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?

If you have a DD-214 that states that your was "Honorably Discharged" then you are a Veteran. The last time I checked to be called a veteran wasn't based on where you served or where you deployed to. Even the Coast Guard troops that protect our homeland borders are veterans and I doubt that they normally deploy due to their job being homeland related.

Do not mistake deploying with being a veteran. There's was a huge gap for a while where no one deployed prior to 911. Also just because someone "deployed" doesn't mean they did anything to earn the title veteran. There are plenty of folks who deployed and didn't do anything but spend time at the gym and the DFAC. Everyone's career is different and serving makes you a veteran. You are part of the 1%

I am sure there are many that have had this feeling. Lets face it, unless your kicking in doors, doing patrols or involved in RCP's you are most likely in a support role. There are those that have deployed and came back over weight from all the green bean lattes and donuts. It may be something you may have wished to do but I can tell you in the CSS arena you will see a lot of shame in a deployment.

If you served Honorably then you ARE a veteran and don't let anyone tell you other wise. It took me 14 years to get my first deployment. I was in all the right units and jobs, just at the wrong time.

A vet is someone who has been in the military. Deployments don’t do much other than maybe allow you to call yourself a “combat veteran”

nope. Everyone who took the oath and stayed in until they couldn't anymore or got discharged honorably/generally/medically are Vets. I was stationed in the US for 4 years, as a Minuteman III ICBM mechanic. Never got deployed overseas, never saw combat But we were prepared to turn the keys to send those nukes where they needed to go.

8 years and a PFC?

Some of today's drone pilots never get out of their little cubicle but I'll bet more than a few have PTSD. Yes, no matter what the job or location, it's a big machine and it takes all the parts working together for it to work. Proud to call you my brother.

Being a veteran has nothing to do with being deployed anywhere. Also many troops think eing deployed meanet einf sent to a hostile fire zone. Deployed mean sent outside of CONUS anywhere. A combat deployment is being sent to a declared hostile fire zone. So yes you are a Veteran,just not a combat veteran and they could not complete their mission if there werent people like you completing yours. Thank You for your service from a Combat Engineer that deployed 32 months in combat zone and another 12 deployed in Germany and a couple in the states.

You signed up, so whether you deployed or not, you were willing to do what most won’t.