[brightlancer]

> (a) teach civilians that people who volunteer to serve their country in the military deserve respect, not disdain,

Why? What if someone feels neither respect nor disdain but mostly indifference?

What if someone treats each active member or vet as individuals, to be respected or disdained based upon their past and present behavior?

You're trying to swap one prejudice for another. So, no.

[pdonis]

Indifference at an individual level is not necessarily a problem. Nor is exercising individual judgment.

However, as a matter of public policy, our current treatment of veterans, to put it bluntly, sucks. The VA is underfunded and overworked, and many vets do not get the kind of support they need and deserve after risking their lives. The only reason the government can get away with that is that there is no political pressure to fix it.