I spent 4 years in USAF (2x331b) and have honorable discharge hanging on my wall. That being said my 4 years can not compare to people that give their whole life protecting this country. I generally reserve "Veteran Status" to people that have served for much longer then my 4 short years. My question is as follows... Does serving 4 years qualify you as a Veteran? Thanks Dave
frefoo, Yes you are a veteran and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Thank you for your service. JD.
I was drafted in '63 and spent less than 4 years on active duty with time in a hostile environment. Yes, I consider myself a VET and you sir are a VET also. grizz
Qualify for what? To get 5 points under Civil Service, you need to be in 3 years. To join American Legion requires 1 day during a listed campaign. To join VFW requires service in a CZ. etc. Here is a chart for campaigns: Veteran is a person who holds an honorable discharge from active military or naval service of the United States and who served during the time periods shown in the chart below: WAR ERA SERVICE DATES World War II September 16, 1940 to December 31, 1946 Korean Conflict June 23, 1950 to January 31, 1955 Lebanon Crisis July 1, 1958 to November 1, 1958 Vietnam Conflict December 31, 1960 to May 7, 1975 Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission September 26, 1982 to December 1, 1987 Grenada Peacekeeping Mission October 23, 1983 to November 21, 1983 Panama Peacekeeping Mission December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990 Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm August 2, 1990 to the present Operation Restore Hope in Somalia December 5, 1992 to March 31, 1994 Operations Joint Endeavor/Joint Guard-Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina November 20, 1995 to present Operation Enduring Freedom September 11, 2001 to present Operation Iraqi Freedom March 23, 2003 to present
I know this is an old thread but I am interested where you got your information from RenegadeGlocker. Are you really claiming that unless you served in one of these campaigns and you received an honorable discharge you are not a veteran? I participated in United Shield 19950208 to 199950306(Somalia) as per my DD214. Does this mean I am not a veteran since it is not on your list? I hope Illinois doesn't find out I am not a veteran after almost twelve years of service because the state is about to pay for my education as per the Illinois Veterans Grant.
Glocks&Ducs, I think the campaigns listed were specifically aimed at the line above. Those campaigns are the requirements for membership into the VFW, not to be a veteran. I don't think he was demaning your service at all, you were a vet 1 day after boot camp and at discharge. You earned those benies, use with pride. I know I am using mine. The University of North Texas is happy to take my government money.
jwalk I was not and am not offended by renegades post. I simply meant to point out that based on his reply the definition of a veteran is incorrect. If it is true that his list only encompassed the requirements for joining the VFW, he is still incorrect. The campaign I listed is included in the official VFW webpage. It is not on his list. I was just a little surprised that the last post was renegades and it seemed to imply that freefoo and many of the other posters were not veterans.
As I said before "Qualify for what?" Different groups have different requirements. VFW, Civil Service, VA benefits, all have different requirements to determine eligibility. I make no claims, it is not my list, I just provided the info I found on the web. That is a list of common campaigns to which veteran status is recognized. If you have questions about your legal veteran status, you should call the VA.
Don't need to rifle any feathers. Officialy a Veteran is an individual who spent at leat 180 days on active duty. "I" think anyone who serves their country to be a Veteran, however,some Guard and Reserve members (All veterans in my book) have only basic and advanced training not totaling six months of "Active" Duty) According to the department of Veterans Affairs they do not qualify then as Veterans until they do. Example George Bush was a Guard Pilot, BUT, he spent more than a year in training.............Veterans status, but some one who went to a 2 mo basic and 2 mo tech school only spends 120 days, and until re activated their time in the guard/reserves doesnt count to veterans status. ****ty rules I agree, but thats the law. Don't believe me call 1-800-827-1000 and ask the VA.
Even if someone was lucky enough, to not have to serve in a hostile enviroment. Just by being in the Armed Forces, you knew the possibility was always there, as long as you wore the uniform. Thanks for your service! ;f
Of course it does.....I did 2 years drafted and Im a vet my son is doing his last 6 mths in the Marines and he also is a vet...
... as long as their discharge was not a Dishonorable Discharge, Bad-Conduct Discharge or under Other Than Honorable Conditions.
Are you sure about that? If I am not mistaken, you are still a veteran, you just don't rate many of the benefits that an honorably discharged veteran does. Did you know that if you get kicked out for doing drugs after your first enlistment you can still use your GI bill?
