Do you think cops and fire-fighters are Veterans too? Why or why not?

By definition, they are veterans of what they do. Not of what we do.

While not armed forces veterans they are selfless civil service veterans that put themselves in the line of fire when called to do so. They deserve a similar respect to that paid to armed forces veterans because in the heat of the moment their actions save lives under dangerous circumstances right here on the home front.

Veterans of their services but not Vets. At the end of the day, they get to go home and if something goes really badly, they take time off. Compare that to the kids 8,000 miles from home who goes out day after day. Don't get me wrong, firefighters, police and EMTs do experience a lot but let's not push for a change in terms.

SPC Christopher Simpson I definitely think they are veterans within their own special group of first responders. With that said there are a lot of military veterans that serve as first responders today, as well as those serving in the Army and Air National Guard, Reserves (all service branch reserves), and Coast Guard. The difference I think is that military veterans have a series of benefits and the VA Hospital that they can tap into, versus the benefits that Fire Fighters and Law Enforcement have through their various retirement and health services programs. I don't know if they have benefits like we do through a VA Hospital, unless they are active or retired. That may be the difference between the military veteran and the first responder veterans. I don't really know. I'm not an expert on this subject, so I would like to hear from some of our first responders out there in RP land in reference to their thoughts! Also, they can let me know if I was close in my assumptions.

There is a difference in the type of service, but they are selfless servants as well in my eyes.

Our service members are sworn to engage and destroy the enemies of our country which extends well outside the boundaries of our communities.

My thoughts are that the Police Officers and Firemen are our first line of defense which is designed to protect and serve within our communities. By no means does this minimize what these heroes do for us everyday, and I believe it is the only group that relates very closely with our service members.

I am a Veteran. Not because I was a civilian police officer. I am a veteran because I served in the United States Air Force. I am a FORMER police officer. A veteran police officer/fire fighter/EMT would be one that has been performing that duty for some time, but is still performing said duty.

I am a veteran and a retired police officer. No they are not veterans, however in NJ police and firefighters have to take a civilservice test to be hired and NJ has veteran preference , therefore many of the polce officers and firefighters you meet in NJ are military veterans. With Police officers you will notice this by the red hash mark on their sleeve.

If just of Public Service, yes. But the same could be said about any profession.

This can be a play on words. What I mean by this is that they do protect and save lives as we do how ever they are not veterans in the sense of a military veteran. They are however a veteran of the Police and Firefighters, so yes they are veterans.

No. They are not. Only way to become a veteran is to graduate boot camp period