2023 New York Laws › GCN - General Construction › Article 2 - Meaning of Terms › 13-A - Armed Forces of the United States.

§ 13-a. Armed forces of the United States. "Armed forces of the United
  States"  means  the  army, navy, marine corps, air force and coast guard
  including all components thereof, and the national  guard  when  in  the
  service  of  the  United  States  pursuant  to  call as provided by law.
  Pursuant to this definition no person shall be considered  a  member  or
  veteran  of  the  armed  forces  of  the United States unless his or her
  service therein is or was on a full-time active duty basis,  other  than
  active  duty  for training or he or she was employed by the War Shipping
  Administration or Office of Defense Transportation or their agents as  a
  merchant   seaman  documented  by  the  United  States  Coast  Guard  or
  Department of Commerce, or as a civil servant  employed  by  the  United
  States  Army  Transport Service (later redesignated as the United States
  Army Transportation Corps, Water Division) or the  Naval  Transportation
  Service;  and  who  served  satisfactorily  as  a crew member during the
  period of armed conflict, December seventh, nineteen hundred  forty-one,
  to  August  fifteenth,  nineteen  hundred  forty-five,  aboard  merchant
  vessels in oceangoing, i.e., foreign, intercoastal, or coastwise service
  as such terms are defined under federal law (46 USCA 10301 & 10501)  and
  further  to include "near foreign" voyages between the United States and
  Canada, Mexico, or the West Indies via ocean routes, or  public  vessels
  in  oceangoing  service  or  foreign  waters  and  who  has  received  a
  Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active  Duty  and  a  discharge
  certificate,  or  an  Honorable  Service Certificate/Report of Casualty,
  from the Department of Defense or he or she served as  a  United  States
  civilian  employed  by  the  American  Field Service and served overseas
  under United States Armies and United States Army Groups in world war II
  during the period of armed conflict, December seventh, nineteen  hundred
  forty-one  through  May eighth, nineteen hundred forty-five, and (i) was
  discharged or released therefrom under honorable conditions, or (ii) has
  a qualifying condition, as defined  in  section  one  of  the  veterans'
  services  law,  and  has  received a discharge other than bad conduct or
  dishonorable from such service, or (iii) is a discharged  LGBT  veteran,
  as  defined  in  section  one  of  the  veterans'  services law, and has
  received a discharge other than bad conduct or  dishonorable  from  such
  service, or he or she served as a United States civilian Flight Crew and
  Aviation Ground Support Employee of Pan American World Airways or one of
  its  subsidiaries  or  its affiliates and served overseas as a result of
  Pan  American's  contract  with  Air  Transport  Command  or  Naval  Air
  Transport   Service  during  the  period  of  armed  conflict,  December
  fourteenth,  nineteen  hundred  forty-one  through  August   fourteenth,
  nineteen  hundred  forty-five,  and  (iv)  was  discharged  or  released
  therefrom under honorable conditions, or (v) has a qualifying condition,
  as defined in section  one  of  the  veterans'  services  law,  and  has
  received  a  discharge  other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such
  service, or (vi) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one
  of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge  other  than
  bad conduct or dishonorable from such service.