I served in two Fighter Squadrons VF-143 and VF-154,I made a southeast Asia tour with each one . I earned a Vietnam service Medal with two bronze star , Republic of Vietnam Campaign medal, National Defense Service medal ,Armed Forces Expeditionary medal.Am I considered a Vietnam Vet or a Vietnam Era Vet?
The reason I ask is that on a recent visit to the VA I noticed on one of my forms they had me Listed as a Vietnam era vet and I had not heard of that designation before .

Im a little young to know alot of specifics about Nam, but if you were awarded the Vietnam campaingn medal Im going to assume that you served near or around that theater of battle and if that is so then yes you would be concidered a Vietnam Era Vet, and may be entilted to more than your currently getting.

The designation has been in place for all vets who served at least one day during the era that is considered Vietnam. Covers not just Vietnam vets but also those who served elsewhere during the period.

I served from 1968 t0 1972. I deployed with both fighter squadrons ,one cruise on the Constellation and the Other on the Ranger. I spent 1 Day and night in DaNang Air Base .
I just would like to know if that qualifies as Vietnam Vet .

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Vietnam Vet

Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or not they were actually stationed in Vietnam during their service. However, the more common usage distinguishes between those who served "in country" and those who did not actually serve in Vietnam by referring to the "in country" veterans as "Vietnam veterans" and the others as "Vietnam era veterans." The U.S. government officially refers to all as "Vietnam era veterans.

This link tell a lot more:
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,110726,00.html

vietnamvets are those who served in country era vets are those who served after the fall of RVN in 75

Era vets are those who served 1 or more days during the time that we where in Vietnam, but where not in Vietnam. After May or June of 1975 the Vietnam Era ended for veterans.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dave_M,

thank you Dave I stand corrected

hmmmmm good question.
My responce:
If you know what a 5 gal jerry can of diesel and a stir stick is used for......your a Viet Nam vet.....if not.......a Viet Nam Era vet. LOL

No argument or disagreement with Dave M.

BUT I've always had some reservations of the reference to Vietnam era Veterans. I'm for all reasons categorized as one. Though I'd never served in SEAsia or Vietnam.

Training for Vietnam is what was the order of the day for those of us going thru our initial training in BCT&AIT. We were trained by Vietnam combat Veterans be it regular Army or Draftees. Yet those that either didn't volunteer for Vietnam or were issued orders to go, for the most part the rest us of ended up in units that trained in tactics only for the event of war against the USSR.

With the Defense Department's recent recognition of those that had Served during the Cold War through it's certficate of recognition, there should now be a change to identify those of us that had Served during these times as what we were. If you Served in Vietnam than you are a Vietnam Veteran. If you Served elsewhere you were a Cold War Era Veteran. Their should no longer be a classification of a Vietnam era veteran ii you had not Served in that combat theatre.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: daCAT,

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Originally posted by tiedie4:
vietnamvets are those who served in country era vets are those who served after the fall of RVN in 75

Wrong, according to the U.S. Government "All service personnel who served during the Vietnam War are Vietnam Veterans". Tom

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Originally posted by BlackhawkC39:
hmmmmm good question.
My responce:
If you know what a 5 gal jerry can of diesel and a stir stick is used for......your a Viet Nam vet.....if not.......a Viet Nam Era vet. LOL

Better read your regs because any one who served during the Vietnam War is considered a Vietnam Vet regardless of where you served.

No wonder there are 8 million more Vietnam Vets on the last census that ever was in country. I find the lack of distinction disturbing, to put myself in the identical category of those that did not serve there.
It gets out of line even more, here is a quote from a funeral, the individuals only job in the Air Force was Officers Club Bar Tender, midwest US base, never an overseas day in his "career". Makes my blood boil:
"He was a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars." I suppose from the earlier posts, that was technically correct, I wrote the newspaper for a retraction, never heard from them.

it;s called burn-****

Also interesting is that the "Vietnam Era" G.I. Bill ended in December of 1976, and the five-point veterans preference for employment ended in October of 1976. If you served 180 days on active duty, one day of which was before October 15, 1976, you got the 5 point preference and if you served 180 days before December 31, 1976, you got the old G.I Bill education benefits.........

