Respect of wearing surplus?

[RaWarrior]

Here's a bit of a question for anyone who is/was in the armed forces.

I recently bought a M65 field jacket from a local surplus store. Why surplus? Because in my experience military stuff is high quality, and usually cheap. I got this jacket in great condition for $25. I've also got a pair of (new) current issue combat boots...again, great boots for I believe $20.

The name tape and ranks on the jacket had been removed(I did JROTC in high school so I know a bit about the uniform stuff), but the branch tape (US Army), the reverse flag, and one patch on the left shoulder was left on. I looked up the patch(which was four starts radiating around a circle), and apparently it was for the 4th Infantry Division from Colorado.

I had never given it another thought, but somebody told me that some active/vets take a lot of offense to civilians wearing anything that has to do with the military(i.e surplus, especially patches), and that wearing the jacket around is likely to get your ass kicked if you come across the wrong person.

Believe me I have all the respect possible for those in the service, and I got the jacket because it was cheap, quality, and practical, not as a fashion statement or to try and pretend like I'm in the Army.

Or is it one of those things that just depends on the person? I'd think if the branches had a problem with civilians wearing old uniforms or such, they wouldn't allow it.

Anybody care to chime in on this?

 

[gamorg02]

i'd be interested in the response as well.

 

[m-cman]

I am a VN vet and have no problem with it. The only thing that might be offensive is the unit patch. If you remove the unit specific patches, there should be no problem. Someone from that unit would probably not like a person wearing that patch that was not in the unit. The generic patches (US Army, flag, etc) should offend no one. Just my opinion...

 

[old timer]

Dont know what the official answer would be but common sense tells you wearing military clothing is OK ( remember the 60's ? ) if you do it with some respect . Wearing tattered uniforms , unit patches upsidedown , commendations and ribbons or anything that would offend or be in bad taste would probably be looked down upon . I wore my clothing after being released in the early 70's and never encountered any problems .

So hell yeah , wear whatever you want , that IS why they have military surplus stores...

 

[Frosty72]

I'm with M-cman on this, remove the unit patch and wear the jacket wherever you want.
I still wear my old BDU pants a lot for working the partime job and I wear my field jacket sometimes in the winter. They last forever, why not use them!
Great for paintball too.

 

[KJShover]

I don't know about down there, but up here I've never heard of a case. Military surplus stores were in an abundance in my town at one time and id say about 3/4s of the hunters wears or uses surplus.

Unfortuneately one of the best "Blondies" the owner was killed by three soldiers, two active and one that just got out, when he told them that he wasn't buying any stuff from them (apparantly they were swiping stuff from the base and looking to move it through him) I think Rocket surplus is still around and there are still several mom and pop type places that you can buy military surplus.

Up here, Bunny boots, MRE's, jackets, and more are a staple in any hunter's or wintertime activity arsenal.

 

[PATMAX]

My older brother served and I got his cold weather gear. I went all through high school and college and no one once said peep, mind you I was 6'3 and 250 lbs. In college I found some black PFC chevrons in my brothers stuff and put them on. It took one of my college professors to ask if I had a social message since I was wearing the rank upside down! Stupid ass that I was didn't know the difference. After that, I took the time to research the subject and turned them around correctly. I never served, don't want to serve and do not pass judgement on anyone either way. I say wear it and be respectful if you do. You should have no problems.

 

[vmaxcruzer]

I agree with m-cman too. I'm a former Marine and still active duty Air Force and if you didn't do the time in the unit you don't deserve the patch. It shouldn't mean anything to you anyway right? But the patriotic symbols are good to go! You are an American. Old mil surplus stuff in general is fine, boots, hats, etc. Someone will no doubt have a problem with unit patches and its not worth the fuss or confrontation. Sometimes roots run deep in some of those insignias and sewn on rank, even among the ones still serving. Semper Fi.

 

[RaWarrior]

Thanks for the input. I've removed the unit patch, since as vmaxcruzer said it has no relevance to me anyway. Honestly I figured wearing an old Army jacket would be more a sign of support than anything else, though I understand how people might not take kindly to seeing a significant patch being worn "casually" by someone who wasn't involved.

I remember as a freshman in JROTC people would always put their ranks on the wrong collar, or put them on upside down....technically I'm a US Army "Cadet Officer"....graduated with a c/CPT rank....AFAIK that means absolutely squat though, lol.

