Posted on Oct 22, 2015
Do you call yourself a Desert Shield, Storm, or Iraqi Freedom Vet? If you didn't serve in the theatre of operations, are you really?
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The VA calls me a Desert Storm vet.
I never got sand in my boots.
I treated a lot of GSW, burns, broken bones, and torn flesh - sometimes as many as 50 different patients a day. Infrequently more than that. Yes, I served my combat role. Yes, I was deploy-able - and doing everything I could to make myself more useful to the Army should they chose me to go. (*Air Assault, EFMB, a bunch of other combat related training)
This was true of a lot of support personnel, my veteran wife included.
We worked some long hours, went home and watched CNN 24 hour coverage of the WAR, then went back to work.
We watched our friends and loved ones go, and we prayed they'd come back.
We tried to join them, we never knew when (or if) it would be our turn to deploy.
Bottom line, they got us ready to go several times, but just didn't need us there. You know, needs of the Army...
I waited 23 years to address service injuries with the VA system because I felt like those who were wounded in action deserved to be treated before me.
No joke, 23 years. CS exposure? yep. DEET and Pyr. Bromide? yep. ALL the vaccines prior to deployment? yep - wife even had those while in her first trimester. A few broken bones and a little torn flesh while performing our military roles? we did that too.
Yet, we still feel guilty calling ourselves Desert Storm Vets.
What do you think? Should we? Should someone who deployed but never saw combat, or are they just a veteran who was in country for Desert Storm?
Or should I just buy my wife and myself that damned hat?
I never got sand in my boots.
I treated a lot of GSW, burns, broken bones, and torn flesh - sometimes as many as 50 different patients a day. Infrequently more than that. Yes, I served my combat role. Yes, I was deploy-able - and doing everything I could to make myself more useful to the Army should they chose me to go. (*Air Assault, EFMB, a bunch of other combat related training)
This was true of a lot of support personnel, my veteran wife included.
We worked some long hours, went home and watched CNN 24 hour coverage of the WAR, then went back to work.
We watched our friends and loved ones go, and we prayed they'd come back.
We tried to join them, we never knew when (or if) it would be our turn to deploy.
Bottom line, they got us ready to go several times, but just didn't need us there. You know, needs of the Army...
I waited 23 years to address service injuries with the VA system because I felt like those who were wounded in action deserved to be treated before me.
No joke, 23 years. CS exposure? yep. DEET and Pyr. Bromide? yep. ALL the vaccines prior to deployment? yep - wife even had those while in her first trimester. A few broken bones and a little torn flesh while performing our military roles? we did that too.
Yet, we still feel guilty calling ourselves Desert Storm Vets.
What do you think? Should we? Should someone who deployed but never saw combat, or are they just a veteran who was in country for Desert Storm?
Or should I just buy my wife and myself that damned hat?
Posted in these groups: 
Operation Desert Shield/Storm
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Stolen Valor
Operation Desert Shield/Storm Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Stolen Valor
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 38
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QUESTION ON SOLDIERS SERVING IN A COMBAT ZONE IN A (SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN MISSION) CALL OPERATION PROVIDE COMFORT IN 1995 WHILE RECEIVING HOSTILE FIRE PAY. DO I QUALIFY FOR A COMBAT PATCH.? THE AR 670-1 DOES NOT SHOW MY OPERATION OR TIME PERIOD. ANYONE PLEASE!!!
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Facts are facts, labels, pigeonholes, etc are opportunistic and usually uninformed. As a person in any branch of the military service, past or present, I take my hat off to you. You served, be proud and own it !!
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Let me ask this, I was on the ground in Europe and in direct support of multiple branches going into theater. Why were we not given even a Liberation medal or something to show our direct support? I was a Services Specialist and had 1200 Naval Reservist on base on top of our own troops. I cooked for upwards of 2000 people 3 meals a day. Saw some of our troops deployed on 90 day rotations.
I do consider myself a Shield/Storm vet, but have no way to show it.
I do consider myself a Shield/Storm vet, but have no way to show it.
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For starters, I want to thank you and your wife for your service to our our Country. As I read through many of the comments, I found that, they are a variety of different thoughts and options to your question. My first thought was labels are just that labels. As long as you served your Country with honor, be proud of that and do not be ashamed to were whatever hat you and your wife fell comfortable wearing. I spent just shy of 28 years in the Army and I respect and am proud of all those that have served before me and after me and with me, that wear the uniform and served this Country. We all have had a job to do, whether stateside or overseas, wheather in a combat zone or not, you served and I salute you for that. God Bless you, your wife and the United States Military.
