Posted on Nov 16, 2015
Do you think someone who has never been in a combat has the right to call themselves a veteran?
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Let me apologize in advance to the people who find this question insulting... I'm just wondering what other people who served viewpoint is.
I personally went many years before I broke down and got "Desert Storm" Veteran tags, and the "Veteran" identifier on my driver's license... I'm still not entirely convinced that I deserve the 101st patch on my right sleeve, for the most part all I did was fix helicopter engines in the sand.
I have a great friend that served in the Air Force, and never left CONUS.
I have a relative that served on Aircraft carriers before Vietnam.
Both proudly stand up when "Veteran's" are asked to at public gatherings, but I always feel strange standing up.
Legal definition of "veteran" aside (someone who served at least six months and received an honorable discharge). I'm wondering more about how those of us that served feel about the term.
When a civilian hears "Veteran" I get the impression that they think we all stormed the beaches at Normandy, and for the most part I was really bored, played Spades and Tetris on my Gameboy during Desert Storm.
Should someone who was in the military during the Vietnam conflict (but never in theater) be allowed "Vietnam Veteran" license plates?
SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4", TSgt Hunter Logan , CH (MAJ) William Beaver , COL Ted Mc
I personally went many years before I broke down and got "Desert Storm" Veteran tags, and the "Veteran" identifier on my driver's license... I'm still not entirely convinced that I deserve the 101st patch on my right sleeve, for the most part all I did was fix helicopter engines in the sand.
I have a great friend that served in the Air Force, and never left CONUS.
I have a relative that served on Aircraft carriers before Vietnam.
Both proudly stand up when "Veteran's" are asked to at public gatherings, but I always feel strange standing up.
Legal definition of "veteran" aside (someone who served at least six months and received an honorable discharge). I'm wondering more about how those of us that served feel about the term.
When a civilian hears "Veteran" I get the impression that they think we all stormed the beaches at Normandy, and for the most part I was really bored, played Spades and Tetris on my Gameboy during Desert Storm.
Should someone who was in the military during the Vietnam conflict (but never in theater) be allowed "Vietnam Veteran" license plates?
SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4", TSgt Hunter Logan , CH (MAJ) William Beaver , COL Ted Mc
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Military service
Purple Heart
Military service Purple Heart
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 358
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A Veteran - whether active duty, discharged, retired, guard, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his/her life."
I deployed to Afghanistan for 9 months and spent prolly over 7 months outside the wire on convoys and on build sites as a Bridge Crew member and we never seen combat. I consider our company very fortunate to spend that much time outside the wire and never lost anyone or had anyone injured. We proudly served our time in a combat zone and brought honor to the Army and our state (we were a National Guard unit). Not everyone who joins gets to decide if they will see bullets fly over their heads. My dad did 22 years in the U.S. Army, served during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts but never seen combat due to duty assignments. I still and will always consider him a Veteran because he signed up to serve during those times when it was frowned upon.
Regardless of the branch a person serves in they are still a veteran once they get out, they signed the check and knew what they were doing.
I deployed to Afghanistan for 9 months and spent prolly over 7 months outside the wire on convoys and on build sites as a Bridge Crew member and we never seen combat. I consider our company very fortunate to spend that much time outside the wire and never lost anyone or had anyone injured. We proudly served our time in a combat zone and brought honor to the Army and our state (we were a National Guard unit). Not everyone who joins gets to decide if they will see bullets fly over their heads. My dad did 22 years in the U.S. Army, served during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts but never seen combat due to duty assignments. I still and will always consider him a Veteran because he signed up to serve during those times when it was frowned upon.
Regardless of the branch a person serves in they are still a veteran once they get out, they signed the check and knew what they were doing.
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There is a great quote by I believe George Washington where he talks about any post where man serves his country is honorable and worth of respect. Being recognized as a veteran is being shown that respect.
A lot of guys struggle with this. From a guy who spent some time on the front lines, let me say thank you for your service. It truly is one team, one fight.
A lot of guys struggle with this. From a guy who spent some time on the front lines, let me say thank you for your service. It truly is one team, one fight.
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What a crazy question. There's no "I" in "Team." There's just so many ways to explain this yet I find it so self explanatory so I won't even try. We are all Veterans, we are one team, one fight.
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Yes, of course. Veteran means you have served your nation in the armed forces. That means doing your duty (the had you are dealt) in whatever job you are assigned.... in peace or at war. It has nothing to do with combat. Combat is a entirely different issue. The Purple Heart image is not necessary, as that has nothing to do with being a veteran.
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The one point I make with Veterans that do not self-identify as a Veteran is they wore the uniform. Some were called to action in a conflict and some not. At any time they could have and there is no telling how the rest of their career would have gone. It was in many cases the fact that because many were sitting on the borders in Germany or South Korea that we did not have conflicts.
