Should Vietnam-era Vets be addressed as "Vietnam Vets"?

SCPO Rick Hunter - tip o the tin lid....UTEP / BLISS, ged program, 83.

Captain, My Father served as did his brother 42 -46. Uncle Coleman ended up in the 3 rd Army., Dad's MP company ended up on San Juan Pouter Rico. Dad left New Orleans in Early 43, but sat for 13 days on a troop ship while Tin cans [ destroyers and smaller Destroyer Escorts chased down a U- boat scare. Did Dad's rear area support role make him any less a vet ?
He Still had to learn procedure for a hanging, given the Death Penalty was used by the Army at that time. Does "Area of Service" really make any difference, sir ? Dad would have said not Taking a body home to the family was the toughest job he ever did. ONCE. Never again he said. He traded that duty off to anybody who'd take it, despite the week off stateside it'd get him...

Congress has NOT declared war since WWII. Vietnam was just another conflict that we lost.

SPC Matt Ovaska - Even though a conflict it still war as were the conflicts in the middle east since. As said before even though you were not in the war zones you still were available to be called on at any time. Hell, right out of basic in the Army sat on duffle bags for 3 days while the bay of pigs was going on. Anyone served in our military should be able to be era kind of vets with honor!!!!

PFC Kay Armstrong I tried to enlist. Got a P-3 in 1983.
It isn't YOUR fault you didn't go.
But you DIDN'T go, and claiming you did is a lie.
Respect for your service, but don't try and steal credit.

I have to pour a little water on your parade. In your view those off shore doing bombardment in support, and having agent orange blowing across their ship, flying A-10 or other aircraft doing support and getting shot down, submarines doing their thing in the waters of the area are not Vietnam VETS?? check the rivets in your neck to see if your head is still attached.

So I was ORDERED to Iwakuni to stage for NAM, but while there word came down the the war may be getting close to an end. But that didn't stop me from breaking my back and being sent stateside in a body cast. I saw some of those men when they came back and to me, there is just something special I carry in my heart for all of them, even tho I should have gone. Out of respect for those who made it back, I refer to myself as a Vietnam Era Marine (Veteran). There's just a difference!

PFC Kay Armstrong - Hmm. Ms. Miller, you were in the Armed Services at a time that others were serving in Vietnam. You are not a "veteran" of that particular war. Although you sound as if you wanted to go to Vietnam and do what you could to help the men who were on the front lines. That would have made you a Vietnam Veteran. You have nothing to be ashamed of as you did the tasks you were assigned, but you are not a Veteran of the Vietnam War. And being a Veteran of the Vietnam War was looked down upon by a very large number of people who didn't serve one day in the Armed Forces of the United States. After all they were too busy enjoying the benefits of not serving, right? Benefits that people like you and me made possible by our service in the Armed Forces of the United States. OhhhRAH!

I was doing missile training in Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. We were pulled out of training, given full combat gear (I even got a gas mask and an M1 Carbine but no ammo).
I was assigned to configuring bombs and loading them on aircraft. We were putting our lives on the line for all out nuclear war for which we eventually received a Presential Unit Citation.
I was sent to Germany on a tactical missile crew. President Kennedy referred to us as "The Tip of the Spear" because of our proximity to the Russian border.
I refer to myself as a Vietnam Era Veteran, I never call myself a Vietnam Veteran because I never set foot on Vietnam soil.
When we signed-up, we put our lives on the line for our country. We are all brothers regardless of where we served!

Easy answer for why some were not there. They were needed elsewhere. I was just recently talking to a guy who was mere minutes from boarding a plane to go to Vietnam but was called out of formation and sent to Germany because he was fluent in Russian. There was a greater need for him elsewhere

A1C James Plowden - Even though a conflict it still war as were the conflicts in the middle east since. As said before even though you were not in the war zones you still were available to be called on at any time. Hell, right out of basic in the Army sat on duffle bags for 3 days while the bay of pigs was going on. Anyone served in our military should be able to be era kind of vets with honor!!!!

the longest day was the day I finally boarded a jet in Cam Ranh Bay. I shed a tear of joy when we landed in Ft Lewis. It dried up when I got off that plane. You can label me with what ever makes you feel good. I made it back! Alive, without a purple heart. Sad because I lost brothers who didn't make it. Time to move on.