I served from 1969 to 1996 before retiring. I served in Vietnam from May, 1970 to May 1971 and during that time, I saw combat.
In 1983 I was one of the first American soldiers in the “invasion” of Grenada. Clint Eastwood and his fellow actors in the movie “Heartbreak Ridge” saw more combat in that movie than 98% of the American military in Grenada. As for myself, I never even heard a shot fired by either side the entire time I was in Grenada (but I did participate in some really violent volleyball games!).
In 1990–1991 I served in Kuwait during the Gulf War.
There was an approximately 10 year period between the end of the Vietnam War and “Saint Ronnie” Reagan’s phony war/”invasion” of Grenada and an approximately 7 years period between Grenada and the Gulf War.
So, for 17 years (or 18 years depending on your opinion of the Grenada phony war) of my 27 years in the Army, there were no official wars. The two times I was shot (A Bad Day In East Berlin by Richard White on What tumbles around in my brain and Number One! - From A Bullet! by Richard White on What tumbles around in my brain) were technically not during an official “war”.
Should I receive preferential treatment over a veteran who might have served during those 17 or 18 years during my career when we were not officially “at war”?
I say, “No” - all those who served honorably should be treated the same.
Read other answers by Richard White on Quora:
- Can any Quora servicemembers/veterans give a personal example of a time they refused to carry out an order and got away with it?
- How do you, a veteran, feel about the discounts and perks you receive when you return from duty?
- Why didn't homeless vets stay in the military?
from Quora http://ift.tt/2bv6fsy
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