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From a 2x Afghan Vet, I say this: "They serve also who stand and wait." Let's come together, not squabble about who did what during their careers.
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SPC David Hannaman I have never been mobilized or served in theater. I begged to go at my first duty station. Signed up every chance I could, but often heard the same old line, "They just don't need your rate out there." Ten years later, I was the person preparing my fellow Sailors to be mobilized to Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, etc. I was always so thankful that every person I helped prepare for mob, came back home again. I can't explain the exact feeling, but that moment when the ones that I personally helped stepped back into my office to demob, I was always glad to see their faces. My final group I missed out on were my Seabee brethren. I transferred before they demobed. Does that mean that my service is any less than theirs? Does that mean I am less than my brethren who did go to war? Not every veteran is a combat vet and not ever service member is a combat service member.
The most commen misconceptions I have seen are:
1) That every vet is a combat vet and if you are not then you are a disappointment.
2) That all vets/service members have PTSD. And anyone who actually does have PTSD has the most severe, violent kind; even if you don't.
Just my two cents on the matter.
SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"
The most commen misconceptions I have seen are:
1) That every vet is a combat vet and if you are not then you are a disappointment.
2) That all vets/service members have PTSD. And anyone who actually does have PTSD has the most severe, violent kind; even if you don't.
Just my two cents on the matter.
SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"
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SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" Livin' the dream! Loving life and all that good jazz. How is the family? I know I am sooooo ready for this all day food feast. Now that I have officially passed my PRT, bring on the turkey! We are gonna be celebrating with our military family this year and I plan on making cherrywood smoked bacon wrapped honey BBQ lil' smokies.......mmmmmmmmm Bacon.......
Or like Echo calls them, "Mine! Mine mine mine!!!"
Or like Echo calls them, "Mine! Mine mine mine!!!"
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SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" I can pass the PRT everyday. It is really not that hard. Plus I am a swimmer, so it is an easy day for me. lol ;)
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SP5 Joel O'Brien
My mother and her sister(my aunt) signed up for the WAVES the day after Pearl. They freed up two men to go fight. My dad was Army and spent much of his time stateside at Fort Yuma. His address could have changed at any moment. They all were vets.
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Being a veteran has nothing to do with combat. It all starts when you voluntarily stand up and offer a blank check to America to be cashed later for the amount up to and including your life! By the very fact you were wearing a uniform meant that you were willing to be called on at a moments notice to deploy into a combat zone. Whether or not your specialty code was needed at various times and that call never came, you were willing to make it happen. You don't make that choice...it is made for you. Just because you were never in combat does not diminish the fact that you are a veteran!
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SGT Glenn E Moody
yes that is how i feel about it my self and anyone who put on any branch Military uniform is my brother or sister and a veteran as far as i am concerned
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Federal law defines a veteran as follows: The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. Here's a link to Cornell Law site that cites US Code. A recent bill was introduced to also recognize Reserves as veterans also, something I ABSOLUTELY support. I did a year in Iraq with many Reserves, they did quality work and were exposed to the same dangers and hardships as we active bubbas. Bottom line is if you served honorably, you ARE A VETERAN and anyone who tells you otherwise, smack them in their O2 tubes. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/38/101
38 U.S. Code § 101 - Definitions
This is a list of parts within the Code of Federal Regulations for which this US Code section provides rulemaking authority.
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CPL Doug Hill, BS-CJ, MS-CJ - I deployed plenty of times in my 35 years including a year on the ground in Iraq 07/08. Was I actively engaged in combat i.e. did I shoot at anybody or go into the field with a combat arms element? Nope. I did receive over 1000 rounds of IDF in a little over 6 weeks, killed an Army Colonel Stephen Scott, a great American. I smoked a cigar with him one afternoon, less than 24 hours later he was dead in a rocket attack. Also convoyed from FOB Sommerall to COB Speicher down MSR Tampa many times, bad guy country with lots of IED's. I served in a combat zone, was exposed to IDF and IED's but the grunts who convoyed, fought daily and did "the heavy lifting" earned the right (and CIB's) to call themselves a combat vet. I don't know what the real definition of a "combat vet" is, I will leave that to somebody else but I am damned sure a vet.
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Absolutely! Unless you're unfortunate enough to be entering the service at the outbreak of war, you've really no idea of where the future will lead you...Even during war, the "needs of the service" may send you into harms way-or to the safest, most important, absolutely essential support function stateside. It's fate and chance to a point...personal choice and training to another. What unifies us, is the willingness to go when and where the American people send us and do our best. That makes one a veteran.
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