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

[scottyfox]

Add to that, former tan or maroon berets not even being allowed to wear it when no longer serving in that particular unit.

[gerbalfarm]

Following that line of thought than we should all run around in t-shirts and sneakers. Since, except for those of players who are members of the forces, we haven't earned the right to impersonate any soldier because we haven't gone through basic.
We all play dress up to impersonate the impression of what ever miltary group we admire and respect. There is a saying that goes something like" Imitation is the finest form of flattery" or some such. Not one of us wears any peice of kit as a form of disrespect to the military, it's members or the blood, sweat and tears they shed for their accomplishments. To the contrary it's because we admire, respect them and what they do so much that we choose to imitate them when we play.

[HKGhost]

Well said.

Originally Posted by gerbalfarm

Following that line of thought than we should all run around in t-shirts and sneakers. Since, except for those of players who are members of the forces, we haven't earned the right to impersonate any soldier because we haven't gone through basic.
We all play dress up to impersonate the impression of what ever miltary group we admire and respect. There is a saying that goes something like" Imitation is the finest form of flattery" or some such. Not one of us wears any peice of kit as a form of disrespect to the military, it's members or the blood, sweat and tears they shed for their accomplishments. To the contrary it's because we admire, respect them and what they do so much that we choose to imitate them when we play.

[pusangani]

+1 ^

also, I played alongside these 6CBG guys at Border Wars II and I have to say they are some of the most professional and likeable guys I ever met since I started playing.

They took the most boring job of defending the Canadian base and just held that position all day with ZERO complaints.

I don't know what this red hat business is about, I'm not an army nerd, but those guys are good people in my book.

Uniform is the same as patches/ranks etc to me.

We are all "posers" to some extent or the other, some people just like looking more like the real thing.

[Fuurin Kazan]

I don't usually come in to post, as I can't stand drama... However, as Gerbalfarm stated, this is Flattery in it's finest. I personally do not proclaim to be any member of any military, militia or police force, nor will I ever. Having grown up in the military, and having lost several family friends to the opposition, I have been raised with a serious respect and admiration for the forces, in any facet they exist in.

But this is a game that reflects the military. And we choose to play it in a simulated environment. Thus the term MilSim, as far as I can see. We put on camoflage that is in use by a variety of different military forces, police forces, and militia. We use guns that are in use by the same, and are sometimes identical down to the logos on the body. Some of us also like to take not only the peripheral aspect into the field, but the mental and structural aspect. I see these as all real and personal property of the same item.

Personally for me, over the last while, being immersed in the SIMULATION of a military op, has helped me build self confidence and self worth. Being included in something with structure and order that doesn't exist in the same facet in civilian life... If even for a weekend, has been a fantastic experience for me. And I wonder... Why someone would call that a bad thing.

I have never earned any MILITARY INSIGNIA. Ever. And I likely never will... Because i'm not in the military. But it's pretty easy to buy.

Again. I have never, and will never tell someone that I belong to something I do not, just to look cool. I will, however, tell someone that I belong to a group of outstanding individuals with deep and strong core values, that care greatly about the sport we all partake in, and want to see it succeed.

This has been far too long, and will likely be passed over for smaller posts, but I feel I've gotten out what I have to say. It is only intended to share my view, and not to cause aggrivation or offence in any readers. Thanks for reading.

[Kokanee]

If someone wanted to get together a Canadian kit and emulate a CF soldier, I see no problems with it. What chaps my ass is when I see reserves/reg force serving members running around in their issue combats/gear with full rank and insignia etc. It's bad enough that the bdu's are a no-go themselves, but for pete's sake at least take off your nametag and rank!

[Rugger_can]

Frankly we are all playing pretend, if you want to dress up like a specific branch of a specific nation's military then giver. Just make sure to give credit where credit is due and never call yourself a member of that branch or unit. Naming your team word for word after a real world unit is jackassery and shows a lack of respect, if you want a word for word name then add impressionists or Re-creationists.

EG.. Fake team name that implies the impression.

"1st Ottawa Airsoft Ranger Battalion Alpha Coy."


Real Team name that specifies impression.

"Ottawa Seal Team 6 impressionists"


And frankly if your going to do an impression for your team then set a minimum requirement and stick to it and deport yourself in a manner while wearing said kit that is respectful to that unit.

[Stonekiller]

Having Served in the Reg Force, and now as a reservist, I can understand the animosity that some people here have towards teams wearing insignia and what not that they haven't "earned". There is a lot of pride in earning your proper cap badge and not have to wear the corn flake, just like there is pride in earning your jump wings, and beret. However I fail to see how someone wearing a maroon beret, and T-shirt that isn't "qualified" detracts from your accomplishments. You know you are qualified, and you earned your right to wear the hat.

