Posted on May 6, 2014
Should veteran status be reserved for those who have deployed?
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This one has come up a lot in conversations with my peers and Soldiers: Should you be allowed to claim veterans status if you have never deployed?
Personally, I'm an ROTC graduate who chose to go straight into the ARNG in 2011, knowing full well that my chances to deploy would be next to none with the changing op tempo. Realistically, had I been actively searching out a deployment the whole time, I still may not have gotten one. I'm sure there are Soldiers out there who served honorably in a reserve component without deploying, despite their best efforts. So, for example, should a Soldier who completed basic training, had a clean service record, excelled in their peer group, but ultimately served 10 years as a reservist with no deployment and less than 180 days on non-ADT active service be prevented from calling themselves a veteran?
I have my own thoughts, but I'm more interesting in hearing your opinions. For clarification, I'm speaking more towards the legal definition of veterans status - even if the laws were changed here, there would still be an immense difference between a legal veteran and a legal veteran with several deployments, combat experience, decades on active duty, or a combination of all three.
Personally, I'm an ROTC graduate who chose to go straight into the ARNG in 2011, knowing full well that my chances to deploy would be next to none with the changing op tempo. Realistically, had I been actively searching out a deployment the whole time, I still may not have gotten one. I'm sure there are Soldiers out there who served honorably in a reserve component without deploying, despite their best efforts. So, for example, should a Soldier who completed basic training, had a clean service record, excelled in their peer group, but ultimately served 10 years as a reservist with no deployment and less than 180 days on non-ADT active service be prevented from calling themselves a veteran?
I have my own thoughts, but I'm more interesting in hearing your opinions. For clarification, I'm speaking more towards the legal definition of veterans status - even if the laws were changed here, there would still be an immense difference between a legal veteran and a legal veteran with several deployments, combat experience, decades on active duty, or a combination of all three.
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 678
What if you served during peace time or never saw combat- even while deployed? I was in non-combat job (Signal Corps- 25L). The combat guys call us "POG's", like we were insignificant.
I may not have real combat experience, but I served and I did my job. I think "Veteran" is what we all are- those of us who served our bit honorably, with pride. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the Infantry guys and other combat MOS's, but they couldn't do their job without us doing ours. We were all a team with many working parts. I love the Army. Miss it every day. I AM A VETERAN.
I may not have real combat experience, but I served and I did my job. I think "Veteran" is what we all are- those of us who served our bit honorably, with pride. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the Infantry guys and other combat MOS's, but they couldn't do their job without us doing ours. We were all a team with many working parts. I love the Army. Miss it every day. I AM A VETERAN.
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Legally if you spent 180 days on active duty you are a veteran. For me if you served honorably but never made the 180 days I will still call you a veteran and thank you for your service because you raised your hand and took the same oath as I did. Deployments have zero to do with veterans status. Otherwise people will ask was yours a contingency or combat deployment? Not combat? Not a veteran. Or you served in a combat zone but did you engage the enemy? No? Not a veteran. I could go on but you get the point. You served. You know what you did. Hold your head high thank you for your service and carry on.
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There but for the grace of God and the Sec Def's whims go I . . . . . If you wore that uniform with honor you are indeed a Veteran . . . . IMHO.
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I don't know how and why thus is or has been coming up and I don't know the legal definition nor do I care. The simply fact to me is if a person volunteered or in earlier cases was drafted and served they are a veteran
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SgtMaj Anthony Goss
(Cont) I'm sure there will be the discussion about whether one served honorably or not which is something I can understand. But to try and make a distinction between someone the went to combat and someone that didn't the defining factor is wrong. Most of those that might think that way because too many have been in and all they know is combat. So what are you going to to do about those that served during non combat years? So before someone higher up even starts to get an idea like they usually do, I say squash the question, a veteran is a veteran period.
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In my 20 years in the Marines, I never deployed to a combat zone. However, I was on recruiting duty, and I swear that 3 years took 15 off my life. I think that might qualify.
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No if you serve, you serve. My opinion is any thing other than dishonorable warrants veteran status. U volunteered! It's no ones fault you never deployed. I'm combat vet and I dont think any less of anyone that ever seen battle
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I'm in the Army Guard and have done 6 years, just re-up'd and I believe anyone who has served and done their service to our country in any branch of the military is deemed a veteran. Just because you haven't been deployed over seas and been in combat doesn't make you any less of a veteran. A lot of military members who deploy don't even see combat. In the end we all served and would lay down our life if need be for the country we love so in my opinion, you earned veteran status.
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I served 22 years in the guard. In that 22 years I had 13 years of active duty, which included 7 consecutive years of title 10 duty. I was on Desert Fix orders during Desert Shield, my duty station was in Conus. Didn't deploy. I have been to both Germany and Korea on TDY orders. I have not been in a war zone, but don't you dare tell me I'm not a veteran.
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Yes. Absolutely. Your status as a Veteran has never depended on your deployment status or the nature of your service. Period. I remember when I joined in 1982 there were rumors going around that if you didn't serve in combat you weren't a veteran. Not true then and not true now. HOWEVER, certain VA programs are open to people who serve at different times and in different capacities. Happens all the time, like Post 911 GI Bill benefits. I would imagine that we will see different programs and benefits for people who have earned combat certifications from their specific branch or who have deployed.
