I do NOT want a lecture from YOU of all people!!!

Virginia is filled with national treasures that are cared for and run by the National Park Service. I have been to various parks and recreation facilities administered to by the NPS. But, I have NEVER experienced such poor staffing models and literal customer service ignorance as I have at the NPS parks here in Virginia. I won't get into the exorbitant amount of overpaid, under-trained, unaware park rangers that we have encountered (such as the meager spoken wall flower at Appomattox Plantation or the unsociable, inconsiderate, unable to stand the 85 degree heat, park ranger at the Petersburg Battlefield), but I fully intend to address the impolite, boorish, discourteous, RUDE park ranger I encountered today!

Let me set the scene for you......

Andrew and I enter the Yorktown Battlefield visitors center to purchase tickets. The tickets were $10/person, now I won't get into the principle that WE as tax payers pay for the maintenance, upkeep and staffing of this said park, and now because I want to visit this park that I (or you for that matter) pay for, you have to pay to enter. But, I digress......the point of the matter is that we enter the visitor's center well aware that we are going to have to pay for tickets to enter. So, we enter the desk and the nice, elderly gentlemen asks how he could help us, to which we reply, "we need tickets." The nice, little old man, then tells us that it is going to be $20. To which I reply, "Is there a military discount?" Now, the nice little old man tells me that there is no military discount that the same department that runs the military, runs the parks service. Which of course I don't buy...because I know that the NPS is run by the department of the interior and the military is fun by the department of defense which is an entirely different appropriation, understandably they are all paid for by tax payers, perhaps all department of the interior employees should be allowed to fight in Iraq/Afghanistan for free in exchange for members of the military being allowed to enter NPS parks for free..... but again....I digress.....

Now, enter the impolite, boorish, discourteous, RUDE park ranger onto the scene. After the nice, polite, but inherently unable to understand budgetary appropriations park ranger takes our money, he then hands us a receipt and passes us along to yet another park ranger (you are probably thinking that this system seems quite inefficient....2 park rangers to do but 1 job...and you would be correct, but when has the Government been left to do anything that is efficient???). This next park ranger is when the drama ensues. She begins to lolly-gag about doing her ONE job (which is to give us our bright green tickets that screams to the entire world, "I paid my $10 to be here!") in favor of doing something which is NOT in her job description.... ....lecture me about what I should or should not expect as a military family member. She further proceeds to tell me that, "She was in the military AND she now works for the National Parks Service...and she doesn't even get into the park for free. But that she didn't do it so people would give her free things and that we shouldn't expect free things either."

*****INSERT MENTAL PICTURE OF ME FUMING RED*******

YES, IDIOT LADY...MY HUSBAND SERVES IN THE MILITARY FOR ALL THE FREE THINGS HE GETS...WHICH REALLY MAKES UP FOR THE YEAR HE SPENT AWAY FROM HOME, FIGHTING FOR IDIOTS LIKE YOU TO SAY IDIOTIC THINGS LIKE YOU JUST SAID! After taking a deep breath, I replied to her that, "I did not expect free things but I did expect some respect." Now at this point in time, Andrew has begun directing me away from the counter as he could see that following shortly was a swing across the counter to straighten this broad out. I am pretty sure that nowhere in her job description does it state to, "be as rude to visitors as humanly possible, giving as many visitors as possible a lecture on what they should or should not expect, based on your minuscule version of the world." I just honestly can not believe how crass and disrespectful this park ranger was...and from now on I am not going to take it, NO I ain't gonna take...I'm not gonna take it anymore! I am starting a movement....NO MORE RUDE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY NO MORE RUDE PARK RANGERS!