I’m a vietnam vet. And, like many other vets, after being discharged I wore my fatigues and khakis while attending college and working till they were wore out. Well, ok, also till I “out grew” them, lol.
Pandoras, like most vets I don’t like impersonators. But, we need to approach this with caution. Uniform attire can be purchased in surplus stores, Salvation Army, Good Will, etc, by anyone. And, students like to wear them with patches as decoration.
All that needs to happen is for some over zealous vet to jump some young person and rough him up and we could loose much of the good will we have going for us. Just saying, proceed with caution.....
I’d have no problem with a student wearing it as long no false claim to being a vet was made.
When I was discharged I put on my civi’s and never wore my uniform again.
There is an individual who frequents our local food market in upstate NY wearing a USMC Viet Nam Vet hat and satine jacket with huge globe and anchor emblem. I got into a conversation with him in the checkout line one day and asked he where he was when he was “in country” and what outfit. He told me a few blatant lies, clearly had no clue about RVN. I let it go. He still comes in to the store wearing his “uniform”. He is a fantasy veteran. There seem to be a lot of them. He wasn’t begging for money. This issue makes me crazy.
I read that one of the considerations of uniform design is the potential for sales in the civilian clothing market.
Another uniform design is in the works for the Army, to replace the ACU. Once it rolls out, look for it to become a new fashion trend among those who like military style clothing.
second - I wear a field jacket when the weather is chilly om April (here in the north) - it fits nice and I like the deep pockets for all my crap. My preferred pants in the summer are khaki bdu's or chocolate chips, particularly if I'm tromping through the woods at camp...again - pockets for all my crap. My pant size is 44/29....try finding regular pants that give in the waistline like bdu's LOL. I am not a veteran. I'm of the opinion that the pants or a jacket is fine if worn separately....But matching camo jacket, pants, shirt and hat are wrong when worn by civilians and misleading as it presents a complete image
I agree with Snoringbear. This issue makes me a little uncomfortable. In this case the guy was trying to use his “status” to beg for money, but there are so many veterans programs out there you can almost bet that if they are panhandling they’re either mentally ill or not a real veteran.
If a guy tells girls he meets in bars he’s a surgeon, but he’s not and he actually doesn’t try to do surgery, what’s it to us? The guy’s a liar and a fraud and truth will tell. It’s how I feel about this “stolen valor” issue—the lies and the fraud are the problem, not the fact they’re really not a vet. That’s just the pathetic lie of a loser.
The fact is that we are not heroes and we do not merit greater status than any other citizens. With the exception of those relative few veterans with debilitating injuries - and I mean truly debilitating - nobody owes us another dime. Those of us who served in uniform, and especially those of us who survived the crucible of combat, should be building our society instead of taking from it. Semper Fidelis.