Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 32, §1, and c. 4, §7, cl.43, you qualify as a veteran if you meet ONE of the following three requirements:
1) You have at least 180 days of regular active duty service and you were honorably discharged or released.
2) You have at least 90 days of active duty service, at least one day of which was during wartime per the chart below, and you were honorably discharged or released.
| To qualify as a veteran of this conflict… | …you must have at least one day of wartime service during this period |
| World War II Merchant Marine |
September 16, 1940 through December 21, 1946 December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946 |
| Korea | June 25, 1950 through January 31, 1955 |
| Korea-Vietnam | February 1, 1955 through August 4, 1964 |
| Vietnam | August 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975 |
| Lebanon* | August 25, 1982 through 2024 |
| Grenada* | October 25, 1983 through December 15, 1983 |
| Panama* | December 20, 1989 through January 31, 1990 |
| Persian Gulf | August 2, 1990 through 2024 |
*Naval and Marine DD214 must indicate Expeditionary Medal. All DD214s must specify campaign: Lebanon, Grenada and Panama.
Please note that, pursuant to M.G.L. c4, §7, the six months of active duty for training in the Active Reserves and the National Guard does not qualify as active service toward the minimum period listed here. If your only active duty was active duty training, you are not eligible to purchase credit for your military service.
3) You served in wartime and were awarded a Purple Heart or service-connected disability, or died, regardless of whether you completed the minimum length of active duty service in the chart under (2), above.