The concept of veteran in Wikipedia

A war veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old") is a person who has or is working in the armed forces, or a person who has had long service or experience in an occupation or office. For the most part, war veterans are treated with great respect and honor for their contribution to the world and country. Many countries have longstanding traditions, ceremonies, and holidays to honor veterans. In Russia, a tradition was established after the Second World War, where newly married couples would on their wedding day visit a military cemetery. In France, for instance, those wounded in war are given the first claim on any seat on public transit. Most countries have a holiday such as Veterans Day to honor veterans, along with the war dead. There are exceptions to this: veterans of unpopular conflicts, such as the Vietnam War, have been discriminated against. Others, such as veterans of conflicts like the Korean War, are often forgotten (even though the casualty rate in Korea was higher than that experienced in the Vietnam War) when compared with those who fought in the World Wars. In some countries with strong anti-military traditions (e.g., Germany after 1945) veterans are neither honored in any special way, nor have their dedicated Veterans Day.

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شنبه - ۰۶ فروردين ۲۰۱۰ / 2010 06 January

Veterans in the United States
The most common usage is for former armed services personnel. A veteran is one who has served in the armed forces, especially one who has served in combat. It is especially applied to those who served for an entire career, usually of 20 years or more, but may be applied for someone who has only served one tour of duty. A common misconception is that one had to have either been in combat and/or has retired from active duty to be called a military veteran.
The history of veterans in the United States
President Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address, in 1865 towards the end of the US Civil War, famously called for good treatment of veterans: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan". The American Civil War produced veterans' organizations, such as the Grand Army of the Republic. The treatment of veterans changed after the First World War. In the years following, discontented veterans became a source of instability. They could quickly organize, had links to the army, and often had arms themselves. Veterans played a central role in the post-World War I instability of Germany, while in the United States, the Bonus Army of unemployed veterans was one of the most important protest movements of the Great Depression, marching on Washington, DC, to get a claimed bonus that Congress had promised them.Each state (of the United States) sets specific criteria for state-specific veterans' benefits. For federal medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, prior to 7 September 1980 the veteran must have served at least 180 days of active duty, after the above-mentioned date, the veteran must have served at least 24 months. However, if the veteran was medically discharged and receives a VA service-connected disability stipend, the time limits are not applicable.
American veteran experience after World War II
After the Second World War, in part due to the experience of the First World War, most of the participating states set up elaborate veterans' administrations. Within the United States, it was veterans groups, like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, that pushed for and got the G.I. Bill enacted. These gave veterans access to free or subsidized education and health care. The newly educated GIs created a significant economic impact, and with the aid of VA loans were able to buy housing and establish themselves as part of a growing American middle class. The explosion of the suburbs created sufficient housing for veterans and their families. In the United States, black veterans continued to be denied equality at home despite President Harry S. Truman's desegregation of the military during World War II. Black veterans went on to play a central role in the Civil Rights movement.
Female veterans in the U.S.
Women have served in the United States military for over two hundred years, often having had to disguise themselves as men. Female veterans have often been discriminated against by their male counterparts and, as such, women who have served in the armed forces have sometimes been known as "the invisible veterans". Women were not fully recognized as veterans until after WWII, and prior to this they were not eligible for VA benefits. The VA estimates that by the year 2010 women will make up 40% of the veteran population.
Veterans day in United States
Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.) The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are grammatically acceptable, the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 12, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'.". President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.
The veteran appreciation
The sacrifice and the appreciation of veterans as national heroes is very important in terms of nationalistic feelings rather than religious sensations and the criteria for measuring the value of this is the action rather than piety or faithfulness to any religious creed. Both state and nation appreciate veterans highly and all facilities and welfare options are granted to them. In the US, veterans of the second world war, Korean , Iraqi and Afghanistan soldiers and also the families of victims of 11 September and the federal building blast of 1995 in Oklahoma are appreciated and all commemorative objects like tree, pedestal or board for informing the public are put in the public places and parks. All the facilities such as house, education, marriage, medical services, recreational and hobby centers and holiday resorts are wholly devoted to veterans and their families. These facilities will also be devoted to the next generation of veteran families despite any change in the political and cultural atmosphere of the country. Every year in the congress veterans are awarded with honor medals and they are interviewed so that the feeling of warrior ship and the spirit of valor nourished in the country. Also in order to depict the achievement of the sacrifice in the artistic form the commissions of the fine arts have been established by the membership of the veterans and websites specific to them in higher education board in which the memorabilia and other objects are being publicly displayed in form of museums and galleries. The soldiers of other nations which have been allied to the US are also commemorated and dignified. As Bob Doll (former senate member) has said: “we will never be able to pay our proper debt to veterans because they are the foster children of democracy and best examples of American identity who must be lionized.”?