It was reported recently that a proposal would exempt military veterans from paying auto registration fees. That is great, but how does the proposal define a veteran?
The general public may view any person entering military service as a veteran upon completion of his or her tour of duty. The Department of Defense describes a veteran as a person who served more than 180 consecutive days on active duty, thus disqualifying thousands of people in the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve and others. There are exceptions, like those who were called up and served more than 180 days on active duty during Vietnam or the Gulf War.
Despite years of attempting to work with Hawaii’s congressional delegation and Department of the Army officials, Command Sgt. Maj. Stanley Okamura’s effort to change the definition of a veteran has been in vain.
Gilbert Horita
Ala Moana
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