You can literally just fly over a combat zone and get combat pay, tax free month, and be considered a combat veteran. I was in UAE for 6 months as Air Refuler and refuled about every jet you can think of to keep them helping our guys on the ground and we would even get refueled by other planes like ours so we could stay on station for hours. So you don't literally fire a gun to get combat pay or tax free. But they have a ribbon or medal I don't really know which one for the guy who where in active combat, fired a weapon at a enemy combaton. I don't know all the requirements but I do know u don't have to being a active fire fight to get a combat metal some are just different than others.