Don't you hate "Poser" Veterans?

Question

From "Yahoo" (personal profile name)
When speaking of military veterans, I agree whole heartedly with you and everyone else who is speaking similarly. However, the word veteran is not exclusive to the military. A person can be a veteran of most anything.
End of his answer

From me toward his assumption that anyone everyone is a Veteran which is part of his answer.

A Veteran is exclusively a Military term anyone who say they are a Vet must have served in the military.

Does this make sense:
School Teacher Veteran because you teach
Store clerk veteran because you work in a store
Voting veteran because you voted in an election

No It takes more that doing your job or civic duty but actual Military Service makes you a Veteran. Veterans are willing to die for others, not even police are willing to do that, some may don't get me wrong but they can also quit at anytime while the Military can not and this is the difference. Claiming to be a Veteran in my presence and not having served will result in an azz kicking.
End of my answer.

E-Mailed to me
From: Yahoo

Subject: veteran

Message: I'm a volunteer military veteran, as was my father, and my son chose the military as a career. Only a person as dumb as a can of worms with a brain fill of **** can conclude that the word veteran is solely a military term. Now, you want to kick my ***, you come right ahead you stupid son of *****. You'll end up where every other asshole has ended up who wanted to see what I was made of.
End of massage.

I personally think he beleives I was attacking his service I wasn't... Oh well but it got me thinking,,,,.


Should you have a DD214 with your name on it and a Honorable Discharge to be a Veteran or can anyone claim to be a Veteran as I claim or can anyone us the term and reduce it value as "Yahoo" claims?

Answer 1

If you want to read a great book about FAKE Vets, go to your local library and check out STOLEN VALOR. You'd be surprised who says they are a vet, who said they were a wounded US Marine, who says they ARE a U.S. Marine, etc etc etc.

My favorite story in the book is about this Asian guy who goes to the local American Legion Post and says he's a Viet Nam vet and can he join. So, he joins and in a few years works his way up to being nominated for Post Commander. Well, the committee does a back ground check on him and they find out that he is indeed a Viet Nam vet....from NORTH VIET NAM! When he was asked why he didn't say anything about his past military record he replied, "No one asked." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

(USN, retired/in-country Viet Nam vet)

Answer 2

why do you care. honestly, get over it.

Answer 3

well yea veteran is a broad term, there are military veterans, war veterans, NFL veterans, NBA veterans, NHL veterans, you can be a veteran teacher, the word veteran can be used in any number of ways



however speaking of veterans is usually referring to former military, and for a teacher or anyone else to blanketly call themselves a veteran is disrespectfull unless they are classifying what they are a veteran in

Answer 4

I think if a question is posted under the military section, you assume they are talking about a military vet. If it is a username, I guess it can be any kind of veteran but that is just semantics. The person knows that most would assume they are a military veteran as that is the most common usage.

Answer 5

There was a poster here that on his source box kept writing : "I'm a SGT of Marines". WTF?

Answer 6

Well the most common usage of the term Veteran is to describe a Military Veteran, so if your going to claim to be a Veteran of something else, you better say what your a Veteran of because otherwise I am going to assume your talking about the Military

Answer 7

To follow the qualifications the previous posters have used mean you could be called a veteran if your dead (a veteran of life). On a Military Blog / Q&A if you call yourself a Veteran you should be a Veteran of the Military just makes common sense



Vet-USAF

Answer 8

I have much disdain for anyone who mocks those who serve our military. They are keyboard cowards who make me sick.

Answer 9

vet is not a military specific term and your making too big a deal out of it.....there are many fake vets on here and no one can prove it either way........go with the flow and chill out.....all military vets can tell who is real and who is not

Answer 10

anyone who served in the military during the vietnam war, desert storm or Operation Iraqi freedom, is a VET. I am a veteran, from desert storm and Operation Iraq and Enduring Freedom.

Answer 11

The term veteran by definition means a person who is long experienced or practiced in an activity or capacity: a veteran of political campaigns. So the term it's self can be used on anyone. Does it bother me that teachers or cops are called veterans, not at all. Now, if someone is not a war veteran and is saything that they are a war veteran then that would bother me.

Answer 12

Trying to figure out why these "claims" are so much of a problem for you. Many people on most websites are phonies. Unless you are an employer that asks for military veterans, it shouldn't matter what people "claim" to be.

Answer 13

there are military vets and cop,firefighters can be also. but the term is used mostly for military

Answer 14

You have too much time on your hands.