Posted on Mar 12, 2020
Does having received a draft notice make someone a veteran?
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Last night a person that I know from a local motorcycle group (not Legion) said that the group honored her father who recently passed with a flag line. She said that they pressured her into the flag line even though her father never served in the military and she told them that. The headquarters President justified it by saying, “Well he received a draft notice, didn’t he?”
Later in the conversation, she mentioned one of our mutual friends as being a veteran and that he would not have allowed anything like stolen valor. I told her he was not a veteran and that we actually both belonged to the same American Legion and he grew up hanging around the American Legion post, but he is a member of the Sons of the American Legion; he is not a Legionnaire, not a dual member, and he is not a veteran. We argued for about five minutes over this and I finally hung up.
I’m returning my colors tomorrow; I never even wore them but I don’t feel comfortable with this group now.
I see the draft notice as different from actually having served. Am I wrong?
03/16/2020 Edit: Yesterday, one of the members contacted me back and clarified, "The flag lines are for anyone we want to honor, first responders, military, and our families are very high on the list." As they say here in Phila, "I'm feelin some type of way about this." I told him he needs to educate the entire group on who their flag lines are for, and as a representative of the organization, the secretary should know better.
03/23/2020 Edit: The moto group is NOT the Legion Riders -just a local moto org that promotes themselves a veterans and first responders group)
09/07/20 Edit: Well, after much anxiety, I wanted to update about this. Covid hit and I haven't been back to that group. The Sgt at Arms felt I shouldn't make any hasty decisions, but I just knew it wasn't a right fit. More recently, after watching the group respond to peaceful BLM march with "No they don't" when marchers proclaimed, "Black Lives Matter," and screaming at the marchers "Black Lives Splatter," display their flag line as if fellow protesting citizens aren't patriotic, use the local VFW with confederate flags and a woman veteran screaming and flipping off protesters, and watching two of their trucks dump black diesel smoke right in front of peacefully marching protesters, I cut ties with the group by initially removing the vast majority from facebook. The very next day, their Sgt At Arms felt the need to send me a private message on FB, "I see you unfriended me, friend," with a big ole thumbs up, which I ignored. A few days later, he sent me this big long Trump rant about how he was supporting troops (he never served) and I let him have it. I told him I don't care who he votes for, but his behavior doesn't represent me, and if he contacted me again, I'd file harassment charges -and I blocked him on messenger. Two days later he sends a text, "I've been ordered to collect our patches from you. Namely our backpatch and alpha chapter." I told him I burned them and that if he contacted me again, I'd involve the police. So that's that. Always go with your gut.
Later in the conversation, she mentioned one of our mutual friends as being a veteran and that he would not have allowed anything like stolen valor. I told her he was not a veteran and that we actually both belonged to the same American Legion and he grew up hanging around the American Legion post, but he is a member of the Sons of the American Legion; he is not a Legionnaire, not a dual member, and he is not a veteran. We argued for about five minutes over this and I finally hung up.
I’m returning my colors tomorrow; I never even wore them but I don’t feel comfortable with this group now.
I see the draft notice as different from actually having served. Am I wrong?
03/16/2020 Edit: Yesterday, one of the members contacted me back and clarified, "The flag lines are for anyone we want to honor, first responders, military, and our families are very high on the list." As they say here in Phila, "I'm feelin some type of way about this." I told him he needs to educate the entire group on who their flag lines are for, and as a representative of the organization, the secretary should know better.
03/23/2020 Edit: The moto group is NOT the Legion Riders -just a local moto org that promotes themselves a veterans and first responders group)
09/07/20 Edit: Well, after much anxiety, I wanted to update about this. Covid hit and I haven't been back to that group. The Sgt at Arms felt I shouldn't make any hasty decisions, but I just knew it wasn't a right fit. More recently, after watching the group respond to peaceful BLM march with "No they don't" when marchers proclaimed, "Black Lives Matter," and screaming at the marchers "Black Lives Splatter," display their flag line as if fellow protesting citizens aren't patriotic, use the local VFW with confederate flags and a woman veteran screaming and flipping off protesters, and watching two of their trucks dump black diesel smoke right in front of peacefully marching protesters, I cut ties with the group by initially removing the vast majority from facebook. The very next day, their Sgt At Arms felt the need to send me a private message on FB, "I see you unfriended me, friend," with a big ole thumbs up, which I ignored. A few days later, he sent me this big long Trump rant about how he was supporting troops (he never served) and I let him have it. I told him I don't care who he votes for, but his behavior doesn't represent me, and if he contacted me again, I'd file harassment charges -and I blocked him on messenger. Two days later he sends a text, "I've been ordered to collect our patches from you. Namely our backpatch and alpha chapter." I told him I burned them and that if he contacted me again, I'd involve the police. So that's that. Always go with your gut.
Edited >1 y ago
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 93
Absolutely not. Period. You know, I keep getting Publishers' ClearingHouse letters that say I have THE winning ticket number that's included in the letters. Go ahead, ask me how many PCH Sweepstakes I've won. I'll give you three guesses, the first two don't count. And you'd better not let General Patton catch wind of this veteran scam. He'd come back from the grave, sure as I'm a foot high!!!
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HELL NO...
Thats like saying I was born in the early 50s and a Korean War veteran... Or I served during the Vietnam War (not in country) so I'm a Vietnam veteran...
Thats like saying I was born in the early 50s and a Korean War veteran... Or I served during the Vietnam War (not in country) so I'm a Vietnam veteran...
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About as much as me calling myself a pro golfer because I won $10 in a skins game
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I always used to get those you are winner mailings- and then when I opened it not so much...a draft notice is similar if the person never served. Without catching what the MC is about hard to answer this. I would not have stood in a flag line for someone that did not serve- but was he a life long civil servant or first responder? Some charters allow for that, but are not military only affiliated.
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SrA Sheila Holmes
I don’t know his particular circumstance, but I don’t think so; otherwise, they’d have also justified it on those grounds.
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SrA Sheila Holmes
Yep; it sure it. I didn't serve during the Draft and as a woman I'm not allowed to register for Selective Service, so I figured I'd ask those who know better than me. This woman really had my head spun around because the person she says told her that was in the Army himself.
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Lt Col Charlie Brown
SrA Sheila Holmes I hear you. Nope, neither a draft notice, nor registering for selective service makes one a veteran
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Veteran status is given once an individual has completed 180days consecutive service. The only exemption that I’m aware of is an individual who is injured during there Basic Training or (AIT for the Army) and can no longer continue there service so they are given a service connected disability which entitles them to Veteran status.( If I’m wrong someone please correct me but don’t be a BF and demoralize me ). A draft letter is not qualification of Veteran status.
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SrA Sheila Holmes
Thanks for weighing in. This is my understanding as well, though I didn’t know about the BMT/AIT med board bit.
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