Are Afghanistan or Iraq civilian contractors considered veterans?

SGT Peter Ringi — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 09:58:54 -0500

Response by SSG Laurie Mullen made Feb 21 at 2019 10:37 AM

SSG Laurie Mullen — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 10:37:33 -0500

A civilian contractor who never served in the military is not considered a veteran.

Response by LTC John Mohor made Feb 21 at 2019 11:22 AM

LTC John Mohor — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:22:55 -0500

Only if they once served in uniform are they considered Veterans.

Response by CW5 Jack Cardwell made Feb 21 at 2019 11:23 AM

CW5 Jack Cardwell — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:23:15 -0500

Do you mean US contractors stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan ?

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2019 11:46 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:46:32 -0500

No. They’re considered civilians.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2019 11:49 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:49:50 -0500

Negative, although they served overseas in a supporting role, Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations defines a veteran as “a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.”

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2019 1:10 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:10:59 -0500

Nope.
SSG Private RallyPoint Member nailed it.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2019 1:18 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:18:52 -0500

So I see a lot of members here right off the bat say "NO". Now by law yes that is absolutely right. But do I consider civilian contractors a veteran of OIF or OEF ect if they were there supporting during the time. Yes I do. I do not consider them a military veteran ect. But I respect them "well most of them after dealing with them for a straight year I almost lost my mind on a lot of them but they were all prior service" lol.

Response by CPO Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 21 at 2019 2:56 PM

CPO Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 14:56:26 -0500

Veterans of the Conflicts yes, and some the Operator types PSD, Intel Operator Types I worked with are Combat Vets more so then some Military that stayed inside the wire. My 2cents.

Response by CDR Derek Reeves made Feb 21 at 2019 4:07 PM

CDR Derek Reeves — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 16:07:01 -0500

Heck no!

Response by MSgt Michael Smith made Feb 21 at 2019 4:36 PM

MSgt Michael Smith — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 16:36:16 -0500

No.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Feb 21 at 2019 5:12 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:12:13 -0500

umm...nope!

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Feb 21 at 2019 8:34 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 20:34:08 -0500

Not unless they earned that from prior service in the Military.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Feb 21 at 2019 9:00 PM

MSG Danny Mathers — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 21:00:15 -0500

No. They get no honors if they are killed. It was hell getting their remains back to their families. Contractors were not appreciated for what they did for the troops. I was a DOD Armed Security Contractor from 2003 to 2008. The people that worked for KBR were treated like shit in my opinion. My group supported Big Army in other ways and were respected by high ranking officers. There were other contractors that were jack asses which no one liked Blackwater except the Embassy until they shot up the square two blocks from the International Zone. Contractors get paid; thats it.

Response by SFC Scott Higgins made Feb 22 at 2019 1:09 PM

SFC Scott Higgins — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:09:54 -0500

I think your question answers itself. "Civilian" contractors.
Unless they had served in the military they are not veterans.

Response by Denise Cardin-Abney made Feb 24 at 2019 5:59 PM

Denise Cardin-Abney — Sun, 24 Feb 2019 17:59:46 -0500

No. They are not. They received no benefits from the VA.

Response by Eric Lund made Mar 24 at 2019 11:58 AM

Eric Lund — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 11:58:19 -0400

Should they be? yes. Are they? no. we have forgotten the lessons from the Vietnam War. There was once an organization called air America. These civilians flew recon air missions as well as transporting military supplies to our allies in Cambodia. Many were killed or captured by the Viet Cong and NVA. After 20+ years of bitching and waiting for documents it me declassified the us finally recognized air America as a military and its members as military combat veterans. But they did not classify all private military contractors in combat roles or support as veterans so we have people serving our country in rolls that are vital to the success of operations that will get zero recognition from our country for there service. And a lot of cases they will never be able to speak about their service as their roles are classified. Meanwhile a guy serves as a 92F for 4 years never sees a day of combat and gets full benefits.