Why you don't wear Military Insignia you haven't earned..

[ex]

This entire thread just makes me chuckle. I remember my first couple of years in the Forces to. I had a hard on for any civvie I saw wearing combat pants cut off into shorts let alone wearing rank and skill badges. I think this mindset is drilled into you from the very beggining that you are special and that the long haired dope smoking sons of jesus are out there to fuck with you and mock you. If anything allot of airsofters really enjoy the "dress up" factor and getting every detail just right from a certain unit. There is nothing wrong with that at all. Personally I am entitled to wear several U.S skill tabs on top of my Canadian ones but I dont feel the need to bash anyone for wearing them to a fucking airsoft game. Now I do see some people wearing the ranger tab and my blood does run a bit hot but in the end I really dont give a fuck, it's a game, period. Pointe finale. move on guy's there are more important problems out there in this world. Like why isnt steak and blow job day announced on the radio so that my wife will believe me that it really exists. Just my two cents worth lads, but take it from an old fucker like me, this shit is trivial at best.

[Blitzz40]

Wow 11 pages thread!!

Here's a quick definition of what earning means :

To gain especially for the performance of service, labor, or work.
To acquire or deserve as a result of effort or action.
To gain through hard work and the accumulation of experience, often in the face of difficulties.

In the CF thats also mean to gain with honor and valor by risking their life and dying for their country. Their patches and insignias represent all of that.

Knowing that some of the CF members here of ASC dont like the idea and feel like shit about it, should be enough for everyone for not wearing them.

I also know that some peoples will wear them in game because they are proud of our Canadian Forces and want to represent them. But remember, those insignia and patches are not meant for fans or posers. They represent way more than that for the people who serves in the CF.

For myself i will never wear any CF official military insignia or patches that i havent earned. Its simply a question of respect and recognition, as a Canadian, for those who and will risk their life for us to be safe at home. Its also a question of knowing who i am, i dont wear what i dont deserve, even in a game.

Instead i show my respect by supporting them and by respecting the earned insignias and patches. I have a good friend in Afghanistan now and i surely think that i own him this respect, to him and all the Canadian military there. Im very proud of them and thats the least i can do.

I think there is enough custom patches and insignias on the market today for peoples to make the right choices.

My 2 cents.

[Ouklae]

Honestly if someone wants to dress in CADPAT or full gear for airsoft, I have no problem with that. It's their right, it does look a bit cool and I won't get my panties in a bunch over it. Anyone wearing it down the street because they think they're cool, I'll secretly chuckle in my head as I find people who dress like that are amusing in a 'sad' way...but I won't stop them nor be outraged.

However I do draw the line when it comes to insignia and ranks. Mainly because they are looking too much like an actual trained soldier that many people could mistake them for one. There's a fine line between looking similar, and looking identical. When you add real insignias and ranks, you're now dangerously close to the real thing. Within and arisoft game, I could tolerate it (as much as I don't like it) but might inform them that they shouldn't leave the area dressed like that since they shouldn't walk around dressed completely like a soldier. First someone could give them trouble for impersonating a soldier/officer, second other CF members could be offended or outraged, third people could mistake them as a soldier very easy, and finally any actions they do will reflect on the CF even though they're not involved in it. The last one is most important. If someone dressed like a soldier went around being very unprofessional, it will not look good on the CF.

Anyway I ramble on. Long story short, dressing in CADPAT for these events are alright, wearing it in the civie world makes you look foolish...wearing real insignia and ranks is inappropriate as more could actually mistake you as a soldier...and it's not really fair to those who actually have it.

[twsmith]

Fucking ridiculous argument. Ranks/insignia are to identify soldiers to other soldiers, your average person on the street has no idea what they mean. If you're dressing up like a soldier in the company of others for the purposes of milsim/re-enactment then who gives a shit? If your doing so in public or in the presence of the real deal, then you deserve whatever shit you get.

Oops... dead thread revival!

[Knightwarrier]

oh sure Smith, ..... stirring the shoit! I make my own badges so I don't worry about it, It's not like I go to an airsoft field and expect to see a real decorated soldier there. Most of the kids I play with are half my age. :{ In my younger years I'd wanna be part of some US special forces squad but these days I'm happy with the ones from our club and the ones I've made.

[ujiro]

If I ever wore the insignia of a specific regiment or any such thing, I would be wearing it because I hold the utmost respect of that unit, and admire them. It would be to show my respect, gratitude, and also my envy of who they are, what they represent, and what they have achieved. However, in my opinion, it is the rank where I would never wear, especially if wearing the specific insignia. Wearing the rank at the same time is going as far to visually claiming or having it be assumed you are in said unit. That is why I would never wear anything displaying a rank which I didn't hold.

Although in all honesty, just to avoid disrespecting everyone, I choose not to wear any official insignia at all. This is not because I am afraid of being flamed or yelled at, but more just that if that is what those people want as a way for us to show them respect, then it is the least we can do.

