Question: If someone is actively serving, and have been serving for some time, are they a “veteran”? Or are they only considered a veteran after they have retired.
Also - if someone is in/ has served in the National Guard- are they a veteran? What if they are in a foreign National Guard (Canada)?
Depends on who is defining it. The Veteran’s Administration considers a veteran to be someone who has completed service, not just by retirement, but, by fulfilling the military obligation.
But, the more common definition of veteran is:
A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning “old”) is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of …" .
This page refers to military veterans, i.e., a person who has served or is serving in the armed forces. Those veterans that have had direct exposure to acts of military conflict may also be referred to as war veterans (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat takes place, are necessarily referred to as wars).
Yes, National Guard and Reserve service does “count.” Regarding foreign service, the VA definition would be no, but, the common, regularly used definition would be yes.
Question: If someone is actively serving, and have been serving for some time, are they a “veteran”? Or are they only considered a veteran after they have retired.
Also - if someone is in/ has served in the National Guard- are they a veteran? What if they are in a foreign National Guard (Canada)?
Canada doesn’t have a “National guard”. We have the Coast Guard and Reserves but they aren’t the same as the US National Guard.
I am always amused when someone is described on TV or newspaper as a “4 year Veteran” in the Military they would be a 4 year rookie… 
From a UK Army perspective Veterans is applied to a Retired Serviceman or Woman -
JSA pretty much summed it up, but note both definitions refer to past tense, someone who HAS served. From my experience, most guys I know, ie served with, never considered ourselves veterans until after we retired or left the service at the end of an obligation (contract).
JSA pretty much summed it up, but note both definitions refer to past tense, someone who HAS served. From my experience, most guys I know, ie served with, never considered ourselves veterans until after we retired or left the service at the end of an obligation (contract).
I echo that sentiment. While I was active duty, I was thanked every year on Veterans Day and always expressed appreciation for the recognition, but, responded that I was not a veteran yet.
Question: If someone is actively serving, and have been serving for some time, are they a “veteran”? Or are they only considered a veteran after they have retired.
Also - if someone is in/ has served in the National Guard- are they a veteran? What if they are in a foreign National Guard (Canada)?
Canada doesn’t have a “National guard”. We have the Coast Guard and Reserves but they aren’t the same as the US National Guard.
Sorry for my ignorance. Would you consider someone currently in the Reserves/ or someone who has completed service in the Reserves - a veteran?
I would. However I have never served so I can’t say what someone who has served would say.
In my mind, if you are in the reserves you can be sent off to war at any point. You’ve made that commitment.
There are some reservists that get upset when their number is called, I love when that happens. You’re in the reserves!!! What did you think would happen?
You’re in the reserves!!! What did you think would happen?
I did two tours with reserve units as the active duty staff (I&I duty as we called it), each time we always had a handful of dicks like this. They’re more than willing to show up to their weekend drill but anything more than that and they’d come up with every conceivable reason why they couldn’t go.
But I give full credit when credit is due, I have known a few reservists who went far and above reasonable service. As well, my last tour with a reserve unit I deployed with them (2008) to Iraq, they did a bang up in all phases of the deployment. Their performance was as good as any active duty unit I ever deployed with.
I gladly refer to any reserve serviceman/woman who fulfilled his/her obligation a veteran.
Sorry for my ignorance. Would you consider someone currently in the Reserves/ or someone who has completed service in the Reserves - a veteran?
I would say yes, but it’s worth knowing that there are different types of Reserves and Reservists. Some Reservists do their normal job, go do a weekend or week of military training on occasion, but basically never perform any long term active duty. There are also Reservists who are essentially full time military. I work with some Canadian officers who are completely Reservists, but are active on a full time basis; that is to say, their only job is the Navy, they serve on deployable ships or staff, etc. The only big differences are in their promotion and pay systems.
We have a similar system in the Marine Corps, Active Reserves, they typically compose the active staff of reserve units though are given assignments outside of the reserve.
If you want to know about Reservists check out 3rdBattalion 25th Marines.
During their 2005 deployment they had more Corpsmen come home with Purple Hearts than didn’t come home with Purple Hearts.
A very good friend of mine who is the most bad ass female Marine I have ever served with lost her fiancé with 3/25
Sorry for my ignorance. Would you consider someone currently in the Reserves/ or someone who has completed service in the Reserves - a veteran? YES!
3/25 is well known and remembered. Iraq, 2005, they lost 46 Marines and 2 Corpsman.
If you want to know about Reservists check out 3rdBattalion 25th Marines.
During their 2005 deployment they had more Corpsmen come home with Purple Hearts than didn’t come home with Purple Hearts.
A very good friend of mine who is the most bad ass female Marine I have ever served with lost her fiancé with 3/25
Same with the Army. Spent a short stink during my enlisted days with some Corp of Engineers Active Guard Reserves (AGR) at Fort Ben Harrison (before it closed). There are some AGRs in a civil affairs unit in Green Bay and a couple JAG Corp AGRs in Madison.
Question: If someone is actively serving, and have been serving for some time, are they a “veteran”? Or are they only considered a veteran after they have retired.
Also - if someone is in/ has served in the National Guard- are they a veteran? What if they are in a foreign National Guard (Canada)?
A lot of people get veterans day confused with memorial day and armed services day.
Veterans Day - For anyone that served. If you are still serving you are not considered a veteran in this sense.
Memorial Day - For those that died while serving.
Armed Forces Day - For those currently serving.
If someone is still in service they can say they are a veteran of a certain campaign but they wouldn’t refer to themselves as a veteran until they leave the military.
Currently serving National Guard officer. The Guard is a funny animal. For folks who did their contracted time, then ETS, yes, they’re considered veterans, deployment or not. Still serving Guardsman who have been federally activated and deployed, then gone back to regular Guard service are veterans, but a lot of us don’t “feel” like veterans as we haven’t retired or ETS yet. A way it’s sort of colloquially differentiated is saying that crowd is combat veterans. Those folks fall into the same category as people who were in the active military, deployed, then left the service.
I had a lot of folks say “happy Veterans Day” to me this week, and just thanked them and said I was glad to do it. Personally, it’s a day to recognize the previous generations. Those guys paved the way for us serving now, and to be counted in that same category (one day) feels like standing on the shoulders of giants.
Personally, it’s a day to recognize the previous generations. Those guys paved the way for us serving now, and to be counted in that same category (one day) feels like standing on the shoulders of giants.
This ^^
Also, the whole discussion of serving during specific wars seems to assume that people only join the military to fight for specific causes. While this is the case for a lot of veterans, don’t forget the group who joins to serve no matter what the cause (meaning those who join when we aren’t at war, knowing we could enter one and they wouldn’t get to choose whether to fight or not).
Without knowing the full context of your question, I think the only good answer I (as a veteran) could give you is “It depends.” For example, some VA benefits are available to currently serving members (i.e., VA mortgages) while others (i.e., VA medical disability compensation) are not, and are reserved for the honorably discharged. Also, I have been at functions where “veterans” were asked to stand and be recognized, and some active duty personnel stood and others did not. Far be it from me to tell an active member he or she could not stand and be recognized as well.
And yes, as others have said, NG counts. Also, the Coast Guard and some other agencies, even though they are not part of the Department of Defense.
So, knowing “why” you asked the question might allow some of us to give you a better answer.