Vets, is a non-vet wearing a piece of military garb offensive?

[edhopper]

Practical question. I think the boonie hat is great, light weight, good shade, foldable. I also like the 3 and 6 color desert design2. Truthful, the ones that aren't camo make me look like the "stupid dad going fishing" from some lame commercial.

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A lot of people who did not serve wear military items, but do Vets find this offensive or is it just army surplus?

[snooper2]

1. no more than a floridian wearing a kilt

This is offensive though, that was a perfectly good Firebird

[edhopper]

2. Yeah

but now he can go duck hunting from his car.

[DrDan]

5. went to a Celtic Festival in St Augustine this past Saturday - lots of Floridians in kilts

no one seemed offended to me . . . of course, the irish whiskey and Murphy's might have helped

[Blue_Tires]

13. The sad part is the wheels are an even bigger offense to taste than the camo

I'm glad Mr. DeLorean isn't around to see that...

[MattBaggins]

3. Complete non-issue

[Glorfindel]

4. It doesn't bother me at all.

But, then, I always thought the uniforms were tacky and was glad to be rid of them.

[DrDan]

6. absolutely not

unless the non-vet is parading as a military hero of sorts

[MineralMan]

7. I'm one of those fishermen. I wear a green

boonie hat. I'm also a veteran, and don't give a damn if people wear quasi-military clothing.

In fact, one of my winter jackets is an olive drab Swedish Army Parka. A great buy as surplus, it cost me only $15.00. It's a great, well made jacket, and still has a Swedish shoulder insignia on it.

[okaawhatever]

14. A friend of mine bought a shirt/jacket from a surplus store that was a vintage sailor uniform top

from another country. He went somewhere on post and they wouldn't let him in since he was in "partial military attire". He was like, "this ship has been at the bottom of the drink for years." They still wouldn't let him in. lolz.

[MineralMan]

16. Well, the rules on military bases are not without reasons.

These days, I'm never on a military base, though.

[okaawhatever]

22. Oh no, I agree. It was funny though that someone on active duty would be caught for that. Those

rules are in place for civilians.

[edhopper]

8. Thanks all

you never know, and since it's only a hat, not worth offending Vets by wearing it.
Good to know it's okay.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Hell, I tossed all mine as soon as I got out. Good riddance.

If any of he wannabees had wanted to take my place when I was in, they would have been more than welcome to my clothes, including the skivvies.

[MineralMan]

23. I tossed everything but my fatigues.

I wore those for years while doing yardwork, painting, and other chores. They finally wore out.

I did strip off all insignia, though.

[onehandle]

10. Are codpieces military garb?

[IMG][/IMG]

[Blue_Tires]

11. I bought that exact hat when I was 19 from army surplus

and loved it...stylish and surprisingly durable...

My parents didn't seem to mind, but I remember my uncle being incensed over me wearing it; and even though he didn't force me to get rid of it, I gave the hat away to make him happy...

Neither my parents, my uncle or I ever served, so I don't even remember the reason why he was so displeased with it....

[Lizzie Poppet]

12. Posed this question to my (veteran) dad.

With the qualifier that he can't be bothered to give much of a fuck about what someone else chooses to wear, he said, "wearing decorations and maybe unit insignia you didn't earn has always been the mark of a jackass, but everything else is fair game."

[okaawhatever]

18. ROFL. Your Dad sounds like just about every other military guy I know including my family members nt

[bluedigger]

25. I think your dad nailed it.

[11 Bravo]

15. Not to me. At least as long as I never have to wear it again, and more importantly my sons ...

never have to put it on for the first time, I don't give a shit.

[MadrasT]

17. The opinion of my Army vet husband was...

...it is perfectly OK, but if you buy military garb secondhand, any attached rank insignia should be removed.

Long ago, I had a secondhand green wool long coat (Marine) that I wore all the time, and when I met him, he gave me a severe talking-to about parading around in Sergeant stripes I hadn't earned.



I never wore it again. One of these days, maybe I'll take the stripes off... it just looks so beautiful with the red stripes I can't bear to take them off. But I won't wear it.

Not a vet myself, but I do wear a lot of Army surplus garb, it's practical and comfortable... my M65 field jacket is my favorite piece of clothing, ever. And I am shopping for a boonie hat, myself.

[Vox Moi]

19. No problem with this …

In the Viet Nam era it was not that uncommon for young civilians to wear uniform jackets with stripes on the sleeve.
The only thing what would bother me is anyone - veteran or not - wearing ribbons or medals they did not earn.

BTW: Military field gear (hats, boots, packs) have improved a lot over the years.
It should be so good that civilians would want to use it … not because it is military, but because it's good gear.

[upaloopa]

20. No why should it be offensive?

It's just clothing nothing more. I am a vet

[sibelian]

21. When I was a stude we wore army surplus all the time.

Reason being - it was cheap.

We used to dye it all black, though.

[MO_Moderate]

24. Not offensive to me

USAF
10 years

[Demonaut]

26. no....eom

[Jackpine Radical]

27. In my part of the world, cammies are so common

that nobody pays any attention, and there's nothing about that hat that particularly marks it as military, as opposed to something you bought at a sporting goods store for bowhunting or something.

As a VN vet, I've never had a problem with people wearing odd bits of military gear anyway.

[30cal]

28. I have one of those but it's in a nice blue color for fishing

[edhopper]

29. The Military suppliers sell them new to the public

Since I don't care about "authentic combat" but just like the hat, I would probably buy a new rather than surplus.

[Maedhros]

30. I was traveling through Nebraska on I-80 near Lincoln in the late 90s.

I was helping a friend move to Madison WI from Oregon, back in my dreadlocked hippy activist days. I was wearing my brother's army jacket (no insignia) and we stopped at a rest area.

Some guy in the restroom took it upon himself to lecture me on what a "disgrace" I was bringing to the American Empire by daring to wear an army jacket with long hair.

Apparently, some people do care - A LOT.

I try to stay away from Nebraska now.

[Bandit]

31. As long as they aren't wearing Dress with medals attached

They can wear all the fatigues they wish. Most are civilian anyway, just made to look military. Once they get into wearing real uniforms, that to me is upsetting.

[CVN-68]

32. Doesn't bother me as long as the rank and unit insignia is removed.

U.S. Navy, 35 years.

[TreasonousBastard]

33. As a vet who left all his Army gear in the dumpster...

I'm not offended by anyone wearing this stuff who isn't trying to con us into believing he or she was in the service.

I just wonder why anyone would want to.

(OK, I get that some of it's good stuff, and I get hunting, but for street wear?)

[edhopper]

34. It's a great casual hat for the Street

and covers much more than a baseball cap.
I have very fair skin and sometimes where a broad ban hat, but it is bulky when you go inside.
This one is much more portable.

Why desert camo? I like the way it looks.

[Aristus]

35. Not at all. Army surplus is good, cheap, sturdy clothing.

As with the above vets, I prefer that wearers not also sport insignia and awards, though.

I admit to being a little ticked, although amused as well, when I see pics of those fat, bearded gunfucks waddling around in the woods in Army surplus, trying to live out some pathetic Rambo fantasy. But hey, if that's the only thing that can give their worthless lives some meaning, go for it.

But if a college student or a hunter wants to wear military surplus, I have no problem with that.

[hack89]

36. Uniform items no. Medals and ribbons yes. nt