Anyone who served is a veteran.

Graduate from basic entry training is the official definition.

Yup, anyone who served. Just two ******bags if it was meant in a serious manner. Internally, there is usually some sort of pecking order of deployed vs nondeployed. But that is also a circumstance of the times as well of course. I met some infantry Marines in school that had never fired or even heard a shot in anger which blew my mind. Had to stop and realize that my wars were done and over with and the new guys that came afterwards simply had no "opportunity" to do so. While I was in though, we called new guys "boots" and a combat deployment was generally considered the point of change. It was a derogatory term but no malice behind it.

A few carried that afterwards into civilian life it looks like and nothing is more cringe than that IMO. I am biased though to some extent. I generally can't stand most of the veteran scene these days.

CenterHillAg said:

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I was enlisted in the Guard but never deployed, got to my unit a few months after they deployed and we never deployed again before I got out. I don't refer to myself as a veteran, check the box on paperwork, get discounts, etc. I suppose I qualify according to what CT'97 said is the definition, but I wouldn't feel comfortable.

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You wore the uniform and were willing to put yourself at risk in your country's service. You're a veteran.

I was a Navy Reservist for six years and sort of felt the same way you did. I embraced it more after my dad got irritated that I didn't stand when they recognized veterans during my graduation at A&M. He served 20+ in the Army, including a combat tour as a slick pilot in Vietnam, so I figured if he was okay with me being a veteran, then I was, too.

I was in the Marine Corps reserve from 1962 to 1968. Never went anyplace outside the United States. I became eligible for a VA loan about 10 years ago. Does this make me a"veteran?"

Like other have said, if you served you are a veteran. Active, Reserve, Guard, GWOT, Cold War etc…..can't choose what's happening in the world at the time you served, but you were willing and ready to do what was needed if you were called.

I agree with the others, you served you are a veteran.

Did it look like the two guys were berating a stranger or do you think they were together in a group?

I can only imagine what a stranger may think if they overheard some of the nonsense me and some of my veteran buddies say to each other. Depending on the moment they would think we hated each other.

In reality its just the opposite. I would have never transitioned to civilian life successfully without my other veteran friends (and we didn't meet until I got out).

I agree with the poster above - depends when you walked into the conversation. Couple of people talking crap to each other in good fun can sound nasty and mean to an outsider. Everyone wants to sound like they won the war by themselves. I know I joke with my customers that are ex military as I am as well. Some of it is pretty funny and most is eye rolling.

I was a groundpounder 11bravo infantry in the army and was asked all in good fun by my marine buddy if I knew what a truck even looked like after he was joking I was so low on totem pole for recieving any transportation in my military career hence the name groundpounder. I told him no I don't as we trusted in our lpc's helping us get there. He asked what that was as he wasn't familiar and I told him our leather personnel carriers lpc and showed him my shoes.

He laughed long and hard about that one.

Lots of veterans who never "served tours" yet were standing face to face with the enemy everyday. Sometimes much more dangerous than on huge FOBs in Iraq or Afghanistan where veterans who "served tours" Fobbets never left the wire.

Good friend who in the Army in the 1970's could have been made a HERO in the blink of an eye in such places as West Berlin, the Fulda Gap and the Korean DMZ. Same for another one who was in the Air Force stationed in Germany in Germany.

My childhood best friend and 1984 Naval Academy grad (P-3 pilot) played hide and seek with Soviet subs and Soviet fighters in the Northwest Pacific yet was never in a war zone. Those are deadly serious encounters.

All of my outfit Corps Buddies who were "O"s in the Navy from the mid '80's to just this past year (now retired two star admiral) They are all veterans yet none of them ever stopped foot in a war zone. The Arabian Gulf was just as "hot".

As a civilian, if you wear the uniform and swear to defend me, family and my country you are a Veteran.

That's my status. I could join the American Legion, but not the VFW. I spent two long lonely years keeping Oklahoma safe for democracy.

Non-vet here. But this thread makes me think that Texags should make a vet tag available for those members who submit a DD214, to be displayed alongside all the Ag, TMF, doctor and other tags on postings. I'll let someone more qualified decide what the symbol should be.

Once you start gatekeeping Vet status it is a never ending race.

- Active vs Guard/Reserve
- Deployed vs never deployed
- Kuwait/Qatar vs "real" deployments
- Mega-FOBs vs outposts & patrolling
- Combat Arms vs CS/CSS
- Infantry vs Armor/FA/AV
- Ranger Rgt vs Infantry
- Delta vs Ranger Rgt

There is no end of pecking orders.