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
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 358
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I believe this all summed up by something most of us are taught, the Profession of Arms. The basic explanation is found on all of those cheesy T-Shirts people fresh out of basic buy, but it's accurate nonetheless. At one point, every man and woman who signed onto their given profession, in our case the Profession of Arms, did so knowing full well that they may be required to put their lives on the line at some point, which no other given profession can claim as commonplace risk.
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A Veteran is someone who served. A Warrior is someone who served IN combat.
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Wow. How does that question even get asked? We are an all volunteer force. Everyone that has joined in the last 40 years has done so of their own accord and with the full knowledge that they might have to die for their country. The Branch of Service you are in decides where you go, not always the individual. So to you, 10, 15, 20 years of honorable service doesn't mean Veteran? You're right, you shouldn't stand up.
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You're right sir, that this question is insulting but, I won't hold it against anyone. I did my tour of duty honorably and, was discharged. To say that those that served but, not in a combat zone are not veterans is to say that, we are not even citizens of this great country. We signed on the sam dotted lines on the same contract. I went in on an open contract and, was assigned m MOS by CMC. I didn't get to participate in Desert Shield or, Desert Storm but, does that make my service any less tha those that did? I had friends over there. We did what was needed by Washington to be done while they were over there. While troops were fighting in the Middle East, others were holding the line elsewhere around the world.
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Whether you served in combat or behind the lines, you're a veteran. The four years I did in the Army was basically to support the infantry. I was a heavy and light equipment operators do trained as combat engineer. In the WV Amy National Guard I was a forward observer, and in the Navy I was HT (welder). Everything I did in some way was to support those in the front lines.
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This has been touched upon so many times, I consider it lazy to even ask. There's a search area less than a foot above your question. Type your question in there and start reading. I'm a Veteran. I am not a Combat Veteran. While my situation is less deserving than most, I still signed my life over to my country. Just because I didn't end up fighting for it doesn't mean that the time I devoted to it is null and void. That doesn't mean that I walk around thinking I'm hot shit. I'm humbled knowing that I didn't do as much as most soldiers. However, many men have spent half their lives in the military without deploying. What do you tell them? They've aided in the training of combat vets. They've maintained the vehicles that went to combat. They've cleaned the weapons that went to combat. If it weren't for the men and women in between the conflicts, we wouldn't be prepared for the shit when it hits the fan.
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Anyone who served honorably is a veteran, regardless of where or what they did. I was only Christmas leave from IOAC in 1989 when my old unit deployed to Panama. A year later, I was in Germany running ranges for all the Infantry and Armor units that were deploying to Desert Storm. Former Soldiers and peers were awarded CIBs and combat patches while I did not go anywhere. When I left active duty in 1996, I was a Veteran and continued to proudly claim that. Going forward a few years, I deployed 4 times but never was shot at, never had an IED explode nearby, and never had any rockets land close to me. So while I deployed, I did not get a CIB or CAB. Does that me less of a combat veteran than an Infantry Soldier who earned their CIB? Veterans that served in combat zones do get some extra benefits but all who served are Veterans.
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I was truck driver/petroleum supply and was in more than a few situations where bullets, mortors and RPG's went wizzing by and IED's went off. You know, combat. Even had a direct hit on the cab of the Hemmit Fuel truck I was driving. Over a 100 trips outside the wire. Regardless of that I still on occasion run into former infantrymen that don't even except anyone as a combat vet unless they were Infantry. I saw countless soldiers get recognized with bronze stars and what not that never left the wire. There is a real stigma against non-infantry soldier in infantry units. When in fact there are many non-infantry such as supply, mechanics, and female soldiers that come along on raid missions in order to search other female detainees that do see combat. So I'm on the fence on this one. because the way I see it is you have have 2 classifacations you have "veterans" that just served in the military with no deployments to combat theater and you have "Combat Vets" that served in a combat theater
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I've never been to Combat. Never been in country, where combat is occurring. If they send me I will go, if they don't I won't. The one time I was "deployed/tdy" I protected Air Craft that were refueling or providing intelligence that was used to help the guys in combat. My job now is to train people on weapons before they get deployed.
I will Never say my service is equal to those that have been in combat, or lost life or limb or sleep as a result.
I will Never say my service is equal to those that have been in combat, or lost life or limb or sleep as a result.
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Are you freaking kidding me? With all the "us vs them" garbage going on in this country right now, you want to pull this waste of toilet time out? This is the dumbest question I have ever read that has not come from my ex-wife's lawyer.
We all signed up to defend this nation.(PERIOD) It doesn't say defend this nation in combat, on a computer or with a freaking spoon tied to a toilet brush. People sign and serve, they are a vet.
Now would be a good time for SPC David Hannaman to apologize to those who died serving but not under direct fire. How the devil do you plan to fight without logistics? What about the Medical staff to sew your ungrateful back side back together? You looking to say that because folks didn't serve to your expectations they don't deserve the title.
We all signed up to defend this nation.(PERIOD) It doesn't say defend this nation in combat, on a computer or with a freaking spoon tied to a toilet brush. People sign and serve, they are a vet.
Now would be a good time for SPC David Hannaman to apologize to those who died serving but not under direct fire. How the devil do you plan to fight without logistics? What about the Medical staff to sew your ungrateful back side back together? You looking to say that because folks didn't serve to your expectations they don't deserve the title.
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