I will clarify here... as questions have been raised, which could apply to Navy or Airforce. If you are shooting off missiles into a country in support of troops on the ground / war zone, then that would pretty much consider you a veteran of combat. Combat is not hand to hand, on the ground, it is that you deployed into an operational area and partook in that operation. That is the key statement, you partook within an operation within another country, by physically leaving your own country to do so, which covers Navy and Airforce.
A medical officer for example, who is based in Germany and attending to the casualty of soldiers from say, Afghanistan, would not be a combat veteran unless the country deemed that support in combat and provided them the applicable benefits as a medical officer on the ground in Afghanistan would be entitled. Otherwise, they would simply be doing their job from the comfort of their posting location, not scared for their life daily in a combat zone itself.
There is a vast difference of being in combat or not. A Navy ship of the coast of an operation, providing fire support for troops, is a target, whether across the operational line or not for payment, they are a target and within the combat itself, hence firing missiles, tending injured troops, etc, from the combat zone.
I don't think we really need to get to specific here... most people know whether they served in a combat based role or not. If you did, then welcome. If you didn't, then please use the PTSD Forum as anyone else would, as you are not classified as a combat veteran.
