Just because you are a vet or serving currently

[april004]

doesn't mean you have the right to act like an animal when you come out and treat the civilian populace like crap. Plus you don't know who of the civilian people you run across may also have served.

Ok. Here is the story.

I was on the train today with my son. There are signs that clearly say "NO ALCOHOL, NO SMOKING."

This guy next to me pulls out a cigarette, a can of open beer in his hand and starts talking about all the illegals on the train with his friend next to him, using many expletives that I did not want my son to hear.

I am guessing by looking at him is that he is in the Navy, from Great Lakes Naval base, probably first weekend after bootcamp that he's free to galivant around Chicago.

He also looks a bit too young to be drinking. Regardless, it's not allowed on the train so I tell him that drinking is allowed on the suburban commuter train but not allowed on the el train(the city train.) and smoking is prohibited in both places. He looks at me, puffs some smoke at me and tells me, "I serve my country, I can do whatever I want."

Really? So you can serve in the military and then when you get out you can disobey the law?

I could have also told him I served and I don't go around dropping F- bombs and smoking and drinking in places I shouldn't, especially around children. His talk of illegals on the train was just ignorant. I knew that me and one of my neighbors who is Mexican - American on the train also served.

Even without that, the F- bombs around my son and the smoking and drinking were too much.

I simply told him he needs to show respect to his uniform by acting like a gentleman when he is out of the uniform.

His response -"witch." except he used the word that starts with a B and rhymes with witch.

Most of the people I see from the navy base coming to Chicago for their free weekend are very respectful. It just seems that certain ones are more memorable, unfortunately.