A veteran is a former member of the Armed Forces of the United States (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) who served on active duty and was discharged under conditions, which were other than dishonorable. This definition explains that any individual that completed a service for any branch of armed forces classifies as a veteran as long as they were not dishonorably discharged.

The understanding of who is a military veteran varies from one society to another. In some countries the terms refers to an old soldier who has seen long service but in more empowered societies it can refer to any person who has served in the armed forces so that they are entitled to certain benefits for serving their country.

Even in the United States, there is no standardized legal definition of “military veteran”. This is because veteran benefits weren’t created all at one time. Each time Congress passed a new law authorizing a new veteran benefit, they included eligibility requirements for that particular benefit. Thus whether or not one is considered a “veteran” in official terms, depends upon which veteran program or benefit one is applying for.