I served for 8 years and I never deployed. I don't feel like I earn the credit of veteran. Does anyone else feel that way?

PFC Don Jenks I consider you a veteran if you are worried about others don't. As and all volunteer force we can not control our assignments. They most important thing is your thoughts and what you believe.

You don't have to deploy to feel like a veteran, unless you were a shammer...

And from the sound of it, you're NOT A SHAMMER.

HOOAH!

You served honorably an the simple fact your unit did ņot deploy makes no less a veteran.

I served under contract in the Army for 14 years (Enlisted and Officer, Active and Reserve, West Point and ROTC) when there was no war. I enlisted expecting to go to Vietnam but came in during the last months of Vietnam and was given a medical discharge a little over a year before the start of Desert Storm. I consider myself a veteran, especially since the VA rates me at 100% disabled.
You are a Veteran and should be proud that you served your country honorably for eight years.

In the United States of America
38 U.S.C. § 101(2) provides:
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.

Sorry for the 5-year delay. You served, you met the DA requirements, you are a Veteran. Just to be clear, even if you are talking about combat deployment, not being deployed has no bearing on your status.
During the Gulf War, some were called to the White House for duty. Although they were not in-country (deployed to combat), you better believe they were combat-ready.

No. Deployment is not a requirement for veteran status. What gave you this idea?
If you are no longer in active service, I hope you completed you separation health assessment and applied for any potential disability benefits.

You served, you are a veteran. Don't let non-deployment tell you otherwise. Many who did deploy never heard a shot fired in anger and lived in comfortable quarters. Are they veterans? I consider you and those I mentioned veterans. And by the way, I was a Marine in Viet Nam and a Soldier in Iraq. Thanks for your service, fellow veteran!

You are a Veteran. You served our great Nation. Stand proud, Brother.

You say ever deployed in 8 years active duty. If you were assigned outside the United States you were deployed. Some people sometimes deploy to a hostile fire zone. But if you were assigned to NATO headquarters in Brussels you were deployed. But even staying in the states for 8 years makes you a veteran of the era you served