As used in this article, “veteran” means any person who has served in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or as an active nurse in the service of the American Red Cross, or in the Army and Navy Nurse Corps in time of war, or in any expedition of the Armed Forces of the United States, or who served in one of these services during the period September 16, 1940, to December 7, 1941, and received a discharge under conditions other than dishonorable.