Should Vietnam-era Vets be addressed as "Vietnam Vets"?

Agreed Captain. Us Cold war vets get some recognition. Vietnam vets , who do fall within that class as well, ought to be recognised. However the Brass decides to sub divide it, My 2 cousins ,and 2 in laws, deserve ther same respect as anyone else who suited up and Served.

1 in law was right up there driving truck at Da Nang,,Cousin Carl was an MP in Korea at the time walking dogs and patroling the DMZ, one cousin and one in law in tin cans...the Barry and the Buchannon. Our fam kinda had area coverage of that whole theater..

September 1973 I enlisted in the US Navy. Because I'd not graduated high school I was placed in the delayed entry program. I graduated HS 1/25/74, started Boot Camp 1/28/74. Late Spring that year my bride and I are walking through the mall in Waukegan IL. I in my old style, dress blues sporting two, white, diagonal stripes and a white caduceus on my left arm. All of a sudden from across the way, some long-hair yells out, "FUCKIN' BABY KILLER!!" No! I'm a Navy Hospital Corpsman, I SAVE lives" Didn't matter I was wearing a Military uniform. I resolved in that instant, I would NEVER wear my uniform in public again. Fifty years later, I did wear it one time publicly in 1976, at my Dad's funeral to honor his WWII combat service. But again, that really wasn't "in public" as it was just family and a few friends. Do I consider myself a "Viet-Nam Veteran?" No, I do not. I do get the point others have made that WWI, WWII, & Korea Vets, regardless of where they served are considered Veterans of those wars. I too do not understand why or when the distinction of In-Country and Era Vet came about. Apparently, one did not have to be in-country to be called a "baby killer." Personally, I'm more than happy the Veterans who've come after us have been treated much better than we were. No one ever called my Son, a US Marine, or my Daughter, a US Air Force Airman, anything disrespectful.

SCPO Rick Hunter - tip o the tin lid....UTEP / BLISS, ged program, 83.

Brad Miller - I joined! They didn't send me to Viet Nam as a medic because enlisted women didn't go, but you can't change my paperwork. I think you are just a bitter old JERK!

PFC Kay Armstrong I tried to enlist. Got a P-3 in 1983.
It isn't YOUR fault you didn't go.
But you DIDN'T go, and claiming you did is a lie.
Respect for your service, but don't try and steal credit.

I have to pour a little water on your parade. In your view those off shore doing bombardment in support, and having agent orange blowing across their ship, flying A-10 or other aircraft doing support and getting shot down, submarines doing their thing in the waters of the area are not Vietnam VETS?? check the rivets in your neck to see if your head is still attached.

So I was ORDERED to Iwakuni to stage for NAM, but while there word came down the the war may be getting close to an end. But that didn't stop me from breaking my back and being sent stateside in a body cast. I saw some of those men when they came back and to me, there is just something special I carry in my heart for all of them, even tho I should have gone. Out of respect for those who made it back, I refer to myself as a Vietnam Era Marine (Veteran). There's just a difference!

Brad Miller - so from what I am seeing from your profile you have never served???

SFC Dave Nutter P-3 in 1982.
Physical, incurable (at that time, pre-lasik). I volunteered, showed up at ding, took the oath while *waiting* for my physical.
Rejected, no appeal.

I was doing missile training in Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. We were pulled out of training, given full combat gear (I even got a gas mask and an M1 Carbine but no ammo).
I was assigned to configuring bombs and loading them on aircraft. We were putting our lives on the line for all out nuclear war for which we eventually received a Presential Unit Citation.
I was sent to Germany on a tactical missile crew. President Kennedy referred to us as "The Tip of the Spear" because of our proximity to the Russian border.
I refer to myself as a Vietnam Era Veteran, I never call myself a Vietnam Veteran because I never set foot on Vietnam soil.
When we signed-up, we put our lives on the line for our country. We are all brothers regardless of where we served!

Easy answer for why some were not there. They were needed elsewhere. I was just recently talking to a guy who was mere minutes from boarding a plane to go to Vietnam but was called out of formation and sent to Germany because he was fluent in Russian. There was a greater need for him elsewhere