DEFINITION OF A VETERAN
A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve -
is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check
made payable to The 'United States of America', for an amount of 'up to
and including my life."
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no
longer understand it.
- Author Unknown
I believe this to be so true.
2007-12-17 17:42:06 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
I was regular Army in Viet Nam and server 1965 to 1968 and three more years in the reserves. My feeling at that time was Guard and Reserves were just playing patriotic while dodging the draft. Today that is different. It no longer excludes them from combat duty.
I got wounded, but that was 41 years ago. All that past history. I've done other things with my life since and feel better about those. I volunteer at the VA and as a reserve sheriffs officer I see them homeless under bridges and camping in the woods. I am truly saddened by the way veterans are neglected after they return. And that has been consistantly worse since WWII. The VA is great on medical care (depending on location, mobile vets exhaust resources at some hospitals) But so little is done for jobs, housing and all the other important things. As for PTSD. I have closely studied it. It seems PTSD hits hardest about 20 years after the event. That was the case with WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. I expect the same with this one. Once the government rewarded veterans with land grants, free hunting and fising and tax amesty. No more. Just the GI education that is inferior to that of WWII, Korea and Viet Nam and the home loans which are cheaper to obtain from conventional loans. I even get to pay $6 per prescription for medications related to being wounded in 1967. Welfare if I went on that would charge me $3. So, I'm not real happy about how the government itself treats vets. They simply lie about all they're doing for them
2007-12-17 18:21:48 · answer #1 · answered by genghis1947 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You can apply any definition you want. The VA will treat someone as a vet if they have served 180 days on active duty. Note that your definition would exclude special ops folks who operate covertly in areas in which there is no war, such as in the drug areas of South America, as well as most career military folks who never hear a shot fired in anger. If you are limiting your definition to ground pounders who carry a rifle for a living you have a pretty narrow view of how the military operates. Of the thousands of people who have served on an aircraft carrier, would you only include the pilots who fly into a combat zone, or all of those that keep the ship operating as a weapons system?
2016-04-10 05:29:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In this country when the word veteran is used it's describing someone who has served in the armed forces. We all owe a huge debt to these veterans. God bless each and every one of them.
2007-12-17 17:53:48 · answer #3 · answered by RandomAct 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who is experienced in a particular area, and is particularly used in Russia and the United States to refer to people with experience in the armed forces or law enforcement.
2007-12-17 17:53:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It has always been my understanding that someone is a veteran once they have deployed overseas supporting or "fighting" in a hostile enviroment.
However, once you sign up in the service, you are volunteering for that specific duty. In my eyes that makes you a vet.
2007-12-17 17:52:56 · answer #5 · answered by Gregory G 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Someone who served in the military and was honorably discharged.
Combat or not it doesnt matter unless you specify Combat veteran.
But I do like what you put as a definition
2007-12-17 18:17:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Most who answered were a little off. A Veteran is a discharged service member who served during a war.
Sandra
2007-12-17 18:28:57 · answer #7 · answered by Sandra 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Someone who has served their country in the Armed forces honorably.
2007-12-17 17:45:47 · answer #8 · answered by scott000000021 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
well, some parts of the government, say you are only a VET after serving 2 years in the military..
as for me, i'm a VET...served 7 years in active duty 0311, got my first honorable discharge after my first four..then re-enlisted..got out after 3 years with an O.T.H...no g.i. bill for me...no parade, not even a hand shake..does that make me not a "vet"?
2007-12-17 18:43:37 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Somebody who has served their country's military with honor.
2007-12-17 17:52:34 · answer #10 · answered by Rabbit 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