Combat vets how do you feel toward non-combat vets?

NO animosity- but the bond is just not as tight- kinda like being a grunt on the front lines dealing with USAF who supported from a safe airbase. Bottom line we are all Vets, and should/must respect each others service, regardless were it took place or when.

You probably feel worse than a combat vet cares that you didn’t go.

Combat does change you but I don't necessarily look down on someone who hasn't been there. It took the Army over 20 years to send me to a combat zone and I went involuntarily both times, 2004-05 and 2009-10. I was a single father with 3 kids the first time and happily remarried the second so had no motivation to go get shot at but I went anyway without a fuss. Since 1985, I've never met anyone who got to pick their missions. We get what we get. The only guys I had a hard time with were the active duty E-7 to E-9s and the O-4 to O-6s who were still slick sleeves in 2010 after 8 years of war while almost every Guardsman I knew had at least two tours. It seems to me with the 2-3 year tours the active component has that if you hadn't deployed in those 8 years you had to be trying pretty hard NOT to.

As a retired 1SG, I respect the combat vets for what they went through, but all vets were available and normally have no control over where or how they serve. I am a non combat vet

We're still ALL VETERANS regardless. Those who stayed behind still supported the ones out on the front line.

When you retired 13 years ago the war on terror was essentially just beginning. At that time vast majority of the military had not yet been downrange. However I have a little animosity toward people who are in now and have been since 2001 but have managed to avoid deploying. If you're not called then fine but after 16 years of war if you are grateful for the life the military has given you think you owe them a deployment when there are people who have been 6-7 times not by choice.

I'm no combat vet, but I still wait for my opportunity to go to the sandbox and do what I've been training for, be it giving everyone the ability to get on Facebook or Skype their loved ones, or augmenting a rifle squad on a patrol. Six years in so far and my only "deployments" have been exercises. It's easy to question one's own sense of purpose if you're doing everything you're supposed to and don't deploy while we're still fighting overseas, but I still press on.

The fact that you even asked this question speaks to your character. The ones that try to get out of deployments do not give a second thought to how they are viewed by their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.

You have nothing to be ashamed of, and I definitely do not look down on you.

Let me ask this question. I spent 12 years in the National Gaurd how do you guys feel about Gaurd and reserve guys. I was in from 1986-1998

No animosity whatsoever. Thank you for your service, MSgt.