I was there right before I shipped off to basic. There were a LOT of families from the Navy and Marine Corps. It was really cool to see them all having some fun with their down time. And those tickets are NOT cheap. Rock on, SeaWorld. Very Cool of you.

Yeah, but no one goes to a Sea World like they do a Six Flags or a Disney park... this freebie is a loss-leader, knowing that active-duty folks are gonna want to bring someone else (paying) along because these aquatic parks are as boring as zoos.

Now if we had a shark vs.killer whale battle-lagoon... then I'd pay for that!

It is at all of their parks, not just here in beautiful San Diego:

SeaWorld Florida in Orlando
SeaWorld California in San Diego
SeaWorld Texas in San Antonio
Busch Gardens Africa in Tampa, Fla.
Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Va.
Discovery Cove in Orlando
Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. near Philadelphia
Adventure Island in Tampa
Water Country USA in Williamsburg
Aquatica, SeaWorld's waterpark, is under construction in Orlando and scheduled to open in spring 2008.

/Does your beer do that???

"Thank you for your honorable service to our country. Here! Look at some fish."

yay! Once dad comes home in a pine box, we can take his coffin to see Shamu!!

The cost of living for those families in most of these places is pretty darn high. Having a good clean place to take the family for entertainment that is actually educational and getting it for free?

Yeah, I think that's just an undiluted positive thing. Good on ya, Sea World.

Canadian servicemen don't get a freebie at Marineland, but they do get to take a free punch at the guy who wrote this jingle

SeaWorld sucks. Boring as hell and the seagulls steal your food. Even as a kid I hated it.

Seems like you need to thank Anheuser-Busch instead

Thanks for securing profits for KBR...THANKS SOOOO MUCH.

Oh dear... Sure, this seems to be a loss leader type thing, but imagine the day a platoon of bored marines shows up "for fun".

Yeah, there has been a historical deterioration in servicemen's 'cut.' In medieval times they were entitled to a direct share in the spoils, maybe a title. The great discovery was Napoleon's; he found that people would fight for decorations.

gimmedaloot: yay! Once dad comes home in a pine box, we can take his coffin to see Shamu!!

I was going to say that this thread reeks of future trolldom, but I was too late.

Just one question.

How are you on duty if you're on leave in San Diego?

starsrift: Just one question.

How are you on duty if you're on leave in San Diego?

I believe it's "active duty".

Yay! Everyone's a hero. Group hug?

Just curious... would that mean that since there's a war on, every active duty soldier is also a war hero?

... and yeah, i know "soldier" usually means "army". It's an affectatious distinction I'm gonna ignore for now.

/anyone know if "affectatious" is actually a word?

Hey, active duty military:

We love you guys, and a great big thank you.

/If sea world really wanted to show their gratitude, they would give each service person a fishing pole and a can of bait on their way in the gate.

This just seems cruel, sure, show them tons and tons of water and aquatic life, then ship them off to a desert!

kidsizedcoffin: This just seems cruel, sure, show them tons and tons of water and aquatic life, then ship them off to a desert!

San Diego IS a desert. (A well-irrigated one, at that).

kidsizedcoffin: This just seems cruel, sure, show them tons and tons of water and aquatic life, then ship them off to a desert!

You're absolutely right. We should discomfit the troops, instead, while they're on leave, before we ship them off to war. Torment them, even! They should be happy to go to war - just ecstatic to get in the shiat. They should want to be there more than anywhere else. That's the way to go!

AND, here come the lawsuits from the military haters.

Good for Seaworld. The government could take an example from them on how to be generous to those that serve.

O now know which parks I won't go to this summer. Why give squids free passes to see squids?

Impact Wench: Just curious... would that mean that since there's a war on, every active duty soldier is also a war hero?

Do you know who else was a hero?

Everyone is a hero now. I think there needs to be a classification for NOT hero people.

On 9/11 I worked at a rehab place. When the buildings fell the "facility police" donned their "riot gear" (they put on boots, tucked their pants into them, put on web belts) and patrolled the grounds with their rifles. They were labeled heros for protecting us....yea, I can see a 747 dive bombing the place while someone stands out there with a 9mm taking shots at it. Hero my ass.

If you do something above the call, then maybe you're a hero. Pull a woman out of a burning home? Sure. Doing the job you signed up for? No.

/not a Hiro so I'm getting a kick out of these replies

That Seaworld policy has actually been in place for a long time. I remember going for free in 1995.

So, where were these freebies when I was serving???

/bitter old veteran
//not one of those bitter, spit upon, Vietnam boys
///not really bitter. Bless them all...

wildcardjack: Oh dear... Sure, this seems to be a loss leader type thing, but imagine the day a platoon of bored marines shows up "for fun".