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Desert Shield/Storm Veteran that served as an 82nd Airborne Soldier. Originally, I served in the 1st RANGER BN, '77-'80 as an 05E Radio Operator. Got out because Wife got tired being home alone. Served as Asst. Plt.Sgt. in the 347th Quarter-Master, Petroleum Opns. Reserve Unit, serving in S.Korea. Went back on Active duty, as 71L Admin., Re-Up-ed for the 82 Abn. Div. & got there when Just Cause kicked off (didn't go down-range). Did go down-range with Desert Shield/Storm to Iraq while in the 82nd Abn. Division. After that NATO HQ, in Belgium & after that Cmd. Ctr. of CENTCOM @ McDill Air Force Base.
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My Seabee unit was activated and staged in Puerto Rico and was days away from boots on ground and never left PR Does this not qualify me for Southwest Asia Service Medal?
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SFC Pina-Noble
I served during Jan 1975 to May 1995. Received the NDM for every time the country in a conflict during that period, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Desert Storm, Somalia (did set foot in country). My job was in communications Coltano, Italy, Ft Detrick, Md, Pirmasens, GE, Ft. Drum NY (Somalia). Now, should I call my self a combat veteran, I could because Somalia, did I fire my weapon, no, but I was there. Do I consider my self a Veteran of these conflicts yes. Combat veteran NO. Everyone in the Armed Forces have a different job, you could have set foot in a country but never fire your weapon but was doing a job.
I served during Jan 1975 to May 1995. Received the NDM for every time the country in a conflict during that period, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Desert Storm, Somalia (did set foot in country). My job was in communications Coltano, Italy, Ft Detrick, Md, Pirmasens, GE, Ft. Drum NY (Somalia). Now, should I call my self a combat veteran, I could because Somalia, did I fire my weapon, no, but I was there. Do I consider my self a Veteran of these conflicts yes. Combat veteran NO. Everyone in the Armed Forces have a different job, you could have set foot in a country but never fire your weapon but was doing a job.
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I got a "war on terrorism" service medal. I don't claim to be a desert Storm vet.
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Deployed to the theater of operations during a time of war to me is a Veteran, whether you served in actual combat or not.
We had a young Soldier who received a Bronze Star Medal because the piece of equipment he was operating could not keep up with the main unit, but ran ahead of the field trains, so was considered to be in 'enemy controlled' territory for most of the ground war.
I know there are those who talk down to those who were not in actual combat, personally I think that's BS.
I'm not sure the ratio, but I've heard it's 6:1, or maybe 10:1. Support Personnel to Combat Personnel.
I was a member of an MC for nearly a decade, most of the club was made up of Vietnam Vets, but they differentiated between In Country, and Era Vets.
I hear a lot of chatter now about the same, but its just a lot of trash talking in my opinion. For me personally, anyone in country should be proud to call themselves a Veteran.
We had a young Soldier who received a Bronze Star Medal because the piece of equipment he was operating could not keep up with the main unit, but ran ahead of the field trains, so was considered to be in 'enemy controlled' territory for most of the ground war.
I know there are those who talk down to those who were not in actual combat, personally I think that's BS.
I'm not sure the ratio, but I've heard it's 6:1, or maybe 10:1. Support Personnel to Combat Personnel.
I was a member of an MC for nearly a decade, most of the club was made up of Vietnam Vets, but they differentiated between In Country, and Era Vets.
I hear a lot of chatter now about the same, but its just a lot of trash talking in my opinion. For me personally, anyone in country should be proud to call themselves a Veteran.
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MSG David Johnson
I started looking through other responses and realized I already replied to this post.
At least my comments are consistent.
At least my comments are consistent.
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It's more accurate to say that you are a Gulf War Era Vet as I am. I served on Okinawa during that war. I was in ACF for my unit when the balloon went up but, after a few days of waiting for transport ,our ACF duties expired and, they sent our sister battery instead with all of our gear since, it was already crated for load out. I finished my overseas tour on Okinawa and, was sent stateside for the duration of my enlistment.
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