Rights of the Roman soldier

[Carlton Bach]

On your question I found this in Rowan's Osprey Warrior No. 71:

"White haired men, many who have lost a limb from wounds, are in their thirtieth and fortieth year of service. Even after discharge their soldiering does not end, but remaining under the standards [i.e. vexilla veteranorum] they continue to endure the old hardships under a different name."

(Tacitus, Ann., 1.17)

I'd be careful extrapolating from that. The Romans must have had different standards of what constituted being an invalid from, us, but Tacitus' account of the mutinies refers to a time of recruitment shortage, not standard practice throughout.

@ Duncan: Thanks!