Does a mobilization to Kuwait for 400 days count as a deployment?

SGT Sean Goodrow, please fill me in on these benefits of having a patch on your right shoulder. It sure hasn't helped me get promoted. And if it meant my lost friends five minutes with the children they have not seen in over 24 years, I'd give up the patch.
I'm not saying his questions aren't legit. I'm saying, concentrate on the job at hand and come home safe. Then worry about the other stuff.
Let me put it this way. That deployment patch isn't going to do his family any good if that's what he's constantly worried about and ends up getting himself or someone else killed or maimed.

We both know that those without are looked at differently than those with, and that opinions are listened to differently. Pretending otherwise is just disingenuous.

I don't see the point in jumping down someone's throat about "needless shit", your words, for an absolutely relevant question.

As experienced soldiers, we also know that if you trust in "the system" to tell you what you're entitled to, you'll never get it, and if you wait until afterwards, it's already too late. Know what you're entitled to, don't we always tell junior soldiers this about...every other benefit?

Those without that are SSG and above with more than about 6-7 years in may be looked at differently I agree they appear to have shammed their career. But a PVT thru SGT (2LT or 1LT) with less than 4 years I don't look down on.

But SGT Sean Goodrow, I'm going to assume that you've never deployed so hence the hard vibes I get from your posts. I've known great leaders without deployment/combat experience and some real losers that had a deployment or two under their belt. I judge by leadership ability. Not what's on the right shoulder or chest above their U.S. Army tape.

SSG (Join to see) - I'd agree, but one could easily juggle the two. The question and the mission. What was the sole reason for the CIB? It was to boost morale and increase the prestige of service in the Infantry. If a person is a little down about deploying and the thought of receiving a combat patch motivates them. Then I see no harm. It's not like that question is going to hinder all ability to stay focused.

If memory has not failed me, in late 2013 or early 2014 a memo came out taking Kuwait and Qatar and a few other places off the as combat or hazard zones. I know we started out in Afghanistan in January 2014 and got hazard pay, with the draw down, we moved the mission to Arifjan Kuwait for the last month of the mission and when we got back to the states they collected our hazard pay for that month in Kuwait.

I was there when it was the combat zone!1990 to 1991

I was there in 2012-2013 and we still received a patch, granted it was my own unit patch because I was with the HQ, but it was a rotation or two later that the patch went away with Hostile Fire pay. Arifjan is a PCS location now and I've seen civilian contractors bring their families over, like small children. They have the option to live off post....not a hostile environment if your families can come over, just my opinion.

I was there in late (sept/oct) of 2014, it was not on the list for combat zones anymore, basically like getting sent to Germany or Korea now. If you had to go into Iraq for 30 days or more that counted.