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I feel that anyone who has served honorably in any branch of the military should be able and proud to call themselves a veteran. The only thing that I will add to that is if you were deployed to a combat zone, you should be able to be considered a combat veteran without getting flack from other vets that did not deploy. I have seen a lot of vets giving flack as if the combat vets were insinuating that it made them better than others and get all huffy about it saying that it isn't their fault that there were no deployments while they served. In the same turn it isn't our fault that there were deployments while we served. It is merely being more specific about our service not a contest of who served better. Off of soapbox now. Lol
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Yes they should be considered Veterans because if there were a flare up all could be deployed or working in a support function that still serves the needs of those being deployed. Now there are some even Veterans that I find really did not like the fact that are Vets! Simply because they disrespected their own service and likely had a hard time with deployment or while deployed! Give them the option if they feel they earned being a Vet!!
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A veteran is anyone who served their country and successfully completed their service obligation. I myself never deployed, despite being in during thre wartime operations. I volunteered three time to serve in Desert Storm, but was denied all three time because my MOS was too critical in my current duty station. I retired honorably after 20 years service. So, yeah, I consider myself a veteran, as I consider all my fellow brothers and sisters veterans.
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No, there shouldn't be a distinction between Veterans! Reservists and NG train to the same standard as AC. Just because as a Reservist/NG you don't get the call, that decision is beyond you and you don't have a say in the matter. The last 9 years of my 38 years of service was to train RC staff personnel to standard for deployments. I also spent 11 years in Filed Artillery as a Reservist. Oddly enough my one and only deployment came when I served as an interim Band Commander. It was a local deployment. Funny things we almost deployed to Afghanistan to support the US Embassy in Kabul. Only at the last minute, they pulled the plug on the deployment. Now you see why IMHO a Veteran is a Veteran regardless of deployments. Also a note, when RC personnel attend Army schools, they tend to do significantly better than their AC counter parts.
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A1C Medrick "Rick" DeVaney
I Am A Vet ~ A VIETNAM "ERA" Vet, ~ NOT A Vietnam Vet.
USAF 1961 - 1965 ~ Vietnam ~ Cuban Crisis ~ Cold War With Russia ~ Assassination Of
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy ~~ And Nothing Else
USAF 1961 - 1965 ~ Vietnam ~ Cuban Crisis ~ Cold War With Russia ~ Assassination Of
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy ~~ And Nothing Else
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Pretty sure we signed on that same line on the same contract.... done it honorably and you are a veteran of the armed forces of these United States of America..i serv ed 4 years in a cav unit with a mission in west Germany on the boarder... looked communisum straight in the eyes... got blown out on alert after alert every one as if we where gonna be fighten then vaporized or just vaporized...but since it obviously did not happen...and you should be glad too... does that make m e any less of a veteran than say soneone who got shot at...no i stood my ground and would serve again thats a veteran....
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Having served on both sides of that coin, one could NOT successfully deploy if they did not have the support of those that did not deploy but made things happen back on shore/in country. “A Veteran is someone who, at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount up to and including their life.”
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As long as you joined and finished your contract without being a shitbag you're a veteran
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Many moons ago, as a young Buck Sergeant...with a combat deployment under my belt, the idea of only counting deployed military personnel as veterans might have made sense to me.
However, when Desert Storm kicked off, I was one of a very small cadre on Fort Bragg. Just 35 of us were known as Blackhats, experts on everything Airborne-and they didn't know what to do with us as the 82d began their deployment routine.
It didn't take long for the higher-ups to realize that we knew the aircrews,and we knew the airfield on Pope AFB. So, they had us marshaling aircraft, and ensuring the right equipment got to the right aircraft.
As someone whom, at the time believed "if you're not Airborne Infantry, you're not shit", I was blown away by the professionalism, efficiency, and mission first mentality of those I used to call pogues. The Army and Air Force loggies were loading and sending aircraft at an incredible pace. It seemed as if an aircraft was landing empty and being sent out for the desert every few minutes.
Seeing as how this massive deployment of equipment was destined to support my Paratrooper Brothers, I knew how vital the loggies role was in our (eventual) successful mission accomplishment.
Each and every role in our Armed Services plays their part. We can't fill the battlefield foxholes if there's not anyone to send us the shovels needed to dog our foxholes, or fox the stuff we break...and we break a lot of things!
However, when Desert Storm kicked off, I was one of a very small cadre on Fort Bragg. Just 35 of us were known as Blackhats, experts on everything Airborne-and they didn't know what to do with us as the 82d began their deployment routine.
It didn't take long for the higher-ups to realize that we knew the aircrews,and we knew the airfield on Pope AFB. So, they had us marshaling aircraft, and ensuring the right equipment got to the right aircraft.
As someone whom, at the time believed "if you're not Airborne Infantry, you're not shit", I was blown away by the professionalism, efficiency, and mission first mentality of those I used to call pogues. The Army and Air Force loggies were loading and sending aircraft at an incredible pace. It seemed as if an aircraft was landing empty and being sent out for the desert every few minutes.
Seeing as how this massive deployment of equipment was destined to support my Paratrooper Brothers, I knew how vital the loggies role was in our (eventual) successful mission accomplishment.
Each and every role in our Armed Services plays their part. We can't fill the battlefield foxholes if there's not anyone to send us the shovels needed to dog our foxholes, or fox the stuff we break...and we break a lot of things!
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