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Created page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Etymology== Latin veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long experience, from veter-, vetus old...'
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==Etymology==
[[Latin]] veteranus, from veteranus, adjective, old, of long [[experience]], from veter-, vetus old
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16h_Century 1509]
==Definitions==
*1 a : an old soldier of long [[service]]
:b : a former member of the armed forces
*2 : a [[person]] of long [[experience]] usually in some occupation or [[skill]] (as [[politics]] or [[the arts]])
==Description==
A '''veteran''' (from Latin vetus, [[meaning]] "old") is a [[person]] who has had long [[service]] or [[experience]] in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..." . This page refers to military veterans, i.e. person who has or is serving in the armed forces, and has direct [[exposure]] to acts of military [[conflict]], commonly known as [[war]] veterans (although not all military conflicts, or areas in which armed combat takes place, are necessarily referred to as "wars").

Military veterans often receive special treatment in their respective countries due to the [[sacrifices]] they made during wars. [[Different]] countries handle this differently, some openly [[support]] veterans through [[government]] [[programs]] and others ignoring them. Veterans are also subject to illnesses directly [[related]] to their military [[service]] such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTSD PTSD[. [[War]] veterans are generally treated with great [[respect]] and [[honor]] for their [[contribution]] to the world and country by their own nationals. Conversely there are often [[negative]] [[feelings]] towards the veterans of alien nations held long after the war is over, for example towards the German Nazi soldiers, but they are no less veterans of [[war]] than those of the winning side. There are exceptions. 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War World Wars]. In some countries with strong anti-military [[traditions]] (e.g., Germany after 1945) veterans are neither [[honored]] in any special way by the general [[public]], nor have their [[dedicated]] Veterans Day, although [[events]] are sometimes orchestrated by Neo-Nazi and other minority right-wing groups

Many countries have longstanding [[traditions]], [[ceremonies]], and holidays to [[honor]] their veterans. In the UK "Remembrance Day" is held on November the 11th and is [[focused]] mostly on the veterans who died in [[service]] to the monarch and country. A red or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_poppy white poppy] is worn on the lapel (for remembrance or for [[peace]], respectively) in the weeks up to the date, and wreaths and flowers laid at memorials to the dead.

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 their veterans, along with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_memorial war dead].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran]

[[Category: General Reference]]