I’m sorry if I’m not with the herd on this but my opinion is if you enlisted, went to basic, served your enlistment (whether Active, Guard, or Reserve) NO MATTER HOW MANY DAYS ACTIVE, you are a VETERAN!
I was Guard, then Active, then Guard, then Reserve. Every Damned one of the people I served with in every component, to me, is a Veteran. They all had the chance to be called to Active duty to defend this country. Saying they aren’t Veterans is a dis-service to the sacrifices in their personal lives that they all made to fulfil that commitment.
I should add that I don’t think they should all get VA benefits but they are still entitled be considered a “Veteran.”
“if you enlisted, went to basic, served your enlistment (whether Active, Guard, or Reserve) NO MATTER HOW MANY DAYS ACTIVE, you are a VETERAN!”
Dittos. Veteran means served in uniform. Not “I served more than you” or “my service meant more to...”
If you signed the dotted line and wore the uniform, you are a veteran. The nation could have asked you do anything it wanted once in uniform.