# As CIC, is trump now a veteran? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2017, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212 "2017-02-19T05:38:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/21 "2017-02-19T20:03:30Z")
Okay, I’ve changed my mind: [QUOTE=cited regulations] (6) Any veteran who served on active duty (other than active duty for training) and who held any of the following positions: (i) President or Vice President of the United States; [/QUOTE] It would seem superfluous to hold that acting as CIC means that one is a “veteran” and “served on active duty” solely by virtue of being President when the regulations require both statuses. The implication is that one does not automatically satisfy the other. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/22 "2017-02-20T09:44:17Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > From the regulations already cited: I don’t think that actually covers Jackie Kennedy’s grave. She has her own separate grave next to her husband. I don’t think regular folks get that. Which is why there’s no telling whether Trump would be eligible or not. The rules for everyone else were not followed the last time a president was buried there, so there’s no reason to think they would be again. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/23 "2017-02-20T17:19:55Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I don’t think that actually covers Jackie Kennedy’s grave. She has her own separate grave next to her husband. I don’t think regular folks get that. What do the regular folks get? Do they have to share a casket or something? I’m not being snarky, but doesn’t everyone have their “own separate grave”? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/24 "2017-02-20T17:26:54Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > What do the regular folks get? Do they have to share a casket or something? I’m not being snarky, but doesn’t everyone have their “own separate grave”? Often family members are interred in the same plot, or at least they used to be. I tracked down a single family grave from the late 1800s that had four adults and three children in it. I believe the caskets were stacked as new burials were made. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/25 "2017-02-20T17:56:09Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Often family members are interred in the same plot, or at least they used to be. I tracked down a single family grave from the late 1800s that had four adults and three children in it. I believe the caskets were stacked as new burials were made. Right, but I can’t imagine this was done at Arlington. Of course, I could be wrong, but it would seem that burying caskets on top of caskets would lead the later burials to be too close to ground level, causing a horrific sight when an animal has disinterred your loved one and drug pieces of the corpse all over the cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/26 "2017-02-20T18:01:25Z")
Service as President or Cabinet Secretary of War/Defense/navy/etc. does not by itself vest in you the status of Veteran for entitlement purposes. Serving in the Armed Forces as an enlisted member or warrant or commissioned officer and complyingwith certain service time and status requirements does. And even in the case of the other post-WW2 Presidents who \*had \*Veteran status and have passed away (Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan), the heirs have not sought to muscle in for an Arlington gravesite, choosing instead mausoleums at their presidential library/museum sites or in LBJ’s case at the family cemetery at LBJ Ranch, which itself then was made part of LBJ National Park (AFAIK Carter has expressed he wishes to be buried at his hometown cemetery in Plains and GHWBush41 at his Presidential Library). They \*would \*have been entitled to burial at the National Cemetery that corresponded to their retirement domicile or hometown of record. But why try and wrangle space befitting a President that will end up eating up land that could be used for several other worthy eligible vets, when you can have a whole family mausoleum done to your specs by donors at a building dedicated to _you_? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/27 "2017-02-20T20:57:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Wikipedia has a list of [notable civilians buried at Arlington National Cemetery.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_buried_at_Arlington_National_Cemetery#Notable_civilians) Fascinating link. I had not idea that author Dashiell Hammett, boxer Joe Louis, and actor Lee Marvin – all American armed-service veterans – were buried in Arlington. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/28 "2017-02-20T21:33:38Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Right, but I can’t imagine this was done at Arlington. Apparently it is still done. From [this site](https://www.dvs.virginia.gov/cemeteries/cemetery-information/): > [@](#): > > No Cost; USDVA double depth concrete crypts are provided at no cost to the veteran/eligible dependents, these units will fit only a standard size casket. These are the same units used at Arlington/Quantico National cemeteries. “Double-depth” graves are those intended to [accommodate two caskets, one on top of the other.](http://www.utahsfuneralplanningsite.com/dd_burial.jpg) [Such graves are standard in the funeral industry.](http://www.remembranceprocess.com/a-familys-guide-to-burial/) > [@](#): > > DOUBLE DEPTH: A grave can be