Lesson is: if there are people in the armed forces who find it disrespectful for you to wear insignia, then show them the respect they deserve, and don't wear them. If you claim to be wearing the patches/insignia as a sign of respect, then prove your respect by taking them off.

[ceebs]

Sorry to res erect a dead threat but I didn't know where to post this and it really pissed me off. So I was on our local site recently hadn't been on for a while due to work and noticed something that really pissed me off and I need to vent. This is to 6CBG personal, Just wondering what gives you the right to wear maroon berets? I understand that you have many current serving members of the forces and many former airborne that's cool but why the f**k are you wearing maroon berets. I have to earn my maroon beret what did you do for yours? I know how much the maroon beret means to the guy in my unit that wear it and I don't think they would appriciate a whole bunch of fat useless civies wearing them with airborne tshirts. I'm all for airsim and trying to be as tacticool as possible without doing the real thing but there are things that are to much and you have crossed the line. If you wanna wear the maroon beret join the military come out to 3VP A Coy and become a paratrooper. I'm working towards getting mine but its nice to know civies can just go out and buy what I have to earn and sacrifice for. This just really pissed me off and wanted to see what others think about it.

[ex]

You've got a ranger tab in your Sig dude. There's Ranger q'd people here that probably don't take to kindly to that either. That said your qualms are founded and If they are in fact wearing the AB Tshirt along with the Maroon beret and CB it's just plain wrong.

[ThunderCactus]

Our team name is Manitoba Rangers, and we happen to wear a ranger tab, but we certainly don't go around stating we've taken a ranger course of ANY kind. I'm actually phasing the tab out of the banners, and Jared's using a really OLD banner lol
We do respect them and their training.
The difference between the guys with the berets and us is, if someone with ACTUAL ranger qualification asked me to take it off in the field, I'd do so without question and out of respect.

[iceman3994]

Funny how the 6CBG witch hunt started once a teammate was called out for not calling hits at Mason Relic.

One they don't wear the Canadian jump wings. They do not wear the Canadian Airborne Regiment Cap Badge. They have different tabs on their epaulets.

But since 6CBG was not the only ones wearing Maroon Berets as ESS and Green Devil from Lethbridge and his troops, why single them out? The 6CBG group has been wearing if for almost 5 years and now you, also from Manitoba, wish to make a big deal about it? This is airsoft. Lets act like airsofters and leave this type of BS off the boards. Not really improving the sport.

Why not get rid of Multicam because that is what the US Army will be wearing. Get rid of CADPAT. I think your basically grinding an axe because you were caught cheating.

I don't hear of people complaining about a CSOR team or a JTF team so I think this is just a waist of time over a piece of head dress.

[Gunk]

It's true what they say about old uni... I mean threads.

[FOX_111]

I don't see anything wrong with wearing a kit that impersonate in detail a division of the military. As long as the persone does not pretend being in it for real and respect the image he is trying to impersonate by acting accordingly.

I understand the guys in the force that have to earn their badge and berret. To get it mean that you are expected to be that good. On the airsoft feild, there is no expectations, except to show on time, call your hit and shut the fuck up when you are dead.

Personnaly, I'm tired of the drama. When it's outside the field, that's another story.

[Gato]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

I understand the guys in the force that have to earn their badge and berret. To get it mean that you are expected to be that good.

That's exactly it, when you sweat, toil, run yourself into the ground and bleed to earn something, you wouldn't want to see some guy wear it as little more than what ammounts to reasons of fashion

[Lerch]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

I don't see anything wrong with wearing a kit that impersonate in detail a division of the military. As long as the persone does not pretend being in it for real and respect the image he is trying to impersonate by acting accordingly.

I understand the guys in the force that have to earn their badge and berret. To get it mean that you are expected to be that good. On the airsoft feild, there is no expectations, except to show on time, call your hit and shut the fuck up when you are dead.

Personnaly, I'm tired of the drama. When it's outside the field, that's another story.

See...I remember making that argument about 3 or 4 years back when I was slagged and targeted on MP.net for wearing British kit with badges and insignia...

Now I'm on the other side of the fence and I see what everyone was talking about, even a cornflake was alot of work to get, and I've gone years past it now...really, you won't understand just how important these small trinkets are unless you've either served or are currently serving.

[FOX_111]

I can understand. Where I work, in the detention centers, they have the earn the rights and previlege for everything. Even going to the bathroom.
They get it by hard work on their behaviour, not physical endurance and competence.

But I drill it daily to them. Like a drill instructor if you like.
So I consider myself in a good place to understand a soldier that was considered less important than a maggot to start with, that had to get the respect to wear the badges, berret and other trinkets.

But that's in a context that is not relevant to the game of airsoft. Because at an extent, our very BDU could be seen as underserved by a fat, out of shape civilian. Only because he did not set foot on a base and never did BMQ. Where does it stop?

We all play soldiers. Some like to replicate certain branch of the military. Let them have their fun. Collect the stuff and use it for a day and let them think they look good in it. We all know an airsofter by the way he pose in the picture and how he move on the field anyway. The real bad-ass will never get mixed up for an airsofter!