Veterans

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We see headlines that say “Veteran groups want alleged torture photos released,” “Veteran groups support Obama’s war polices,”  “Veteran groups are against war,” etc. Who are these veterans?

Unofficially, anyone may claim to be a veteran. Officially, a veteran is a person who:

• served on active duty for other than training for a period of more than 180 days and was discharged with other than a dishonorable discharge;  or
• was discharged because of a service-connected disability; or
• as a member of a reserve component served, under orders, on active duty during a period of war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge is authorized and was discharged or released from such duty with other than a dishonorable discharge.
  

A Dishonorable Discharge (DD) is a punitive discharge that may only be awarded to an enlisted member by a General Court-Martial for a serious offense, such as desertion, sexual assault, or murder, for which a dishonorable discharge was part of the sentence. All veterans' benefits are lost.

The other types of discharges are:

• Honorable Discharge. A honorable discharge indicates the person met or exceeded the required standards of duty performance and personal conduct.
• General Discharge. A general discharges indicates the person’s performance was satisfactory, but was marked by a considerable departure in duty performance and conduct expected of military members. General discharges are always preceded by some form of nonjudicial punishment for unacceptable behavior.
• Other Than Honorable (OTH) Discharge, An OTH indicates the person had a serious departure from the conduct and performance expected of all military members. An OTH is typically given for conviction by a civilian court in which a sentence of confinement was adjudged or in which the conduct leading to the conviction brought discredit upon the service. Most veteran benefits are not available to those who receive an OTH discharge.
  
• Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD). A BCD is a punitive discharge that can only be given by a court-martial as punishment to an enlisted service-member. They are often preceded by a period of confinement in a military prison. Virtually all veterans' benefits are forfeited by a BCD.

Therefore, veterans are not all created equal. A veteran may be a decorated war hero or a slug that was discharged after six months for assaulting an officer. When you hear about what some veteran or veteran group has said, you should consider the if the speakers really are veterans, and, if they are, what kind of veteran they are.