How can one find his/her self worth in today’s world when it seems that if you weren’t SOF, you are just average?

Yes there are USA ARMY heroes that even I admire, but if not for us average G. I. Joes, they could not eat, drive, sleep, fly, or walk without an average G.I. joe, it took me 40 years of US ARMY and retire as 1sg to understand this

Just remember, half of everyone is below average. "If you ain't an operator, you ain't shit." (I wasn't an operator, but my radioman was.)

I was in the USAF between 1979 and 1984. I did my job. I was a combat communicator, thats going in first to set up tactical Air support comms and then be the last out with the last air craft. We were not SOF, like a lot of other USAF vets of that period we did our jobs to support the mission for little to no notarity or exposure, because we were professionals and maintaining the peace.

So while I agree that there seems to be some serious "glory hounds" out there because they were SOF, there are also a lot of vets who make themselves more than they are. Integrety is what you do when no one is watching, honor is what you have when you do the best you can regardless of reward or glory and heroism is being there to do whats right what ever the cost.

Everyone who serves does a job that contributes to the overall effectiveness of the military. Without cooks, finance, logistics, drivers, intel, etc, etc.. the military would not function properly. Be happy and proud that you served, no matter what the capacity. I wasn’t in any of the SOF, but I do know a few who retired and have had this conversation with them. They assure me it’s nonsense to think your service was nothing and all jobs are important in different ways.

I want to respond to this one. People will put you down if you let them. That is one thing that I don't like about VSO's. We're always measuring each other. Does it really matter? Many of us don't have the same opportunities, skills, or abilities. I like being an under the radar kind of guy. People always under estimate me and my abilities. Being an average guy doesn't mean you are not valuable. Sometimes it's better to leave some things to professionals. Like fixing the brakes on my car. Those SOF guys may have special abilities or are more athletic than I. That doesn't mean they don't depend on the rest of us to do their job. It's a job. My Dad was just a boiler mechanic on a destroyer but the destroyer he was on happened to be the first dispatched to intercept a Russian cargo ship during the Cuban Missile crisis. He was scared to death they were going to get their asses shot off. Grandpa was in the Army during WW2. He worked on an LST as part of MacAurthur's navy and was in a hell of a firefight landing armor on the beaches of Layette Gulf in the Philippines. His LST was hit twice by 500 lb. bombs but they still saved it. The bow doors wouldn't shut and they drove backwards all the way to Australia for repairs. Lol, just common guys in extraordinary circumstances. I was a commo puke. I wanted to fix TV's and VCR's when I started. I lingered on for 12 years but never had the same opportunities. I love anything electrical. I went on and became a very good engineer. I thank the Army and taxpayers for that opportunity. I've used my skills and abilities to keep American manufacturing going for many years. Someday this country is going to need those places and if necessary I could still do great things. Don't let people put you down if you weren't SOF. Audie Murphy was just a common average guy too and he said as much many times. We are all still part of the other 1% even the average guys. Cheers my friends and comrades.

From The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae, no. 81)
Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase. Life in time, in fact, is the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral part of the entire unified process of human existence. It is a process which, unexpectedly and undeservedly, is enlightened by the promise and renewed by the gift of divine life, which will reach its full realization in eternity (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2). At the same time, it is precisely this supernatural calling which highlights the relative character of each individual's earthly life. After all, life on earth is not an "ultimate" but a "penultimate" reality; even so, it remains a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae.html

Honestly if your only accomplishment is your job title, you need to accomplish more. Be proud of what you do, not meaningless labels.

Take a hammer and whack yourself in the head, if it hurts you have found yourself. Back in the draft people took great pride in being useless and indolent. Many reserve units excelled at it.

You forgot 99Z

You are a troop , don’t worry about all that shzt , train , train , you are the back bone of the army without you we wouldn’t be anything rember train train train