Should We Distinguish “Combat Veterans” from Others Who Served?

The Scuttlebutt: Understanding Military Culture

VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation poses the question: does the term “combat veteran” demean the service of “rear echelon” soldiers, sailors, and Marines?

Author and Vietnam veteran Marc Leepson thinks it does.

We discuss this question.

Leepson published an article in Vietnam magazine in 2019, recently reprinted on Vietnam War website cherrieswriter.com, titled “What Did You Do in Vietnam?”

Leepson writes:

I admire and respect every Vietnam veteran who served in the combat arms. . . . . But using “combat veteran” obliquely demeans the service of all of us clerks, cooks, truck drivers and other rear-echelon types. I realize that most people who use that term don’t intend to minimize or mock the wartime service of hundreds of thousands of other veterans, but that’s exactly what it does.

I was astonished to see British journalist Max Hastings go out of his way in his recent, big history of the war, Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy 1945-1975, to deride the service of anyone who wasn’t humping the boonies in Vietnam. How else to interpret this snarky, condescending sentence in which he sums up all rear echeloners’ war service:

“Maybe two-thirds of the men who came home calling themselves veterans—entitled to wear the medal and talk about their PTSD troubles—had been exposed to no greater risk than a man might incur from ill-judged sex or ‘bad shit’ drugs.”

I understand that infantrymen could have negative feelings about us rear echeloners, but we were doing the jobs the military asked us to. And in Vietnam, contrary to Hastings’ ridiculous generalization, you were in danger no matter where you were.

Although there are no official statistics, the best estimate is that 75 to 90 percent of those who served in Vietnam were in support units. That’s more than 2 million men and women who came home without the label “combat veteran.”

My suggestion to fellow veterans and those who never put on the uniform: Please consider dropping “combat veteran” from your vocabulary and replace it with “war veteran.” Or “Vietnam War veteran.” Or “Iraq War veteran” or “Afghanistan War veteran.”

We’re curious to know how many in our Veterans Breakfast Club group feel similarly. We’d also like to hear from those who think that distinguishing between comabt and non-combat service is a reasonable and even necessary way of acknowledging the different kinds of Armed Forces service.

The VBC has a strong and long track record of serious and civil conversations that divide the veterans and military community, and this conversation will be no different.

And, of course, we’ll also talk about any other subjects you might like to bring up.

So, join our friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds discussing whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on your minds.

Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. At the VBC, veterans from every era and branch are drawn together by the warm glow of shared purpose.

These stories aren’t just for veterans; they’re for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you with open arms. Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.

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