I am also a member of 6CBG and wear my Maroon Beret with pride because of what it is meant to represent, a homage to the Canadian Airborne Regiment and the soldiers that served in that unit. Not a single person that hasn't actually earned the accoutrement has ever claimed they have and would never out of respect to those on my team that have. If you have a problem with this PM me or PM any member of 6CBG and they will tell you the same thing. We do it with respect and if that isn't enough for some then well we can't make everyone happy.

[Kokanee]

Originally Posted by Stonekiller

...
I am also a member of 6CBG and wear my Maroon Beret with pride because of what it is meant to represent, a homage to the Canadian Airborne Regiment and the soldiers that served in that unit. Not a single person that hasn't actually earned the accoutrement has ever claimed they have and would never out of respect to those on my team that have. If you have a problem with this PM me or PM any member of 6CBG and they will tell you the same thing. We do it with respect and if that isn't enough for some then well we can't make everyone happy.

That was a very well worded explanation of your position; and I think (well for me anyway) outlines the general idea;

it's airsoft, if you're not hurting anyone/running around saying you're airborne/patrolling down public roads in your kit then what's the harm?

[Drake]

Holy shit, are we now beating this dead horse's bones into a fine powder?

Should the RCMP come out and arrest me on terrorism charges if I play wearing mujahaddin gear? Shit, should hockey fans not be allowed to wear their team's jerseys? They sure as hell didn't make it into the NHL, much less the team.

Are we going to become like bikers and kill anyone who wears a club's patch that they didn't earn?

I don't personally wear rank, I find it pretentious. Similarly I don't wear skill or unit tabs and rockers and it annoys me a bit when people just throw them on to a hodgepodge ensemble for the "look cool" poser factor (again, pretentious) -- although I don't mind it so much if it's someone who's put together a respectable impression, because then it has a place (same as with re-enactors).

The people that had the row against Lerch for his impression, while I understand where they were coming from, were total pricks about it -- and they did more to damage the image of British soldiers in that one thread than people wearing Brit impressions ever did. Their attitude was downright shameful.

But honestly, a beret color? While I understand the significance, the same argument could then be applied to camo patterns (i.e., you didn't earn the privilege to wear CadPat/MarPat/UCP/DPM/AusCam/whatever) and then we're down to wearing speedball jerseys and RealTree (until some hunters whine we aren't really hunters).

If you're wearing insignia (or even a full uniform) off the field then yeah, you're doing something wrong, but on the field? It's part of the game. If you wanna rail against something go back a few pages and check out the picture of Matt Leblanc sporting the CAR t-shirt on TV; now that's fucked up.

[zollen]

It is called battle-simulation (aka role-playing). There is nothing wrong to dress up for role-playing. Someone once said Airsoft is 80% cosmetic, 20% utility. You do not see anybody carry a cylindrical tube with a trigger for Airsoft, do you?

[Tubyboulin]

Originally Posted by ceebs

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.

I'm sorry, but I find this just a bit silly. You don't sign up and go through training to get a fancy hat, you do it to become a paratrooper for your country. An Airsofter wearing the Beret is not a paratrooper, nor is he serving his country. I don't expect he claims to be doing either of those thing, anyways. You are, though. That's where the respect is. It's your actions, not your hat or your badge. Nobody can buy what you have as a paratrooper. Maybe i'm wrong because i've never served, but i'd put more weight in the fact that i'm serving, as apposed to being presented with an article of clothing.

As stated numerous times in this thread by other people, personally I think it just becomes innapropriate when someone wearing the gear starts taking credit for the actions of the people, instead of just respectfully recreating their kit.

As well, Medals and Class A uniforms are something I don't think should be worn in airsoft, but whatever.

/my 2 cents

[Wilson]

HT doesn't wear CADPAT for this reason.

[doc_pathfinders]

wear the patches/insignia et.al. and say you earned them when you didn't = kicking
wear the patches/insignia et.al. and say you didn't earn them but it's part of the simulation = ok

i've met a few players that have created an alternate life in which they were 'specal forzes' (miss-spelling intended) and THEY are the ones who need to be dragged to hell and back.

the other end of the spectrum is a guy who picks up some army surplus and it has a few patches sewn onto the shirt/smock etc.. he's not pretending he earned them and likely doesn't know anything about them, they're just part of the 'camo' he bought.

the majority of the animosity comes from the training guys get through basic/selection, they automatically presume that these people wear the kit to pretend they are part of the unit that took blood, sweat and tears to become a part of. i have never found someone who resent people who simulate, but i know many who resent pretenders..

here endeth the sermon!

[RecceGod]

keep it on the field. we all know it's for pretend... otherwise we'd be shooting each other with real guns right?