To be considered a veteran of the armed forces you do not have to have seen combat. People who serve in a war zone, which Iraq was, are in a combat zone and at risk no matter what their duty is. My son enlisted in the US Marine Corps on his 17th birthday in 1996. In order to be able to do this he had to have 16 college credits and meet other criteria. Being a Marine was his life long dream.It became a reality thanks to the Alaska National Guard Youth Challenge Corps. My son had been in trouble as a juvenile which he reported to his enlistment officer. Because of his age and past offenses it took hard work at Youth Corps and college along with letters from the local police chief, judge, and others. He served 9 1/2 years, with two combat tours in Iraq,was honorably discharged for to
medical reasons connected to service in Iraq. He completed a college degree in criminal justice and is now a police officer. Not everyone served and for those did, no matter what their job was, we owe them.