§ 13-A — Armed forces of the United States

§ 13-a. Armed forces of the United States. "Armed forces of the United\nStates" means the army, navy, marine corps, air force, space force and\ncoast guard including all components thereof, and the national guard\nwhen in the service of the United States pursuant to call as provided by\nlaw. Pursuant to this definition no person shall be considered a member\nor veteran of the armed forces of the United States unless such member\nor veteran's service therein is or was on a full-time active duty basis,\nother than active duty for training or such member or veteran was\nemployed by the War Shipping Administration or Office of Defense\nTransportation or their agents as a merchant seaman documented by the\nUnited States Coast Guard or Department of Commerce, or as a civil\nservant employed by the United States Army Transport Service (later\nredesignated as the United States Army Transportation Corps, Water\nDivision) or the Naval Transportation Service; and who served\nsatisfactorily as a crew member during the period of armed conflict,\nDecember seventh, nineteen hundred forty-one, to August fifteenth,\nnineteen hundred forty-five, aboard merchant vessels in oceangoing,\ni.e., foreign, intercoastal, or coastwise service as such terms are\ndefined under federal law (46 USCA 10301 & 10501) and further to include\n"near foreign" voyages between the United States and Canada, Mexico, or\nthe West Indies via ocean routes, or public vessels in oceangoing\nservice or foreign waters and who has received a Certificate of Release\nor Discharge from Active Duty and a discharge certificate, or an\nHonorable Service Certificate/Report of Casualty, from the Department of\nDefense or the member or veteran served as a United States civilian\nemployed by the American Field Service and served overseas under United\nStates Armies and United States Army Groups in world war II during the\nperiod of armed conflict, December seventh, nineteen hundred forty-one\nthrough May eighth, nineteen hundred forty-five, and (i) was discharged\nor released therefrom under honorable conditions, or (ii) has a\nqualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans'\nservices law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or\ndishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged LGBT veteran,\nas defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has\nreceived a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such\nservice, or the member or veteran served as a United States civilian\nFlight Crew and Aviation Ground Support Employee of Pan American World\nAirways or one of its subsidiaries or its affiliates and served overseas\nas a result of Pan American's contract with Air Transport Command or\nNaval Air Transport Service during the period of armed conflict,\nDecember fourteenth, nineteen hundred forty-one through August\nfourteenth, nineteen hundred forty-five, and (iv) was discharged or\nreleased therefrom under honorable conditions, or (v) has a qualifying\ncondition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and\nhas received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from\nsuch service, or (vi) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in\nsection one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge\nother than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service.\n