Whow! Whoa! Whoa! How can a 19-year old be a veteran? An typical USAF enlistment is 4 years. So, did this Airman enlist when he was 15? I doubt it.
Ot, has political correctness changed the definition of veteran? So, now someone who has gone through basic training is now a “veteran” of boot camp?
Ah, I misread the article. He was not a 19-YEAR OLD, but, rather, someone who had already served for 19 years. Still, in my day (I am 62) one did not earn the title of veteran until after one had separated from the military (i.e., via discharge or retirement). I served in the USAF from 1970 to 1974. Ergo, I am a veteran. However, I was not a veteran in 1973.