 

[EvilD]

I used to wear a M65 jacket all the time but no patches, nobody ever said a word about it.

 

[Slacker]

When watching border wars this week, I seen a mexican sneaking across the border in a field jacket that had the U S ARMY tag on it. That's disrespectful in my books. They wouldn't give a chit.
I'm a retired SNCO. Don't worry about it. You aren't like burning a flag. I wear my old stuff when out bike riding. I have tons of it to wear out. The pants are great for river fishing and shooting. No, you don't bother me. At least you belong here. I believe there's more important things to worry about in right now, like real border wars and invasion, a mosque erected to celebrate slaughtering 3000 people and an economy that is on the verge of going bust. I'm done. Why do I have this sudden urge to clean my guns?:ummm:

 

[dannymax]

As an old Navy guy I don't mind at all seeing peacoats or other Naval surplus stuff worn by civilians but, like the other guys, want to see things like ships patches, rank, etc. removed.

Hell, it should be re-used, like RA said, it's really first rate stuff that will last forever. unk:

 

[vmaxcruzer]

Aww hell, wear it all. Some or most of the mil gear is good for camping, hunting or crawling around under your car, I do it. But I wouldn't wear a Scuba badge if I weren't a squid from that field. That's a tough career and deserves to be on the right full owner. You get the idea.
It shows a lot of integrity just asking if its respectful from the get go. And I for one appreciate it. So thank you RaWarrior, and your ROTC does stand for something. don't sell yourself short.

 

[Rollie]

Good to remove the unit patch. Keeps those who wore it from saying hi and then asking you questions about things you wouldn't know. Respect goes a long way towards the uniform. Wear it in good health.

 

[MoPure]

During the winter I wear my field jacket all the time with all the patches from Desert Storm still on it. I always wondered if someone would confront me about it and ask questions, but so far nobody has. Good thing too, cuz I can't even remember what fucking unit I was in :bang head: My memory sucks ASS!!

Anyway, the only other patch that could cause any problem may be the reverse flag on the right shoulder insinuating that you were in battle (if I remember that right). If that's not right, then fuck it, wear it!

 

[dannymax]

During the winter I wear my field jacket all the time with all the patches from Desert Storm still on it. I always wondered if someone would confront me about it and ask questions, but so far nobody has. Good thing too, cuz I can't even remember what fucking unit I was in :bang head: My memory sucks ASS!!

Anyway, the only other patch that could cause any problem may be the reverse flag on the right shoulder insinuating that you were in battle (if I remember that right). If that's not right, then fuck it, wear it!

I hear that!! That is one of my two medical problems....terrible short-term memory.

The other is a very poor short-term memory! :rofl_200:

 

[SpecOps13]

I don't have an issue with others wearing military surplus as long as they're doing it with respect. There are some lines you just don't cross. Wearing a Scarlet Red Beret and begging on a street corner isn't advisable. Air Force Combat Controllers just don't do that. We had one here with a very short begging career.

I wear a lot of military cloths myself and agree, the quality is really great. My rain coat and field jacket are 38 years old and going strong.

I don't have any problems with civilians in military surplus unless the wearer is pretending to be something they're not. It only takes a few words to figure that out. Don't tell me you fought in Iraq or Afghanistan and Carried a Hand Held Mini Gun you'll get a response not to your liking.:biglaugh:

 

[Duke86max]

As a Navy Vet I have no problem with it either but like some have said watch what emblems your wearing. The Eagle with a trident is cool but if you don't know about certain things it could get you some trouble. Look at it like this if you went somewhere and bought a badass leather vest and it had certain patches and rockers on the back you would probably cut the patches off and wear the vest right. At least I hope so.
My .02
Later
Duke

 

[SpecOps13]

:biglaugh: I see Sons of Anarchy patches showing up on vests. Ya really gotta be careful with that kind of stuff. The Feds have made up a new offense for 1%ers and other bikers taking those patches. But it's still not a brilliant idea to wear one. There are some things best left alone.

 

[RaWarrior]

Ya, I don't think the "cool" factor from a "gang" patch (even a fictional one) would be worth the attention it could bring. Some areas with gang problems take stuff like that really seriously.

The only patch on my riding jacket is a big Tasmanian Devil on the back.