This study aimed to validate the Impact of Event Scale (IES) using a sample of Second World War and Korean War veterans (N= 281), all of whom had experienced combat 40–50 years previously. Principal component analysis replicated the two‐factor (intrusion and avoidance) structure demonstrated by previous validation studies. Both factors had high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha for intrusion = .86, avoidance = .73). The correlation between the subscales was .64. The overall scale successfully predicted levels of psychological distress. These results provide further evidence that the IES is a useful instrument for assessing the impact of trauma across a range of populati