I already knew this. But I am not very good at conveying it to the folks on this thread.
I’m really really glad you posted it.
As it was explained to me, all are considered “vets” of some fashion because there were so many that were called up and pulled into the war theater. national guard units, reservists, and other soldiers all over the globe could’ve been shipped off to war at any moment. Lots of them were.
I can’t remember the official terminology, but there is also a distinction made between those that only served in the continental US and those that served outside the continental US...alaska and hawaii are included as “overseas”.
A soldier that spent his entire enlistment term in alaska and/or hawaii is considered a veteran of a foreign war if he was there during the “vietnam war era”.
Not taking anything away from a UH-1 door gunner while helping to extract troops from a hot LZ or the ground pounders in harms way.
But, anyone in uniform in that time-period also gave a measure of support for the war effort.
As Milton wrote:
And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait." .
Many Squadrons and Groups of Air Force and Naval personnel provided direct support from stations and bases all over the Pacific and even the left coast. Operation Linebacker I and II took a superhuman support effort by countless MOSs, AFSCs and ratings stationed in Okinawa, Guam, The P. I., Hawaii and various other places over the globe.
That being said, I am grateful to God that I was not there and revere those that were actually in country or saw the Gulf of Tonkin and The South China Sea.