Originally Posted by Albief15

Salty gets it. On any OTHER day I would have taken the much better advice I give myself as "say what you want to say, say it to yourself, then shut the **** up..." Its good advice I usually try to follow.

However, this week I had to return from the US to my new "home" leaving daughters, friends, many freedoms behind. I spent several hours on social media during the travels and of course was inundated with posts of many of my friends sharing stories of their comrades who had given their lives during their service, and of course thought about my own friends, including a UPT classmate who died in Iraq. Tonight's dinner conversation (we are 12 hours ahead here) included a long report from my teenage daughter about a class speaker today who was involved with the Umbrella protests in Hong Kong in 2014 and why another set of protests are coming in June. Hong Kong is rallying against the proposed extradition law which will allow China to pluck citizens (including Americans) out of Hong Kong to face criminal charges in the Mainland. She asked the speaker if he had any hope of changes or improvement, and his answer was simply "No". Despite the heavy hand of government here, most expats spend most of their time bemoaning American policies and politicians, and seem to make sport of constantly carping about the United States, while turning a blind eye to the issues in the EU, Australia, or right across the river in China. So you caught me...a little homesick, a lot reflective, and long since tired of hearing anything else negative about my country from outsiders.

I've been the outsider, both in Europe and Asia. I lived as a kid in Taiwan, and now live in Hong Kong. I spent two years as a fighter pilot in Europe. I never mocked the Germans when I lived there, belittled their history, or carried myself with sense of superiority. Instead, I made some friends, enjoyed their food and company, and tried to listen and learn. I tried to be a good neighbor, and comply with social norms. My wife took it upon herself to learn some Cantonese, and my daughter speaks some Mandarin, and we don't fly our American Flag over our village house or lecture our friends from around the globe about how screwed up their policies are. We are polite guests, and most days enjoy the chance to see how others live and work. I may feel inside like Merle Haggard some days, but I keep my mouth shut.

The OP showed no such restraint. Like so many expats I've met, he made condescending remarks about the country that I love, miss, and have served as a warrior for over 20 years. He also apparently enjoys many of the opportunities of that same country. He did it on exactly the wrong day. Yes, I'm also a business owner. Yes...I try to support a diverse customer base. But when they finally put me to rest somewhere, and someone hands my family a flag, I expect to meet my God as not an entrepreneur, but as an American soldier that managed to be one of the lucky ones that got the honor of serving but also was rewarded with a long life full of love, family, and friends. This is a Day for those who never got that luxury. It is the most important of National Holidays to me, much more important that even the 4th of July.

So, if I failed anyone's "professional" standard today, that's why. I'm far from perfect. Four years away makes me only appreciate our country even more. And I get cranky...