The definition of “vietnam vet” is debateable.
is it a soldier serving in a warzone?
is it a soldier serving in vietnam?
is it a solcier serving near vietnam?
is it a solder serving anywhere during the vietnam war?
is it a soldier stationed anywhere NOT in the continental US during the vietnam war?
The military even has more than one definition. Vets and legacy vets, iirc. Then there is an in-between status of any soldier serving over-seas during any armed conflict...and alaska and hawaii are considered “over-seas”. A soldier sitting in hawaii during a conflict in korea or vietnam is a vet.
The definition of “Vietnam vet” is debateable.
“Vietnam vet” served in Vietnam.
“Vietnam era” vet served during the war but not in the country.
Civilians with post active duty service who actually ended up walking around inside the Nam were not credited with in-country service ~ (even though technically they were still Reservists).
There are even more bizarre complexities involving Air National Guard folks.
I'd raise issue with the "Census Question" ~ frankly, I don't recall any such question, and by now I'd been able to answer it one way or the other THREE DIFFERENT TIMES.
It could be one of their statistical sample surveys ~ and they're always subject to dispute.
Unless someone can come up with the exact question as shown on an official Census form I'm not willing to accept the premise that 9 million or so people lied about it.
“is it a solder serving anywhere during the vietnam war?
is it a soldier stationed anywhere NOT in the continental US during the vietnam war?”
My dad was drafted and served in Germany during the war. I’m sure he’d say he isn’t a Vietnam Vet (and I sure am glad he didn’t go, not that I wouldn’t be proud, but only because of the decreased likelihood that I’d have ever been born).
“A soldier sitting in hawaii during a conflict in korea or vietnam is a vet.”
Yes, they are vets, in the sense that people who served during peacetime are vets. But veterans of the war? I don’t care what the military says, I think it’s a misuse of terms to say someone who didn’t either serve in combat or in a forward area, or in support of troops in a forward area (and not indirectly, as in “He held down our position in Germany so that we could fight in Vietnam”; that’s too much of a stretch), is a war vet.
“and alaska and hawaii are considered ‘over-seas’”
That’s just a geographical mistake about Alaska, there. You can get to it overland.
The definition of “vietnam vet” is debateable.
is it a soldier serving in a warzone?
~~~
No it is not,,,
It is a member of the Military that was “in country” or
Navy or USAF over or off-shore the country,,,
All others are Vietnam ERA vets,,,
Check with your local VA...
We were bummed out, because almost everyone else on our base in Japan took leaves in Hong Kong -- and came back with cool custom-made suits, etc. ;-|
I think they are seperated by “Viet Nam vet” and “Viet Nam Era Vet”.
A guy I used to work with was a viet nam era vet. He was drafted and went thru bootcamp. One day they asked if anyone knew how to type and he raised his hand. He took a typing test, passed and was shipped to NATO HQ where he did his tour.
He was drafted in 1968.