Yeah, first thing you know some marine will be taunting the sharks by dangling a leg into the tank...

I have to say I'm with castufari on this one.

Saying everyone in the armed forces is a hero is kind of disturbing. Does that mean Lynndie England is a hero? Of course not, and there are no doubt other exceptions going on in such a brutal situation as Iraq and Afghanistan. To just ignore these and blanketly call all troops heroes is not good for a democracy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should automatically assume everyone in the armed forces is the opposite, because of course the majority of them are decent people doing a difficult job, and thats not to say that heroes don't exist, what else would you call Jack Lucas and Audie Murphy.

But I hate this current trend automatically calling groups heroes, it cheapens the notion deeply.

OK, I know I am setting myself up for a lot of negative reaction, but is anyone else tired of all the freebies the military get??? It was posted :"Good for Seaworld. The government could take an example from them on how to be generous to those that serve" Well, the govt. gives them tons of free stuff - healthcare, good paychecks, plenty of education benefits. I guess I am bitter because I was told I could not serve because I am gay, and would tell. I do not think it is fair that some people are prevented from serving and thereby receiving these benefits. So I am basically upset more about the military's gay policy than I am about the freebies the servicepeople get. OK, stepping off my soapbox now.

obvious

I think a lot of people confuse being called a hero with people actually calling themselves a hero. Few people in the military that I have met consider themselves a hero or act as though they deserve something special. That doesn't mean we don't appreciate the sentiment and in fact I think it's quite nice.

As far as the "tons of free stuff" xiphoid76 believes we are given, that is also true. But just as in the rest of society, there is a broad spectrum of pay and benefits available. I understand we are a volunteer force, but you should understand not everyone is volunteering to earn $100K a year in the home town of their choosing. You should take a hard look at how much your average junior enlisted person earns before you get too outraged.

The guy at airport security just thanked me for my service when I showed my ID.

That's pretty cool.

Hey, troops are brave, and SeaWorld is fun, but subby, you linked to a dumb farking story.

xiphoid76: OK, I know I am setting myself up for a lot of negative reaction, but is anyone else tired of all the freebies the military get???

No.
My ex is a nurse. Works in a docs office, affiliated with a large local hospital.
She gets discounts with Dell, Sprint, various other companies.
My last job, we got discounts with Dell, Verizon Wireless, etc.

Sure the military gets lots of free/discounted stuff. So do a lot of others.

That 'tons of free stuff'? That's in lieu of a competitive paycheck.

Add in any of 10,000 ways to die a horrible death, and I think they deserve it.

They did this right after 9-11 when I was stationed at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, TX, and the wife and I took great advantage of this. Went up there for weekend getaways quite a few times and really enjoyed ourselves.
Not to mention that since they're owned by Anheiser Busch, there's a beer garden with free beer for the tasting!

/Loved the Steel Eel, could ride it for hours.

Relatively Obscure: gimmedaloot: yay! Once dad comes home in a pine box, we can take his coffin to see Shamu!!

I was going to say that this thread reeks of future trolldom, but I was too late.

soooo... some kids aren't getting dad in a box?

I used to want to be a Marine hardcore. I trained and trained when I was younger. Actually, I wanted to be a Sniper. If that didn't work, then Infantry. Although, I had the rifle abilities.. the running, days and days awake and performing physically demanding tasks (loading, unloading gravel and such).. I have the endurance, the mindset, and ability to drive myself beyond any reasonable points.

However, I absolutely cannot agree with this war in any regards. The troops should NOT be in Iraq, but those who are and are actually serving our country with Honor, I salute and bow to. It has been too long. We need to get our troops back to their farking families and out of this prolonged farking BS.

Now, I'm following my next dream and working as a software developer.. which is something I've been doing since I was 8. Although, I've had both "dreams" since about I was eight, and worked both at the same time. I'm really glad I didn't enlist, because I now believe our government is corrupt, and every president since JFK (or a far stretch, Carter) has been in place to serve an agenda.

/Not as much money in software development as I thought
//Oh well, I got in computers around age 4
///Never stopped loving learning how things work, never will

xiphoid76: OK, I know I am setting myself up for a lot of negative reaction, but is anyone else tired of all the freebies the military get??? It was posted :"Good for Seaworld. The government could take an example from them on how to be generous to those that serve" Well, the govt. gives them tons of free stuff - healthcare, good paychecks, plenty of education benefits. I guess I am bitter because I was told I could not serve because I am gay, and would tell. I do not think it is fair that some people are prevented from serving and thereby receiving these benefits. So I am basically upset more about the military's gay policy than I am about the freebies the servicepeople get. OK, stepping off my soapbox now.