designed to accommodate double depth or more. This is very common and widely accepted. It allows for more burials while using less land space and can be a good option when space is limited. It may also be a less expensive option because of the space savings and the additional ease of care. Given the space limitations at Arlington, I would think that double-depth burials of spouses might be a common option. > [@](#): > > Of course, I could be wrong, but it would seem that burying caskets on top of caskets would lead the later burials to be too close to ground level, causing a horrific sight when an animal has disinterred your loved one and drug pieces of the corpse all over the cemetery. In earlier times the body might not be embalmed, and the casket would be made of wood and not that sturdily built. As the casket and its contents decayed, the space they took up would collapse, causing the grave to settle. There would be plenty of space for later burials, if they took place after a few years. As I said, I know for a fact that one of my family graves contains seven burials: my great-grandfather, my great-grandmother, her sister, her sister’s husband, and three of their children (two infants and a 4-year old). They were poor Irish immigrants and all died in the space of 6 years between 1884 and 1890, and are buried in Calvary Cemetery in New York City. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/29 "2017-02-20T21:57:38Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The President of the US is Commander In Chief of the military. He has ultimate authority over the military, but he is not a member of the military. The president is a civilian, and holds no military rank (Command In Chief is not a military rank). This is the answer, and it’s kind of important, in the sense that the US Military is under strict civilian control (i.e. the President and Secretary of Defense). That said, Presidents are eligible for burial at Arlington, although only two so far have availed themselves of that privilege- William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/30 "2017-02-20T22:45:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > This is the answer, and it’s kind of important, in the sense that the US Military is under strict civilian control (i.e. the President and Secretary of Defense). In order to keep this so, Eisenhower, who as a 5-star had a lifetime post, resigned his commission (NOT “retired”) to become President, and was reinstated in commission and rank by JFK and Congress after leaving office. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/31 "2017-02-21T02:25:59Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Well, he did receive a Purple Heart. :rolleyes: Some people are saying he is designing himself a new CIC uniform. I can hardly wait to see it! (Lots of gold, I would bet) ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/32 "2017-02-22T00:03:38Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > What do the regular folks get? Do they have to share a casket or something? I’m not being snarky, but doesn’t everyone have their “own separate grave”? My Grandmother is buried in the same grave as my Grandfather in Arlington. Her casket is below my grandfather’s as she predeceased him. The headstone lists my grandfather on the front and my grandmother on the back. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/33 "2017-02-22T00:35:15Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > That’s like the answer to the question of, when the plane crashes on the border, where you bury the survivors, right? It’s probably safe to assume that, when Trump is in a condition where he’s ready for burial, he will be a former president. Eh. I’m not against it. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/34 "2017-02-22T03:54:01Z")
Donald Trump shall be given a post- mortem enema and buried in a cigar box. No cite. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/35 "2017-02-22T04:30:13Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Donald Trump shall be given a post- mortem enema and buried in a cigar box. > > No cite. **Moderator Warning** **Claude Remains** , you’ve been around long enough to know that political jabs are not permitted in GQ. This is an official warning. Do not do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/36 "2017-02-22T21:26:07Z")
The usual abbreviation for commander-in-chief is CINC, not CIC. > [@Colibri](#): > > Supreme Court Justices Warren Burger, Harry Blackmun, and Thurgood Marshall are buried in Arlington but never served in the military. And Taft had served as President and Secretary of War before serving as Chief Justice of the United States, which, in 1930, probably strengthened his claim to burial at Arlington. ---
**Author:** ![barath\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@barath\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barath_s)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212/37 "2017-02-24T04:35:22Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > In order to keep this so, Eisenhower, who as a 5-star had a lifetime post, resigned his commission (NOT “retired”) to become President, and was reinstated in commission and rank by JFK and Congress after leaving office. Also remember the first general to set this tradition, George Washington. He got reappointed by Adams after his presidency and got a retrospective promotion courtesy Congress in 1978… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-cic-is-trump-now-a-veteran/780212.md?page=1)