Is it appropriate for foreigners to thank US veterans for their service?

Question

I am a foreigner living in the USA. I sometimes come across veterans and I know that in the local culture it is custom to respectfully acknowledge their service. Nothing too fancy:

Person A: "... I then joined the navy and served for 5 years."

Person B: "Oh, thank you for your service."

Would it be appropriate for foreigners to offer similar regards?

If context matters, I'm usually the more senior in the conversation (e.g. in an interviewer position).

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• I'm fairly new in the US (less than 10 years) — I guess that at some point, if I stay, the dilemma would become redundant as the thank you may come across as more sincere since I would have more to actually thank for (I would have "benefited" more from veterans service)

• I come from Israel, which I guess folks have mixed feelings about. However, I usually do not state my home country when introducing myself (as it seems irrelevant) despite my heavy Middle Eastern accent.

Answer 1

When I lived in the USA, I met some people in this situation. My "american mom ⁽¹⁾" was married to a Patrick Air Force Base-based colonel. When I first met him, at their home, I didn't know about the etiquette. I was lucky enough to politely salute him with all due respect even from a foreigner:

Oh, you're a servant and defender of the Nation. With my respects. Nice to meet you Sir.

You don't use the same words, but you convey the exact same idea. You acknowledge what they just said (and are really proud of) and show respect.

When their daughter graduated, we were invited to the ceremony. We didn't sing, but silently stood up with them and showed respect to the flag, the national anthem, and their culture. We didn't try and blend with the environment, we remained who we were, foreigners happy to be with local people, and proud to be. That's enough.

You don't have to be close to cultural appropriation to show respect. To answer your question ("Is it appropriate for foreigners to thanks US veterans"), I'd say yes, of course, but I'd recommend not using a "local custom", but rather your own. Because you're different, they're different, and that's just a fact. I did that for more than 4 years and never had a single issue, not even a weird look. And when you don't know, politely ask. I did that too, and people were really happy to explain and to share. They were sometimes amused, because of what they called my canadian accent (I'm european), but never annoyed or upset.

^{1. Like an exchange program for students, you live with a volunteer American family. In our case (a friend and myself), only 1 or 2 days a week/month at their home. They help with culture, questions about everything and any other administrative procedures. It exists at many different levels, like language, culture, education, sports...etc... Exchange programs in the US}

Answer 2

As a vet, I wouldn't find it any different to hear it from an American or someone living in the US who was from another country.

What I would warn of is that there are vets, particularly younger vets, who don't want to hear that. People who joined the military for a job or an education are different from people who enlisted 30 or 40 years ago. Some of us aren't proud of what we saw, or had to do, but we'll never let go of the fact that we served.