Who is a veteran?

[ColonelJack]

Question for the forum.  This is not a flame or an attempt to start WWIII.  Does anyone know what the requirements for veteran status are?  I think they are different than for prior service.  There are those that may have served that may not be veteran status if I am correct.  I believe that there are certain dates that apply and times on active duty.  Does anyone know the cite to the requirements for Vet status or where to look?  Thank you.   

I read the VA definition and all the others, but to me, the definition of a veteran is simple:

You served in the armed forces of this country ... you're a veteran.

Jack

[Stonewall]

Question for the forum.  This is not a flame or an attempt to start WWIII.  Does anyone know what the requirements for veteran status are?  I think they are different than for prior service.  There are those that may have served that may not be veteran status if I am correct.  I believe that there are certain dates that apply and times on active duty.  Does anyone know the cite to the requirements for Vet status or where to look?  Thank you.   

From the USA Jobs (OPM) website for being labled as a "Veteran" for hiring practices...

Veterans' Employment Opportunity Act Eligible
You are eligible for this hiring category if you are a preference eligible or a veteran who separated from the Armed Forces under honorable conditions after substantially completing an initial 3-year term of active service.

Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA): You may be eligible for this appointing authority if you are

disabled veteran; or,

veteran who served on active duty in the Armed Forces during a war or in a campaign or expedition for which you received an authorized campaign or expedition badge or medal; or,

veteran who, while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces, participated in a United States military operation for which you were awarded an Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM); or,

veteran who have separated from active service within the last three years.

So, for instance, as I read it, if you are in the Reserves or National Guard, unless you are called up to serve in a campaign or called to active duty for which the Armed Forces Service medal is awarded, you aren't, by definition, a "Veteran".

My wife has only served in the Air National Guard.  When applying for a federal job, they did not award her "veterans preferance" status even though she has been in the guard for 4 years.  Basic training and tech school (or AIT) does not count as "being on active duty".

[Stonewall]

But what  does make it boil is the lack of mention of the men and women who go into the Bering Sea in a helicopter at night , mid winter in 50 knot winds and 30 ft seas. What about the men and women who brave the Columbia River Bar in a 47 ft vessel? What about the men and women who on a daily basis go into harm's way and never once hear an gunshot or face an IED, but instead face all that mother nature has to throw at them? Please don't forget us, The United States Coast Guard.

What about those folks?  While they may rarely be identified by job title or specific operation, no one thinks less of them nor do they specifically grant them lesser respect.  They are just as much veterans as the 5 year POW, the wrench turner, the PJ, the combat infantryman or the fighter pilot.  "Veteran" does not just mean "the person seen on CNN getting shot at", it encompasses all those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether it be on an Ice Breaker in the Bering Sea, in a nuclear submarine (out of site, out of mind) or at the forefront taking the battle to the enemy.

No one should get their panties in a bunch because they weren't mentioned by name. 

We have a USCG station down the street from my house and adjacent to the Navy base.  Those guys work their butts off and we often call them for support in LE situations where our boats need back-up or better gear than we have readily available.  Like all veterans, the veterans of the Coast Guard are equally respected.

[Short Field]

You will find Coasties scattered around the world on USN warships.  They provide a "Law Enforcement" role that the USN cannot do.  When a USN ship boards a "suspect" ship in the Persian Gulf, there is usually a coastie on the boarding team.

Ages ago you had to serve at least 180 days active duty to start getting any GI bill benefits.

[Stonewall]

These days they have VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seize) teams that do that stuff.  Not saying the Coasties don't do it anymore, just saying it's a big deal now in the Navy.  They have one of the schools here in Jacksonville, FL.

Oct 22 2005
By Journalist 3rd Class John Michael Cokos
The Naval Support Activity Norfolk Annex in Chesapeake, Va., was host to a pilot course now known as The Non-Compliant Boarding Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (NCB VBSS) course.

With the NCB VBSS course, Sailors train under a tougher, more in-depth training course to carry out maritime boarding missions.

"A lot has changed over the years," said Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMNAVSURFLANT) Global War on Terrorism Action Officer Lt. Cmdr. Ray Hartman. "The Navy has re-focused the VBSS course to meet those changes and make the Naval Surface Force more flexible and efficient."

VBSS teams are used to board suspicious vessels that may be trafficking drugs or harboring terrorists. In the past, a VBSS team member could expect to complete a basic two-week course on boarding and searching compliant vessels. If a vessel appeared to be non-compliant or hostile, the Navy used special operations forces for the job.

The revised basic course is eight weeks long and trains non-special operations Sailors how to gain control of a ship that becomes hostile after boarding.

"VBSS teams under the new program are not specifically designed to board vessels that are obviously hostile and opposed to a boarding," said Hartman. "But you can't always turn around and go back if a vessel's crew becomes hostile, so our Sailors will be ready to regain control when necessary."

