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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Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 358
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I will let all of you answer this while reading this response:
How many of us think this guy is a veteran and a Hero?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2013/11/20/u_s_in_world_war_ii_how_the_navy_broke_japanese_codes_before_midway.html
How many of us think this guy is a veteran and a Hero?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2013/11/20/u_s_in_world_war_ii_how_the_navy_broke_japanese_codes_before_midway.html
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I guess you don't have to WANT to be in Combat to be there. When it comes it usually means someone thought you were a soft target. If you weren't in the 101st you don't get the patch regardless. You get the patch worn by your unit. I was in a non divisional "running spare" artillery unit. We changed patches six times not including the Divisions and Brigades we were attached to.
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I will tell you what DOES suck....and maybe I'm just complaining here. Active duty vs. Reserve Component. Active duty veteran status: 90 consecutive days. (basically BCT and some change). Reserve Component veteran status: (SIX EFFING YEARS). That is assuming both use-cases in the "rear". I went to get a VA home loan in my Fifth year, 8th month. I have not deployed to a combat zone but do have overseas mission experience. I was DECLINED! That's right.....I had to wait until I hit six years to be qualified as a veteran. Whereas my little brother, was in less than a year and received his VA benefits. Now, tell me that isn't bullcrap? I mean ok, I get there is a difference between AD/RC but let's get real.
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I SAW A QUESTION LIKE THIS THE OTHER DAY AND I HAD TO THINK ABOUT FOR A MINUTE BECAUSE THE QUESTION I ASKED IS, DO YOU CALL YOURSELF A VETERAN WHEN YOU USE THE ARMY'S MONEY TO GOTO SCHOOL FOR 3 OR 4 YEARS NEVER SEE COMBAT AND GET OUT AND GET A SUCCUESSFUL CIVIVLIAN JOB, HALF OF OUR VETERANS WHO HAVE 20 YEARS AND 2 OR 3 OR 4 COMBAT TOURS CAN'T EVEN GET A STABLE JOB. WHAT IS REAL VETERAN JUST SOMEONE WHO SERVED THEIR COUNTRY CAN YOU REALLY CALLEM A VETERAN.
STEPHENS'
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Sgt Jay Jones
SFC William Stephens this is a loaded question (excuse the pun). What qualifies as a veteran? A person who serves in the military. Even those who recieve bad papers are still veterans. Just because a person does not fire their weapon in combat does not mean they are less than a veteran when they are either diacharged or retire. Remember without the Admin Clerk, Mail Department, Cooks, Supply, Finance, Mechanics, Military Police, and every other support person. You time served would be very undesirable. No, we are not Combat Veterans, but we are still Veterans. Without "us POG's", you would not be able to survive as long in combat. As you know many times a person did not get a chance to choose their first MOS (at least not 60's). We all do our best and we all serve this country. I have much respect for those who have seeved in combat. It was my goal in my MOS to so all I could to make their service more rewarding. As a Marine the second thing I look for on a uniform is a Combat Action Ribbon. Parts of me really wants to salute them regardless of rank.
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SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM
I have to vote you up on Sgt because without POGs on and off the battle field we would not be here. But I call the other "USER of THE SYSTEM" they call themselves Veterans and it hard for me to accept them in to the system and I am sure you know what I mean, I don't think I need to explain any more to you about what a "USER of THE SYSTEM" really is I will say a lot them got free college deal out of and yeah maybe they only fired their weapon at the range or never, to bad.
I just think they should have different versions of types of veterans because fire fighters and 911 responders could be a type of veterans. think about it. I just don't agree with people who abuse the systems, like drugs and people got kicked out of the military. You going call them veterans too because their walking saying they are Sgt?
I just think they should have different versions of types of veterans because fire fighters and 911 responders could be a type of veterans. think about it. I just don't agree with people who abuse the systems, like drugs and people got kicked out of the military. You going call them veterans too because their walking saying they are Sgt?
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Sgt Jay Jones
SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM - I am a product of the Vietnam war. We had many servicemen and women who got bad paper. Of course this severely limits their "benefits". However, some of them did see combat, but because of being drafted, drugs, and AWOL and Desertions after a tour "In Country". I would say, yes, they are Veterans.
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SFC William Stephens A. Jr., 3 MSM, JSCM
Veteran's are products of the military, still if you have OTH or DHD from the military I don't care if you have seen combat or not you should be stripped of the title veteran because these same people are going out and going to college and getting better jobs then veterans who serve and Congress should rewrite what really a veteran is that 180 days crap needs to change because I don't give credit to people who are thrown out for BCD because they made a dumb choice. If you can't make it in military how the hell do people survive on the outside, they give hammy downs. So all you people who think a veterans is someone who served I wish you would agree with me that the policy needs to change and we need to stop worrying about what the POTUS is doing and crap about our flags and removing history from our children and stand and have some balls to tell them who did wrong and got Bad Conduct discharges that they don not fit the standard as veterans and lastly Veteran's should be put into different groups just like the awards system is now doing with C, M and R designators FOR AWARDS TO SHOW WHO HAS BEEN TO COMBAT OR NOT. I'M DONE!
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The answer to your last question has been determined by most, if not all, state legislatures on down to their respective DMVs: to get "Veteran" put on you driver's license, you must produce a DD-214 that shows you were in the military. To get a Vietnam Veteran plate, your DD-214 must indicate you served IN Vietnam or the contiguous waters surrounding it for a consecutive 180 days.
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As, far as I know there are two kinds of Veterans, peacetime veteran, and War time Veteran, so if you served on active duty, for 180 days, or more you are a Veteran. That set your question riht.
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Would you tell the person who stood guard at the 1 K Zone, Checkpoint Charlie, or the DMZ not a veteran? They served with honor and deserve the title of Veteran. Likewise you should have no guilt wearing that honor as well. Had you not had the bird ready to go, certainly some one would of perished that is alive today.
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This is the dumbest question I've seen on here!!! US Code 38 defines a veteran as: 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. We also have veterans at their chosen profession as in veteran basketball player, veteran cop and so on.
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SFC Ernest Thurston
I totally agree. I don't know why this keeps coming up. I guess either some people just want more because they served in a combat zone or some feel insignificant because they didn't. I am a veteran. I know I'm a veteran. I voluntarily enlisted during Vietnam but didn't get sent. I served all the way up to eight days after we went into Bosnia. Every conflict in between those, Panama, Grenada, Desert Shield/Storm, Rwanda etc happened while I served. It just happens that I was mission essential in other parts of the world so I am not a "combat veteran" but I know I'm a veteran. Even though I am retired I still serve by taking other vets to the VA hospital in a van provided by the DAV also as a volunteer, the same way I started.
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All are veterans whether it be by just going into service or if it is from baptism under fire but there is one thing that separates the two, most that have actually been in deep combat wish that they could've been one of the ones that weren't. There are many friends that I used to know that never got to see home again and there are several injuries that I received that I wish I never had because of trying to deal with the nonexistent VA "healthcare" and the long battle to even get benefits.
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SFC Ernest Thurston
There are plenty of people that also get injured in non-combat situations. If I remember right we had more "accidental" injuries than "direct combat" injuries during Desert Storm.
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