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<p>I was asked a very interesting question by a civilian, due to today's holiday: What is a veteran? Is it somebody that was "just" in the military, or someone that actually deployed?"</p><p> </p><p>While there are various legal standards that define the word "veteran" in specific terms, I could see where the confusion lies. Is a veteran anyone to have ever worn the uniform? Must you be a combat veteran to receive benefits?</p><p> </p><p>While various regulations and laws spell this out, I'd like to know - what do YOU consider to be a veteran, especially in the context of Veteran's Day?</p>
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History (Major)
Posted 12 y ago
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Being a vet is anyone that served and did what ever it was they were needed to do. Some people feel that only those who "saw" combat but what about everyone else. Whether deployed or state-side, fighting on the fore front or saying in the Air Base, we all have our duties that help everyone else able to complete thier mission. Medical, home or deployed help the wounded to try an attempt to ensure they can have another day or at the very least care for thier families back home. Military Police/Security Forces protect our bases in the deployed setting and at home. They also protect the resources that are not movable such as ICBMs and the equippment we have to ship down range. No one has the right to saw th a t your not a vet just because you have not "seen" combat. I know many that wanted to deply but were told "No, you're needed more here". I have also seen people return from deployment and thank anyone that helped thier family state-side for cating for thier family shile they we gone. Some even said that because zome of our jobs needed us here for thier family, they did not have to worry about thier fsmilies safety. Sorry I went off on a tangent. BL: You signed that dotted line, you did what whatever you we told to do, you are a Veteran.
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I have commented on this a couple times now SPC Donald Moore. The bottom line is that once you've worn the uniform, you are a veteran. PERIOD. And, to my knowledge, there is no such thing as one veteran being "more veteran" than another.
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MSgt (Join to see)
I agree 100% with the GySgt. Once you have worn the uniform you are a VETERAN. Yes, there are Combat Veterans out there as well.
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MAJ Steven Szymurski
Actually Congress has defined Veteran for Veteran Benefits in 38 U.S Code Subsection 101 as The term "veteran" means a person who served in the active military, naval or air service, and who was discharge or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable. This definition is used to determine who is eligible for VA benefits thus the reference to type discharge requirement.
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This is quite a subject, but if you served this country Honorably you are a Veteran. Because weather you deployed or not, you took part in the action to SUPPORT and DEFEND. I have deployed 8 times but could never consider myself more or less of a veteran because of what others who also served with Honor have done.
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Ask any veteran who supplied other veterans with food, mail or some other kind of relevant support and they are considered veterans. Maybe not combat type, but do away with Air Traffic Controllers, Weather Forecasters and Base Operations, notams, pireps or radar weather reports.
I told one veteran of 30 plus years that I am not combat and he told me, that my skill is very crucial. And honesty, I would be deferential to a combat person myself. Army personnel on bivouacs or as I mentioned earlier, the cook. The supply clerks and their socks and boots, it goes on and on.
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I do believe that there is one qualification that is important. A veteran is anyone who has served (past tense) in the military honorably. To be discharged dishonorably precludes the honor of being called a veteran.
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My father served 12 years honorably in a time of peace -- Never deployed. He's still a veteran in my book.
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SPC Mark Nussbaum
I never agree with Marines cause rarely do they make sense to the Army guys..... but the above is the truth.... Everyone is fighting over "Who is more veteran" when really its about Whos a veteran and who is a civilian that did not take the oath and put on a uniform.... Deployments are not up to the individual soldier, its kinda like a casino either you are in a unit that's deploying or you are not. Some soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines signed up knowing I could deploy and I could be shot and killed yet that didn't discourage them from taking the oath. I didn't sign up to deploy, I signed up to serve my country because a lot of people wont sign up during war time because they will go to war imagine that and for the educational benefits.
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i was always told a veteran was someone who joined the service in a time of war. but then that would leave out all the drafters out there, so i would assume a veteran is anyone who has served in the military regardless of how long and for what reasons, knowing the consequences of what could happen if and when deployed and still signing up is enough for me
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SGT James Mitchell
SGT Redman, when I went through basic training it was stated that a veteran is someone who has served more than 6 consecutive months in any military service regardless of when they joined.
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To say this kind of attitude bothers me is an understatement. Typically comments like that are aimed at getting more views/likes/traffic so I write them off. On here, it's pathetic. A Veteran wrote a blank check to the USA, payable up to and including his life, and signed it. I have a C.A.R. but that doesn't make me any better or "more" of a Veteran than any other service member who served on Active Duty.
People that say these things, they are looking for attention. Don't give them the satisfaction.
S/F
People that say these things, they are looking for attention. Don't give them the satisfaction.
S/F
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A veteran is anyone that served in the Armed forces. I believe there can be classification like Disabled, Vietnam, DS, Afgan or wherever you have been in combat but it still goes back to, if you served you are a Vet.
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