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
Posted in these groups: 
Military service
Purple Heart
Military service Purple Heart
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 368
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All who served this country deserves to call their self a veteran. I would stand proudly by your side.
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During my time in service (the 80s), women were not allowed in combat, so that distinction was not even a consideration (plus the only combat was Grenada/Lebanon). At the time of Grenada & Beirut bombings, I was a member of the 101st, working live missions (but not in either theatre of operations.) During the Persian Gulf Blockade, I was working a live mission; our team was awarded a Joint Chiefs Commendation for our support effort; I was even put forward by the Navy for a temporary assignment aboard a ship in the Persian Gulf. (The Army said, "no female in a possible combat zone.") Am I a Veteran? Hell, yes. Am I proud of my service? Hell, yes. My husband (Retired Air Force) was a Viet Namese Linguist sent to Thailand only weeks before Saigon fell. Neither of us can comment on his other assignments because of our clearances, but does that affect his eligibility or right to be a combat veteran? Of course not. We all had our role in whatever our service's activities were. And EVERY role was honorable.
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This is a old post but I find a need to respond. So I will answer the question with a question. If you take the spark plugs out of your car does it work as the fine machine that originally bought? What does the regulations say?
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As others have stated, you don't always have a choice as to duty stations. You go where they send you. When I finished up at armor school at Ft.Knox in 71 we were told they were no longer sending tankers to Nam so we were sent elsewhere and I wound up in Germany. even thou I had so called jungle training at Ft. Lewis. Luck of the draw.
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Would it satisfy ABSOLUTLEY EVERYONE if there were two categories of service people when referring to them, veteran or combat veteran? Yes, no? I think that is done anyway in a very casual manner when vets get together and commiserate on their service years.
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Read the history of how the PURPLE HEART came to be why President George Washington felt it was needed in the first place.
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If you served during time of conflict or otherwise does not matter. You served where so many would not. This alone qualifies you as a veteran. As some feel they didnt earn their right because they were not grunts, it takes a minimum of 7 individuals to support one grunt in the Corps while deployed. Your all the same part of that unit, otherwise he or she would have been sitting at joke woth absolutely no way to get in the fight. As the saying goes all Marines are rifleman first, im sure the other branches carry the same thought process. So yes in answer to tye question if youve served your a veteran.
P.S. when I took the oath to protect the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic it did not come with the addendum of until your discharged or for the length of my term of service. I would ruck up today if needed. Semper Fi!
P.S. when I took the oath to protect the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic it did not come with the addendum of until your discharged or for the length of my term of service. I would ruck up today if needed. Semper Fi!
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I am a Combat Veteran. It should be reserved for only Combat Veterans. Not some trainees who have less TIS than my boots AND slick sleeved. We earned our Veteran status. Not those who never even deployed. But that's just my opinion... I'm just a Combat Veteran. What do I know
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There are veterans and combat veterans anyone that serves in theater is a veteran and anyone that serves in combat and actually pulls the trigger is A Combat Veteran . Can't claim combat veteran if you never been in combat ..there just veterans
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