quote:

Originally posted by Schwanke:
No wonder there are 8 million more Vietnam Vets on the last census that ever was in country. I find the lack of distinction disturbing, to put myself in the identical category of those that did not serve there.
It gets out of line even more, here is a quote from a funeral, the individuals only job in the Air Force was Officers Club Bar Tender, midwest US base, never an overseas day in his "career". Makes my blood boil:
"He was a retired U.S. Air Force technical sergeant and served in the Korean and Vietnam wars." I suppose from the earlier posts, that was technically correct, I wrote the newspaper for a retraction, never heard from them.

I was also Air Force back then and take it very personel that we didn't do anything during the Vietnam Conflict. I was stationed on Guam and was with a bunch of guys that did our jobs to support the guys in Nam, and what did we get for all hard work nothing but hearing from guys like you that we were nothing. Without support groups you guys wouldn't have got anything from weapons to tolit paper. It takes a whole Country to have a war not just the ground pounders. How do you feel about the guys that sat behind desks in Nam and pushed pencils I suppose to you their not Vietnam Vets either. Do you no that this is the only war that has an Era hooked up with it, during WW1,WW2 and Korea where ever you where stationed you were a Veteran of that Conflict, during Vietnam if you were not in Country you were nothing. We did our jobs just like you did, be proud of what you did like we are proud of what we did to help our brothers over in Vietnam.

Sorry you took that wrong, I did not "belittle" anybody, my exact words were "distinction". Lots of people had more dangerous jobs, more demanding, etc. I am entitled to my feelings, and merely stated that the "in country" vet should be a distinction from the stateside tour vet, like the example I gave of someone who was in a plush job dicking my wife while I was in country. Since you were not there, you see it all as the same support job in different areas of assignment. I saw both sides, I was a career soldier, in the Army during the entire Vietnam war period, and what I sacrificed during in country tour far exceeds all I did the whole rest of the war in a "support role".
I admire the fighter pilots most of all, but don't feel that we should all be called fighter aces to share their glory..

quote:

Originally posted by Taishau:

quote:

Originally posted by BlackhawkC39:
hmmmmm good question.
My responce:
If you know what a 5 gal jerry can of diesel and a stir stick is used for......your a Viet Nam vet.....if not.......a Viet Nam Era vet. LOL

Better read your regs because any one who served during the Vietnam War is considered a Vietnam Vet regardless of where you served.

Sorry, but you're wrong. If you hold the Vietnam Service Medal you are a Vietnam Veteran. If you served in Germany during the time of the Vietnam War, you are considered a Vietnam Era Veteran. There is no authorized medal or ribbon issued for a Cold War Vet, only a certificate.

quote:

SignalSgtWilliams

Sgt you got it right.

quote:

Originally posted by SignalSgtWilliams:

quote:

Originally posted by Taishau:

quote:

Originally posted by BlackhawkC39:
hmmmmm good question.
My responce:
If you know what a 5 gal jerry can of diesel and a stir stick is used for......your a Viet Nam vet.....if not.......a Viet Nam Era vet. LOL

Better read your regs because any one who served during the Vietnam War is considered a Vietnam Vet regardless of where you served.

Sorry, but you're wrong. If you hold the Vietnam Service Medal you are a Vietnam Veteran. If you served in Germany during the time of the Vietnam War, you are considered a Vietnam Era Veteran. There is no authorized medal or ribbon issued for a Cold War Vet, only a certificate.

Your wrong, according to the Pentagon Veterans who were in the United States military during the Vietnam War, but did not serve in the Vietnam proper i.e. the combat zone or in SEA are considered Vietnam veterans by the United States Government and are entitled to all the benefits that veterans who served in Vietnam or Southeast Asia just as the veterans of the Korean War and WW2 who never served overseas or a combat zone. It's just that It's broke into 2 sections In-Country and Not-In Country which is a shame because we were all in it together.