There are Differences in Generations of Military Veterans

Just like societal generations, there are veteran generations too. Even though Veterans share a lot of commonalities and experiences, each generation differs. World War II (WWII) Veterans, Korean War Veterans, Vietnam Veterans, Cold War Veterans, Gulf War Veterans, and Afghanistan & Iraq veterans all look at their service differently. Each generation has their own stories and experiences, both good and bad. Some are willing to talk about their service, some are apprehensive about discussing it, and some don’t discuss it at all. The military member has changed over the years, from those drafted to those who volunteered, each generation has different expectations of what they were promised. The one thing all veterans have in common, we have a brotherhood that is unspoken. We are always there for each other through good and bad.

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Back to my story. During WWII every American felt the pinch of war. Everyone knew someone in the war. Those serving had an approximate tour of duty of 21 Months. While they were in theater civilians dealt with food rations, gas rations, copper drives, steel drives and anything to help the war effort. During this time the industrial complex of the United States was at full capability. Women were doing jobs society designated for men in an attempt to free men up for the war effort. Once the war was won all veterans came home to a hero’s welcome. World War II veterans returned home to women capable of doing the jobs they were doing when they left. For the first time in our society women were given the chance to prove they could do a “man’s” job. Everyone had a part to play during WWII and our society had changed because of it, when the WWII veterans returned.

Korean War veterans are not remembered or treated like the WWII veterans. They also spoke very little about their service. Most had 18 months service in country, but some were required to stay for the duration. Officially the Koreans are still at war and we still have troops in South Korea 65 years later. Many Korean War veterans were drafted into the military, some volunteered, and others were WWII lifers. The Korean War is thought of by many as the forgotten war. These troops fought with valor just like the WWII veterans but the fanfare did not happen for them. Korean War Veterans share a similarity to WWII Veterans in many areas.   

Vietnam War is a different story. The average tour in Vietnam was 12 months with differing variations for different branches. Many do not talk about their experiences because of the way they were treated when they returned. They were called baby killers, spit on, and kept from getting jobs. Many do not trust the government, the VA, or society in general. Many go off into corners of the United States and live alone. A large part of homeless veterans are from the Vietnam era. Many have checked out of society because they don’t trust the society that let them down and treated them poorly for doing their jobs. Many have mental health issues brought on by war and the way they were treated when they came home, but have been overlooked by society for so long they don’t want the help.

The Cold war era of veterans span several decades. From 1945 to 1991 there was constant tension between Russia and the United States. There were several notable incidents such as the Berlin Air lift, and the Cuban Missile Crisis during this time. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were the first proxy wars in the cold war era. In the years that followed, the United States had to maintain a readiness to deploy. Every time there was a problem throughout the world the military had to be ready to fight the battle. From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means. Those that served during the cold war tend to be over looked when veterans are recognized. Many don’t consider themselves veterans, they were “just in”. Unfortunately some war veterans do not consider cold war veterans as veterans either, some veterans do not feel they deserve the same benefits those that have been in combat receive. The VA does place them at a lower priority, but they are veterans and should be treated like one.

Desert Storm was the first major deployment using an all voluntary military. It was short in duration, the service time was 7 months to a year depending on branch of service. Desert Storm veterans were treated well when they returned thanks to the Vietnam Veterans. Now, Desert Storm Veterans are forgotten about for the most part. Even though Desert Storm Veterans suffer the highest causality rate of any war, they are mainly forgotten and considered a pre-curser to the present wars. The deployment ops tempo was maintained from Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom. A consistent stream of soldiers, sailors, marines and airman were deployed to the Middle East especially to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The US military did not pick up and leave after desert storm, we stayed there from 1991 to 2003.     

Veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)  are a different type of military members. Many civilians don’t understand that the service in Afghanistan and Iraq were different. There were different tactics and different enemies in each location. The desert in Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan are two different worlds. Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom veterans are only 0.5% of the general population. These veterans are the first to be required to serve multiple deployments in the combat zone. There are some of these military members who have had upwards of seven tours in the combat zone. An issue of multiple deployments is of multiple re-integrations as well as multiple deployments.  The VA is just starting to see onslaught of how multiple combat tours is affecting our veterans and their system. The history of these two wars is still being written.  

Often veteran’s families do not know about the benefits that are available for their loved one. If your loved one ever served in the military they probably have some type of benefits. There will be times where the veteran themselves will squawk at the idea of getting help from the VA. Where I see, the quietest veterans are those who did not serve in combat and were “Vietnam era” veterans and feel ‘less than’ because of a choice by someone else to send them to Germany or Korea instead of Vietnam. The “Cold War” era veterans are also overlooked. Some veterans served 20 years in the military and never saw combat. They are just as important, they were the reason the US maintained the peace through deterrence. Family members need to try and make sure their loved one who served in the military get their benefits even though the veteran feels they do not deserve them. Veterans benefits can make the family members life easier by making sure the veteran gets their benefits. It can help the veteran psychologically by being proud of your loved one and possibly help to take some of the physical and psychological issues off your hands.  It can help families financially by giving veterans earned services.       

Veterans have differing views on their time in and their return home. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is common in all conflicts, but each generation has handled it differently and so has the VA. Many WWII, Korean, and Vietnam veterans flew under the radar and did not ask for help. The Vietnam veterans finally stepped up and we now have a diagnosis for PTSD because of their efforts. Some civilians believe society is overdoing it for our newest veterans trying to make up for how the Vietnam Veterans were treated. I believe and hope it is becoming acceptable to ask for help. Either way we all have our opinions, isn’t that what all veterans fought for, the freedom to have our opinions and beliefs? 

For questions or comments, you can contact me at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit my website at www.afterdutyvets.com, and subscribe to my YouTube channel After Duty Vets or like us on Facebook at After Duty Vets.