Title "Veteran" only applies to active duty service?

[USNAviator]

Picked this up from the Marine Corps Times. I never knew this existed

House OKs calling more Reserve retirees vets

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 29, 2010 18:21:49 EDT

National Guard and Reserve retirees who never saw extended military service are halfway to being able to call themselves veterans.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives approved by voice vote a bill, HR 3787, that gives Guard and Reserve retirees the privilege of being called veterans — an honor currently denied them because the legal definition of “veteran” applies only to those who served on active duty.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where its fate is unclear. There is no controversy about the measure, but senators may feel no pressing need to act because this is a largely symbolic measure, Senate aides said.

Rep. Timothy Walz, D-Minn., a retired Army National Guard command sergeant major whose service does qualify him to be called a veteran, said no new benefits would result from enactment of the Honor America’s Guard Reserve Retirees Act.

“Under current law, if members of the Reserve component have not served a qualifying period of federal active duty, there is one honor that we do not bestow upon them: We do not give them the right to call themselves veterans of the armed forces,” he said. “I believe that this oversight does a disservice to those who, like their counterparts in the active-duty component, volunteered to serve their country and made themselves liable for activation at any time.”

The honor that goes with the bill includes being able to march in veterans’ parades, salute when the Star Spangled Banner is played, and be recognized as a veteran by other veterans, Walz said.

The one limitation in his bill is that without active service, a Guard or Reserve member would be considered a veteran only if he completed 20 years or more of service and is retirement eligible or receiving military retired pay. Someone who briefly served in the Guard or Reserve but did not serve on active duty, other that basic training and annual training, and who did not service a minimum of 20 years would still not be considered a veteran.

[usmc3521]

F*cking stupid. We all went through the same boot camp and many many reserve units deploy as much as active components. So the 20+ reserve Marines killed in action from 3/25 in ohio are not considered veterans? Sorry in my book if you served reserve or active and served honorably you are a veteran.

[RYDERKUR]

F*cking stupid. We all went through the same boot camp and many many reserve units deploy as much as active components. So the 20+ reserve Marines killed in action from 3/25 in ohio are not considered veterans? Sorry in my book if you served reserve or active and served honorably you are a veteran.

The impression I got from the article is that anyone who didn't mobilize while a Guardsman/Reservist isn't currently considered a veteran and if this bill passes, those who only do the standard 4 or 6 year contract and don't mobilize will still not be considered veterans, but those who retire out of the Guards/Reserve will be considered a veteran. Does that kind of help? Stupid, yes, but I'm just trying to clear the article up for you.

[slug]

reserves who never activate do not know jack **** about this Corps.

[usmc3521]

yes, they know nothing..........you must be the smartest mother f*cker I have ever met in my life, think Ill fill me syringe with heroin now....

[Zulu 36]

reserves who never activate do not know jack **** about this Corps.

You have a whole two-years in the Corps, and no recorded pumps, and now you know everything about it?

[josephd]

I am a reservist and actually agree with this to a certain extent. If you spend x amount of years with a unit reserve or active does not give the you right to call yourself a veteran. The term veteran implies you have been on a deployment at sea or in foreign soils.

Kind of goes along with VFW posts, technically you had to of been on deployment on foreign land in order to rate being a VFW member. Hence the term Veteran of FOREIGN Wars.

[usmc3521]

2 years and 6 months to be exact there, killer. Not by my choice either, its all good though I got my revenge, paperwork changed and re upped for 4 more years. Yes, I do know a **** ton about the Marine Corps so if you would like me to fill you in on what the Marine Corps is like since you have been out since 1812 just let me know. S/F

PS dont get your panty ina wrinkle either, Im just messing with ya. Kind of on the war path tonight!

[Backhaus 1103]

On the other hand, do active duty Marines that never deploy rate being called a "veteran"?

[usmc3521]

yeah thats BS... Reserve or active should be either way.

[sparkie]

I grew up thinkin veteran was a veteran of a war. Silly me.

[Backhaus 1103]

I grew up thinkin veteran was a veteran of a war. Silly me.

That's what I thought.

[usmc3521]

yeah, looking back sparkie thats how vets were looked at (ie nam, Korea ww 2 etc) I think now since 9/11 the whole veteran thing was blanketed to all serving by the general public

[USNAviator]

2 years and 6 months to be exact there, killer. Not by my choice either, its all good though I got my revenge, paperwork changed and re upped for 4 more years. Yes, I do know a **** ton about the Marine Corps so if you would like me to fill you in on what the Marine Corps is like since you have been out since 1812 just let me know. S/F

PS dont get your panty ina wrinkle either, Im just messing with ya. Kind of on the war path tonight!

Kris

Remember your posts from a few months ago. Did you get everything cleared up? If so outstanding

Dan

[usmc3521]

yep I am good to go brother! All my waivers approved just waiting till the first!

Im 1/24 H&S Co's newest member in just a couple weeks!