Is there a specific definition of “veteran” that only includes those who were in combat? Or do non-combat roles, such as engineers, nurses, and radio operators, also qualify as “veterans”?

35 comments

  3. If you served in the military you are classified as a veteran.

    To be classified as a combat veteran you just have to be in a combat theater and/or a place where you receive hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay. Your specific role doesn’t really matter beyond that.

  4. Yes. I’ll even go one further. My dad served in the army towards the end of the Korean War but he never left the US.

    He’s buried in a national cemetery and his headstone says “Korean”*.

    * I think that was automatic. If he had a say I don’t think he would have wanted that.

  5. Even a military member who has never deployed is a veteran after their service ends, although unless they get booted out early, either for medical or disciplinary reasons, finding a recent veteran who has never deployed is likely rare these days

  6. As long as you served time in the military, you’re a veteran. Most of the veterans I know personally never saw any action

  7. yeah ofc. im pretty sure i saw a number that said like only 18% of the military was actual combat roles while the rest was literally everything else. would be unfair to not qualify as a vet even though youre the main reason the military is still functioning lol

  8. Veteran is any former member of the military.

    You will sometimes see mention of somebody being a ‘combat veteran.’ This implies they fought directly in combat. ‘Combat troops.’ ‘Combat fighter pilot.’ Etc.

  12. Yes. In WWII, for every front-line soldier, there were 5 or 6 behind them making sure they were supplied. US Logisitics is amazing.

  13. Yes. There is a distinction between veterans at large and the smaller population of combat vets but it’s not going to come up as much on like… News level stuff. Nor is anyone going to quiz a vet about the nature of their service for like… A military discount or some other day to day thing like that.

  14. Everyone who was/is in the military is considered a veteran. This includes my friend who spent time in the Marine Reserves driving trucks who received a medical discharge and still insists everybody needs to thank him for his service.

  16. Yes. “Combat veteran” is a term, but everyone sent through the PTSD machine deserves all the respect they get for what the government has used them for.

  18. Yes, anyone who served is considered a veteran. You do occasionally see people downplaying the thank the troops thing by saying something like “ don’t thank me, all I did was scrub toilets on a ship.”

  21. Yes.

    A “veteran” is *anyone* who served in the Armed Forces. Some may limit it to anyone who served with an Honorable discharge or who received a discharge other than Dishonorable (the worst, only given through a conviction at court-martial equivalent to a felony).

    It doesn’t matter your branch of service or what your job was in the military. An infantryman is as much a veteran as a medic or a or supply clerk. Former Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, even Guardians, are all veterans.

    For very specific legal purposes of some Federal benefits there are sometimes some more narrow definitions, but for most purposes in society anyone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces is a veteran, except *maybe* those who were kicked out pursuant to court-martial with a Dishonorable Discharge.

  22. Pretty much 95% of people in the military just paint ladders and move shit from one end of the base to the other end of the base for 4 years. They’re veterans.

  23. If you were in the military and came back alive, you’re a veteran. It’s as simple as that.

  25. Yes absolutely. A veteran is someone who served in the military, regardless of what their position was or whether they saw combat.

  26. Any military service. I’ve known people who claim veteran status for discounts, etc.. even though they got medically discharged within 48 hours of reporting to basic training.

  28. Everyone who served in the military but is doing so no longer is referred to as a military veteran, regardless of role.

  29. Literally anyone who dawned a uniform is a vet. They literally get the same base qualifications to be considered a veteran. Why would anyone debate this?

  30. Most veterans do not see combat. If I recall correctly, just a small percentage (like 10-15%) see combat. And that is okay. They still served and are still veterans.

  31. The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

  32. Anyone who wore the uniform and was honorably discharged is a veteran. Those is a distinction between “veteran” and “combat veteran” but for paperwork purposes they are functionally the same.

  33. Yes. Legally a veteran is anyone who has served at least one day active duty.

    Anyone who served in a combat zone is a combat veteran

  35. Yes, any military member who served honorably is considered a veteran. You don’t even have to retire. You just have to finish your term. The thing about war is that those fighting on the front lines still need logistics. Without said engineers, nurses, and radio operators a military would be weak and incapable of winning a conflict.

    I was a Surgical Technician in the USAF. I might not have ever deployed but I helped my surgeons treat many who came back from war. I’m not any less of a veteran because of that. The military used me where it needed me.

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