War Flashback Parodies, often referred to as Vietnam Flashbacks or the Thousand-Yard Stare, involve taking a photo of a person or animal with a dazed, wide-eyed expression and overlaying it with traumatic war imagery or dramatic captions. The trend gained massive traction with the Cupcake Dog video and later with the Staring Hamster and various cat versions. These memes humorously equate minor modern-day inconveniences—like hearing a specific sound or remembering an awkward social interaction—with the profound psychological impact of combat. It has become a staple of internet culture used to satirize over-the-top reactions to mundane stress or embarrassing memories.