Veterans and Discounts

I'm going to write this and hopefully, you all take it for what it is, an opinion. If I make any of you mad, tough titties. Last night during Thanksgiving Dinner, we had an interesting discussion on veteran discounts and what have you. Being a veteran and speaking with other veterans on the matter, we talked at great length about Veteran Discounts at certain places of business. These were my thoughts on the issue.I don't ask for them. Hell, I don't even look like a veteran anymore, or at least the clean-cut image most people have. In fact, I look kind of homeless depending on if the humidity is f***ing with my beard that day or not. Afrobeard for the win! So I don't often get asked even in Military City, USA (a.k.a San Antonio) and to be quite honest, I'm really ok with that. I don't like to get veteran discounts. I really don't. It's not because I don't think it's not a kind gesture or whatever, I just don't feel at this point in my life that it's not appropriate for me. The truth is 22 year old me, probably needed some of those discounts. 32 year old me doesn't.Why? Because I went to school on my GI Bill, I worked and studied hard and now I have a pretty damn decent gig. Some of you may hate me, but hell I love this job and I love every part of it. It's a career. It's something that 22 year old me didn't have. So now, at 32, after 10+ years of nose to the grindstone, unless someone absolutely insists to the point of almost coming to physical blows over it (that's a joke), I don't get or ask about veteran discounts.I don't need them anymore and I, not needing it would hate to take advantage of discounts that should be offered to guys like 22 year old me. Guys who have/had no career or very little job training (with the exception of how to shoot people in the face, we trained to do that) like most lower enlisted folks do when they get out.To have a social life, 22 year old me probably needed veteran discounts, but 32 year old me, I'm good paying full price. I know that businesses mark up products to a certain point and they're probably not losing their asses on the 10-15% that they give veterans, but I'm still not going to ask for those discounts, because at this point in my life, it just doesn't feel right.Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are having a wonderful weekend with those you care about.