re: Raise your hand if you thought a veteran was a person

I was today years old when I found out that Reservists and National Guard members are not considered veterans unless they been activated for federal duty for at least 24 months, called to special active duty for other than training, or have completed 20 years of service.

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Yes, reservists can be considered veterans, but eligibility for veteran status depends on meeting specific service requirements like completing a minimum of 24 months of active federal duty or fulfilling 20 years of service in the National Guard or Reserves. Reservists who were called to active federal duty for a purpose other than training are also considered veterans, provided they received an honorable or "other than dishonorable" discharge.

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IOW, someone who joined the Guard simply for free college and was not mobilized to federal active duty isn't considered a veteran.

Disclaimer: I think this is what qualifies for a veteran as far as the VA is concerned.

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was just listening to an old vet tonight talk about these guys that claim to be nam vets but not any stepped a foot in country.

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The government caused this. They give preference in hiring, etc and there were (maybe still are? Although this guys are getting up in age these days) benefits accorded to those who served during the Vietnam war. Anyone who served during that time is designated a “Vietnam Era Veteran” regardless of they were in country, providing support from elsewhere in Asia, or comfortable stateside.

My dad served and provided communication support from Thailand during Vietnam. He never would have dared claim to be a “Vietnam Veteran” in conversation or any public forum. But he did check the boxes for “Vietnam Era Veteran” when it was an option for him. He didnt (fortunately) have to go in country but he was close enough to not be comfortable and he still had to deal with the social issues around being in the military during Vietnam when he came back stateside.

He always worked in Top Secret areas and could not talk about his work. I never knew exactly what he did, only that it was all about communications. He wasn’t an analyst or language expert or anything like that. He was a technical guy. Only after his death a few years ago going through some of his papers did I find a clue as to what sort of work he was doing, and even then it wasn’t much. There was a performance review where he was commended for his work leading the team making sure that AF1 communications were operable. He never was anywhere near DC, so closest I can imagine is one of the AF1 planes was flown to them so they could do their thing. I do recall him being offered a position attached to the presidents detail, I presume to travel with AF1 and make sure things were operational.

I also found out years later that a base we were at in England was a CIA listening post. I never knew that when we were there. So I guess he was working with the spooks as well. I wish he would have told me some of those stories. Even as he got older he never wanted to speak of them.

Well, the Veterans Administration (as an example) serves:

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anyone who was in the military at any point

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So I would assume most people aren’t raising their hands here.

As someone who never served, I’m not sure I’m in a position to split hairs here even if I felt inclined to (and I don’t, service is service to me).

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Anyone who served during that time is designated a “Vietnam Era Veteran” regardless of they were in country, providing support from elsewhere in Asia, or comfortable stateside.

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Yep. I had a relative who was in the Air Force in the Vietnam Era. He spent his entire term doing mechanical work in Delaware, but when he got older it helped with some VA services that he served during that era.

Just because the US wasn't at war when we served doesn't make us any less of a veteran than anyone else.

If you were in the Navy serving aboard a ship in the Tonkin Gulf, you are considered a Viet Nam combat veteran. That body of water was in the war zone. You may not have been feet dry, but you were every bit a Viet Nam vet.

You dumb, stupid, or dumb?

I was in Navy boot right out of High School and graduated Boot, but had an issue that failed me on the physical part - ended up with a discharge. have family members telling me i need to apply for VA benefits, but I never served and have integrity to not do something like that.

to me someone doing something like that is a slap to the face of people that actually served and needs the benefits - like my Dad and FIL who both served in the Navy.

it is my opinion, obviously.

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I was today years old when I found out that Reservists and National Guard members are not considered veterans unless they been activated for federal duty for at least 24 months, called to special active duty for other than training, or have completed 20 years of service.

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I fall under this and do not consider myself a vet even though I was in during war time, I never set foot in any active zone.

but vet status for a reservist is 180 consecutive days of federal mobilization orders with the caveat if you have and attend drill during that time, it resets the clock. also 20 years qualifies you or if you are injured in the line of duty causing separation from the service. But if you are discharged for dishonorable, none of them count.

i mean...wouldnt really be right to not consider someone a vet because they got shot in the arse first day in country.

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I was in Navy boot right out of High School and graduated Boot, but had an issue that failed me on the physical part - ended up with a discharge. have family members telling me i need to apply for VA benefits, but I never served and have integrity to not do something like that.

to me someone doing something like that is a slap to the face of people that actually served and needs the benefits - like my Dad and FIL who both served in the Navy.

it is my opinion, obviously.

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this is how i feel too. I mean i served and volunteered a couple times for active duty but i never stepped foot in an active zone. IMO its a slap in the face to others that did. I cringe when people call me a vet and i never claim to be nor stand at like school events for my kids etc even though my boys always ask me to. but i am not a vet under the guidelines, period.