you and thanks you for your service, I believe you can assume that their intentions are sincere. As 1stSgt Jim S. said, "Thanks is better than FU".

Not sure I understand superficial patriotism, but we definitely need more patriotism in general. I suppose superficial is better than none.