A "Veteran" after dropping out of boot camp? Where do you draw the line?

A sprained ankle, eh? While mine didn't happen in basic, I told the doc in medical I didn't want crutches (not sure if that was a smart move) and I informed my leadership I would still be able to post. I did, with limitations. I worked primarily as a flight security controller for my area and if an exercise required the three-man SRT, I would switch with the other controller. When I was able to put weight on my ankle and resume normal activities, we responded to an exercise where I was the AG. Unfortunately, that ankle wasn't 100 percent and when I put on the ammo pack, I fell backward like a tree. My team thought it was the funniest thing they had seen, but we made adjustments and pressed.

I'm still trying to figure out how such an injury gets you out instead of recycled. Even in the proverbial "chair force", a sprained ankle isn't enough to show you the door.

Until you complete basic training be it Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard then you are not a veteran; unless due no fault of your own you were medically discharged. Now this person you know is doing the Stolen Valor thing and should be publicly shamed and called out. Just my .223

According to the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense, to be considered a veteran an individual must complete a total of 180 days of military service (starting from the first day of recruit training barring any medical/psychological issues obtained while training in the armed forces) or through breach of contract with said military branch (through no fault of the recruit) that allows for the discharge of the soldier/airman/sailor/marine/coast guardsmen before, during, or after the training session has been fulfilled.
Unless these criteria have been met, the individual is not and cannot be defined as a veteran. Furthermore, if this person has, is , or is trying to profit from a falsely assumed veteran status (either by financial gains or the receiving of gifts and services solicited or unsolicited) then they are in violation of the Stolen Valor Act.

No, if you fail bootcamp you haven't earn the title of....Marines, Sailor, Soldier, or Airman.

I believe that the moment you lift up your right arm, you become a veteran, because at one point in your life, you were willing to put yourself aside for service to your country.

Now....with that aside, benefits and treatment are different for those who don't complete certain criteria. I personally wouldn't go around boasting that I am a veteran if I never completed basic.

If she quit in boot and didn't even graduate then no. No she's not.

That's called "Stolen Valor". Pisses you off doesn't it? She's not deserving, and she isn't being truthful in the matter either. I'll say this and leave it... She's a liar. Sprained ankles in boot camp/basic training are a dime a dozen. She has no conscience. I'd leave her be.

Of course not! UNLESS you were injured permanently during boot camp/basic training and that is the reason you did not graduate. You would be eligible for VA Disability payments and full veterans benefits for the rest of your life. If killed during Basic/Boot Training, you and your survivors would rate all benefits normally accorded a US Service Member killed in the line of duty.

Of course not! UNLESS you were injured permanently during boot camp/basic training and that is the reason you did not graduate. You would be eligible for VA Disability payments and full veterans benefits for the rest of your life. If killed during Basic/Boot Training, you and your survivors would rate all benefits normally accorded a US Service Member killed in the line of duty.

No....I don't recall the prescribed definition, I thought 180 days, but it could be longer.