For thousands of American veterans, the government calls their service “peacetime” even when they served in hostile environments, earned combat-zone medals, and came home with lifelong disabilities.

That label isn’t just inaccurate. It costs families real benefits.

Veterans who served in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, and other expeditionary operations during the 1980s were awarded medals such as the Navy Expeditionary Medal for serving in dangerous foreign conflicts. Yet under current federal law, the Department of Veterans Affairs still classifies this service as “peacetime.”

Meanwhile, anyone who served after August 2, 1990, regardless of location, automatically receives “wartime” status.

This creates an unfair gap.

Because of this outdated definition:

Expeditionary veterans are denied VA Pension benefits.
Their spouses are ineligible for the Survivors Pension.
Many states restrict protections and programs to “wartime” veterans only.
Families who sacrificed equally receive fewer safeguards.
If a veteran is “wartime” enough to earn an expeditionary or campaign medal in a hostile zone, they should be “wartime” enough for the VA.

They are not asking for special treatment.

They are asking for equal recognition.

 
What We’re Asking Congress to Do:
We urge Congress to amend 38 U.S.C. §101 to:

Recognize any service member awarded a qualifying Expeditionary or Campaign Medal as having served during a “Period of War” for VA benefit purposes.

This simple fix would:

1. Correct a long-standing inequity
2. Align VA definitions with real-world service
3. Protect veterans’ spouses and families
4. Ensure no generation of veterans is forgotten

 
Why This Matters:
Veterans who served in the “forgotten conflicts” of the 1980s answered the same call as every other generation.

They deployed overseas.
They served under hostile conditions.
They came home injured.

They should not be told it “doesn’t count.”

Words matter.
Definitions matter.
Benefits matter.

It’s time to close the gap and recognize expeditionary veterans for what they truly are:

Wartime veterans.

 
Call to Action:
If you believe all veterans deserve equal recognition and benefits for hazardous service, please sign and share this petition.

Let’s make sure no veteran is left behind because of a technicality.