I just see it as a great business move for Sea World. A lot of these military folks wouldn't have gone to the park anyway, so its not like they are losing a ton of money here.

On the plus side, this kind of marketing campaign will play VERY well with those who are big fans of war but can't find the time to fight one themselves. I can see these people dropping big dollars at Sea World.

This is a great move by Sea World.........I'm sure it generates good revenue in the post 9/11 world.

I went to the one in San Antonio. It was great. Not to mention educational. I learned what chocolate and fruit go with what beers.

Thanks, Sea World/AB.

Stay classy, San Diego.

Alien Gunfighter: That Seaworld policy has actually been in place for a long time. I remember going for free in 1995.

Yep. It's all the parks and it's a long standing promotion for the park. At least they got a bit smarter about it and opened up the tickets to any day in 2008. A few years back, they opened Busch Gardens to military on a specific day. Total cluster fark for everyone involved.

Kind of having a tough time seeing this as a sacrifice for AB. Well, that is, unless their giving away Mama Stella's egg noodle and ketchup entres for free too.

Yeah, we've been doing this for years.

/Non-story.
//But cool more people are finding out about it.
///Actually works at SeaWorld.

Squidly: I think a lot of people confuse being called a hero with people actually calling themselves a hero. Few people in the military that I have met consider themselves a hero or act as though they deserve something special. That doesn't mean we don't appreciate the sentiment and in fact I think it's quite nice.

At marine combat training before I went to my mos school, the instructors would call our platoon "heros". We hated it. Partly because we knew we had done nothing to deserve the title beyond enlisting in a time of war, and partly because the combat instructors were always laying on the sarcasm whenever they said it. Most of us would have rather been sworn at.

xiphoid76: OK, I know I am setting myself up for a lot of negative reaction, but is anyone else tired of all the freebies the military get??? It was posted :"Good for Seaworld. The government could take an example from them on how to be generous to those that serve" Well, the govt. gives them tons of free stuff - healthcare, good paychecks, plenty of education benefits. I guess I am bitter because I was told I could not serve because I am gay, and would tell. I do not think it is fair that some people are prevented from serving and thereby receiving these benefits. So I am basically upset more about the military's gay policy than I am about the freebies the servicepeople get. OK, stepping off my soapbox now.

The benefits are well-earned. Even if you completely disregard combat tours, active-duty military personnel at home live and work long hours in shiatty conditions and very little pay. Except for the most ardent patriots, you're going to need a LOT of incentives to convince quality Americans to join the armed forces when they can easily multiply their salary while living much easier lives on the outside.

That being said, the benefits shouldn't be the main reason anyone joins. You should join because serving your nation is something you want to do (please STFU about how no troops have served this nation since WWII, I'm speaking in general terms on joining the military). People who have a passion for what they do are almost certainly better servicemembers than these ghetto hood rats and other assorted losers looking for a second chance because they suck at life.

No matter what kind of family you grew up in, the opportunity to attend higher education is still there via similar benefits by being a good student or just being poor. Hell, if you manage to get into Harvard and your parents make less than $50k, free tuition for you.

DO NOT join the military just to get the GI BILL, I don't care what your recruiter tells you, those of us who serve do not want your lazy ass watching our back in combat or dragging the unit morale down with your shenanigans back home. Besides, you will find the benefits are not worth the amount of work and risk it takes to get them when compared to busting your ass in school.

/small and elite is what we need to go back to

This free admission goes to National Guard and Reserves too

kraut7: Kind of ignorant of you to assume that a person who joined for the educational benefits will be less of a soldier than somebody who joined for other reasons.

From personal experience, no, it's not.

"WHAT?!? I can't deploy, I have midterms next week!"

I ran into several people that joined just because of some benefit, and when crunch time came, they were less than prepared to actually do it.

What he's saying is, do it because you want to, not because of the stuff you'll get.

kraut7

Would it also be kind of ignorant to assume that someone who sees a job as nothing more than a paycheck to be on par with someone who loves what they do and always strives to better their skills in their field?

kraut7: From my personal experience, yes it is.

Ok, yes. To assumethat anyone who joins just because of the gi bill will be less than a good troop is bad.

However, there are many examples of just such a person.

"Hey, thanks for cleaning dishes at a base in Texas, here's free shiat!", Give me a break.

1/10 active duty members get's put in harms way. Choosing to honor people simple because of what group they belong to is just as bad as choosing to hate them for the same reason.