I know i'm a Veteran, but am I an OIF or OEF Veteran?

I've served all over the world in the U.S. Air Force (for six years). My question though is whether due to the fact that I served during both wars in United Arab Emirates, received hostile fire pay while there, and supported operations within the borders of Iraq and Afghanistan while there, am I either an OIF or OEF veteran, or both? Thanks for your help, and for the military guys/gals that answer, thanks for your service.
Additional Details
Let me put it in really simple terms: didn't set foot in either country, but received combat pay while directly supporting airborne (USAF, not Army) operations within the borders of both AOR's from a neighboring middle eastern country, United Arab Emirates. I have been awarded Global
War on Terrorism medals, both Service and Expeditionary, as well as the Air Force Expeditionary Medal. I was not awarded either campaign medals for Iraq or Afghanistan.

You meet the criteria for Operation Enduring Freedom. You were deployed in the CENTCOM AOR (UAE) and that alone entitles you to the GWOTEM. Iraq and Afghanistan have their own campaign medals now, and have made the GWOTEM obsolete.

To be awarded the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, a military service member must perform duty in a deployed status and must participate in designated anti-terrorism operation for a period of either 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days of duty.

The term "deployed status" indicates either temporary or permanent orders to a duty station outside the borders of the United States of America with such duty being in direct support of anti-terrorism operations. For a service member to receive the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the deployment must also have taken place in a nation which is currently recognized as a base for anti-terrorism operations by the United States Department of Defense.

Nayarit

Its both of them and then not both of them.

Here's the deal, sort of.

I have done both as well. If it is Afghanistann it was OEF, it it was Iraq it was OIF.

However, in 2005, things started getting blurred. So it you have served from 2005 on- it is called OIF, because they just started calling all service over there that. So this could be why you think of OIF and most people who you will talk to will call it OIF, because of that 2005 thing. The only reason I even know this is because my first tour was on a ship in 2003, then I returned on ground in 2006- so I learned the distinction between the huge time gap.

Good luck and thanks for your service as well!

DietrichVonQuint

OIF is Iraqi Freedom. Did you support the Iraqi Campaign? OEF is Afghanistan. Did you support the mission in Afghanistan? Also look on your DD-214, What medals were you authorized?

alexander m

if you were in iraq during the current invasion/occupation, then your an OIF vet. if you were in afghanistant during or after we invaded, your an OEF vet. if both, then your both. if neither, then neither.
hmm. if you flew into their airspace then i guess your a oif/oef vet. i think its somewhat cheap to give the same title someone who flew above the countries at a safe distance the same title taht youd give someone who ran missions there 7 days a week for 16 months strait...but i guess thats how life goes.

Mr Puma

Look in your personnel file or if you have copies of your orders, it should say which you were action you were involved in at what period. It's a fair possibility that you are a Vet of both. But that doesn't mean you get double the benefits.
On a personal note, and this goes for everybody. Keep copies of ALL your paperwork in a safe place that you can get to if needed. The military as always had this big black hole that records seem to get lost in. If it wasn't for my copies of my records, I would be buried at Arlington. Some how I came up on a report that I was dead and my 201 file was missing. It was found six months later (you don't know how lucky I was) on board a Navy Cruiser. I was in the Army.

Mike

You are both OIF and OEF.

Ryan M

Neither. If you never set foot within Iraq or Afghanistan then you are neither. I am supporting the mission in Iraq from Florida technically. What hostile fire do troops in the UAE come under?

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