is it okay to wear US military shirts as a civilian?
I bought two pieces of military shirts/jackets from a thrift store that fit me really nicely. There are some patches in there which I couldn’t figure out what they stand for - should I remove those patches or rock them as they are? Also how do I find if they are current issue - I read that it’s considered inappropriate to wear current issue military gear.
12 Replies
no straight to jail
in all seriousness its fine but remove the patches
woodland is not current issue, and I don't think those marine/navy fatigues are either but im less sure
woodland is from 94-03
Take the patches off for sure
Yes. We don't care
When you say patches, do you mean also the US Army patch? That looks a bit difficult to remove
Seam ripper should do it
they are all sewed on, it isn't hard with a seam ripper
I've done it myself
Personally I would cause I don’t have any direct connection. I would feel weird about it and I would not want to make a veteran feel weird about it
I think honestly more than anything else I also wouldn't really want to rep the army like that lol
Yes absolutely your tax money paid for those clothes in the first place
Keep the patches on if you like them
Tbh just leave them on.
What will happen 9 times out of 10, a vet will ask you did you serve or whatever, and the answer to that question generally dictates whether or not you're in the wrong. If you say "yes, this is my jacket and I was seal team 57 and that's all I can talk about it. My records are all sealed top ultra secret." you're in the wrong. If you immediately say no and then just explain that you like the jacket and you got it from the surplus store, or handed down or whatever, there should be no issue. It's when you pretend to be a veteran and try to use that status to gain something from it. And if you're dealing with an idiot and they get all pissy about, just simply apologize and move on.
The general rule of thumb is not to wear patterns currently in service. The NWU Type 1 was phased out in 2019 but that’s maybe a bit too recent to wear casually.
If you fall into the water in the NWUs they will never find you 😩