One of the main focuses of the training is teaching Sailors how to safely board and search cargo vessels with proper climbing and rappelling methods.

The new course also incorporates a wide range of special operations maneuvering collected from all branches of the service. Sailors learn the basics of long gun control and small arms handling. Training also includes day and night defensive tactics, mission planning, shipboard team close quarters combat (CQC), and insertion and extraction techniques.

At one stage of training, Sailors board a three-story training vessel, known as the "Ship in a Box." Inside the square building is a Hollywood-style set of a foreign merchant vessel with the sights, sounds and even smells of a real vessel. Instructors can include pop-up targets and program a number of added problems and distractions during training to add realism.

In a final segment of training, Sailors actually board a vessel both at night and during the day to hone their skills.

The program is mentally and physically demanding and is not for everyone, one NCB VBSS instructor said. Physical preparation is necessary, and commands are urged to take under consideration the importance of physical fitness and discipline when choosing Sailors to attend the training.

"Sailors who have graduated the course are now deployed on ships throughout the fleet with VBSS teams," said Hartman. "We are in constant communication with those commands to monitor the effectiveness of the training and the need for revisions."

The course began in Chesapeake and is also offered at the Centers for Anti-Terrorism and Navy Security Forces in Mayport, Fla., Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and San Diego.

[JC004]

"Journalist 3rd Class"?  Civilian journalists should have those designations.   

[Short Field]

These days they have VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seize) teams that do that stuff. 

While the USN has the ability to board and search ships, the USCG member of the boarding team is a Law Enforcement Officer.   Coast Guard personnel are authorized by 14 USC 89 to enforce federal law on waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction and in international waters.  That makes boarding and seizing an Iranian ship carring counterband a civil law enforcement issue and not an act of war.

[floridacyclist]

2 yrs Army (44B), 4 yrs AF (811X0). Spent more time crawling around in the mud in the AF than I ever dreamed of in the Army.

Cop = 3 letter AF acronym for Infantry.

[JohnKachenmeister]

"Journalist 3rd Class"?  Civilian journalists should have those designations.   

You are scaring all the Marines I treated when I was a "Hospital Corpsman Third Class!"

[JC004]

"Journalist 3rd Class"?  Civilian journalists should have those designations.   

You are scaring all the Marines I treated when I was a "Hospital Corpsman Third Class!"

opps!   

[PORed]

I have been in the USCG for less than 4 years and recently made Operations Specialist 2nd class (E-5), soon to be switching to Intel Specialist 2nd Class. Places I have been stationed at USCG Headquarters in Washington D.C. and now Coast Guard Sector Northern New England in Portland, ME.

[sandman]

CA National Guard: 1984-1985
Regular Army:         1985-1994
Army Reserve:        1997-1999
USPHS:                   2000-2000
US Navy:                 2000-Present
(Returning to USPHS: Nov 2008 )
CAP:                        1992-Present

[Carl C]

Corpsman
USN (submarines) 71-79
USNR (FMF) 79-81

[Trung Si Ma]

:angel:
Wow some of you guys served when they still carried WOODEN Rifles.

I think Bosshawk may have still had 03 Springfields around

The foreign weapons course at Camp McCall had lots of wooden rifles, but we only carried them to the firing points and the cleaning tables.

When I was assigned to Korea in the late 80's, I carried an M-14 because no one else in the unit (including the armorer) knew how to tear it apart.  It was stored in the same wall locker as our G/VLLDs and I found it when I did my first inventory of the ones for my COLTs.  It had magazines (20+) but I had to de-link 7.62 MG ammo to get my basic and combat loads.  Had a friend at Bragg send me some '68 LC NM and had a blast with it.  Sure got some interesting looks from the ROKs when I got out of the HMMWV with it.

[Trung Si Ma]

All of the CAP NCOs.

[mikeylikey]

^ Nice!   

[Stonewall]

I think it's pretty interesting to learn how the number of Army and Air Force vets are neck and neck.  You'd think there would be a majority of Air Force vets in CAP. 

Also, the number of vets with a campaign medal goes to show that if you join the military, chances are you're gonna find yourself earning some hostile fire pay.

[stillamarine]

These days they have VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seize) teams that do that stuff. 

While the USN has the ability to board and search ships, the USCG member of the boarding team is a Law Enforcement Officer.   Coast Guard personnel are authorized by 14 USC 89 to enforce federal law on waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction and in international waters.  That makes boarding and seizing an Iranian ship carring counterband a civil law enforcement issue and not an act of war.

I'm sure within US waters USN ships have a CG member on them for VBSS, but when I served on a VBSS team on our ship in the Med I don't remember and Coasties on board.