HR's Mission Next (eBook)

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Military 101

College courses typically start with easier basic-level courses and get more advanced as students progress. The 100-level classes from freshman year inform the 400-level classes taken during senior year. HR leaders say their organizations are veteran-friendly—that they want to hire veterans and recognize the skills that veterans can bring to their workforce. While that’s encouraging to hear, our consultants dug deeper and discovered a gap in understanding what military service is really all about.

What Is a Veteran?

While it seems like a simple question, HR leaders had a variety of answers. They defined veterans as:

• U.S. service members who served in combat
• U.S. service members who served on active duty
  for more than 180 days
• Anyone who has worn a military uniform

This confusion isn’t surprising. There are conflicting answers if you speak to people who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces themselves. This happens because throughout their career, they have been confronted with conflicting definitions of “what is a veteran,” and this confusion continues after they’ve left service and apply for different types of benefits. The same confusion continues for service members who have served in the Reserves and in the National Guard. Some National Guard service members who have served for over 20 years don’t identify as a veteran because they never served on active duty, never served overseas, or never served in combat.

One federal statute defines a veteran as “a person who served on full-time active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, other than active duty for training, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.”

Furthermore, federal statutes, state laws, and federal regulations all have different definitions of what it means to be a veteran. Federal statutes define what benefits U.S. service members can receive for their service. For example, to receive a reduced-fee mortgage through the Veterans Administration (VA) as part of their VA Home Loan program, a service member must have served for over 180 days on active duty under a particular federal statute (Title 10 of the United States Code) to qualify as a “veteran.” Other federal statutes define a veteran as “a person who served on full-time active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, other than active duty for training, and was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.” Service in the National Guard or Reserves doesn’t qualify as the right kind of service to be identified as a “veteran” for a VA home loan. Similarly, one type of GI Bill is only available to service members who have served on active duty for a particular length of time, while another version of the GI Bill allows National Guard and Reserve service to count as qualifying service. To clarify how confusing the term “veteran” can be, the VA published a ten-page article to explain all the different types of veterans and which veterans may qualify for a particular benefit. It seems that all veterans are not the same when it comes to the VA.

Each state has their own definition of what it is to be a veteran. State laws can allow service members who have qualifying military service to receive many benefits like property tax abatements, free job training, conversion of their military skills for state-issued certifications (like certified truck drivers and plumbers), and free or reduced college tuition.

The differing interpretations of who qualifies as a veteran compounds the problem when a civilian organization is trying to hire veterans and become a “veteran-friendly” organization. How does a civilian organization define the term “veteran” when veterans themselves aren’t clear on the criteria?

For the purpose of this book, we define a veteran as any person who has ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces. To determine veteran status, organizations should ask applicants if they ever served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Using this broad question will reduce the confusion about which definition for veteran should be used—and will likely expand the population of veterans at your organization.

The varying definition of “veteran” is a reflection of the fact that U.S. military service is an enigma for most of the U.S. population. While many civilians know someone who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces, most of us don’t fully appreciate what that service really means. The rest of this chapter will demystify the different branches of the military and will highlight some of the different skills and attributes service members might develop throughout their careers.

Demystifying the U.S. Military Structure

Most Americans would list the different branches of the U.S. military as the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force—and that’s pretty close. Actually, there are three military departments (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and six branches of service. The Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy and the recently-created Space Force falls under the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. Coast Guard is under the governance of the Department of Homeland Security, but it is still considered a branch of the armed forces. Add all these up and you get six branches of service.

Active Duty

When HR leaders want to recruit veterans, they often look for individuals who recently left active duty and are looking for a civilian job. Just as there are different definitions for “veteran,” there are several different types of “active duty.” HR leaders need to help veterans when the conflicting concepts and definitions are working against them. Remember, people who have served in the U.S. military won’t always self-identify as a veteran. When most people picture active-duty service members, they are thinking of service members who are owned by the federal government 24 hours a day and 365 days per year. Active-duty service members wear a uniform to work every day and live on or near an active-duty post. They work at places like Fort Liberty in North Carolina or Miramar Naval Air Station near San Diego.

As of 2020, there were just over 1.3 million service members serving on federal active duty (also known as Title 10 active duty). This represents less than half of 1 percent of the U.S. population. Federal active-duty service members report through their chain of command—and ultimately to the President of the United States, who is the Commander in Chief. They receive federal pay and benefits and have the potential to receive a pension after 20 years of service (in addition to receiving federal contributions to a defined contribution plan). Active-duty service members can be punished under the military criminal court system which operates semi-autonomously, outside the purview of state and federal criminal courts. Surprisingly, military judges are not the final arbiter of criminal prosecutions in the military. Rather, military judges report their findings as recommendations to a military commander. The commander can accept or reject the findings of guilt or innocence and may also adjust the recommended punishment.

Why is this knowledge important to an HR leader? Understanding the responsibilities of military leaders will help civilian organizations find the right place for a veteran. For example, commanders at a certain level (often called a pay grade) are in charge of their own personnel and their unit’s mission. Additionally, they’re in charge of an entire system of criminal justice (lawyers, judges, and investigators), all of whom report to them. The skills and experiences of military leaders demonstrate immense responsibility that is equal to, or may even exceed, the responsibilities of the highest levels of leaders within civilian organizations.

The Reserves and National Guard

The 1.3 million service members working on federal active duty are not large enough to ensure that the United States can accomplish its national security objectives. Rather than adding more active-duty personnel to the federal pay system, the Department of Defense uses an effective pool of part-time service members who are intertwined with their active-duty counterparts to bolster the national defense apparatus. As an HR leader, you may have interviewed and onboarded service members who serve in the National Guard or in the Reserves.

These part-time service members go through the same entry-level training as active-duty service members and are required to maintain military proficiencies throughout their careers. In addition to maintaining their military skills as a part-time service member, they work civilian jobs. Federal law requires National Guard and Reserve personnel to attend 15 days of active-duty training each year and to dedicate one weekend each month for additional training throughout the year. These weekend and annual trainings are usually scheduled one year in advance and are listed on a calendar that service members often refer to as a “training schedule.” As an HR leader, you may have experienced Guard members and Reservists who asked for time off to attend annual training and for their drill weekends.

The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, all have Reserve components, but only the Army and Air Force have National Guard units. Reservists fall under the command and control of the President of the United States, but members of the National Guard do not.

Each state (and territory) has its own Army National Guard and Air National Guard. National Guard service members report to their state’s governor and can be “called-up” for state emergencies. During a state...