Another Insignia question

[Sleepy]

So, I really wish I could keep this under wraps, but the questions are bugging the hell out of me...

Hopefully sometime next year, I will be starting a team here in the Bend/Redmond/Sisters area. I'm planning on basing it on the US Navy SEALs. The team is tentatively titled SEAL Team 15.

Now, you guys know I'm big on realism, and I'm a uniform geek. So I'm considering making the team uniform the otherwise standard BDU of the Navy. Regulation name and branch tapes, Rank insignia (Petty Officers, CPO, and LT), and possibly either the SEAL Trident, or a team patch.

But there are a few issues:

1. I'm under the understanding that wearing an otherwise correct uniform may constitute a federal crime. Impersonating an officer or something like that. What are the limitations on that? While the uniform would be otherwise correct, we would of course acknowledge the fact that we're not ACTUALLY SEALs, just a group of enactors.

One possibility I have entertained is instead of having the regulation branch tape, instead using tapes that say SEAL TEAM 15.

2. Wearing the SEAL Trident is kind of a mixed bag. A lot of people would take it the wrong way, and that could be a problem. We're not trying to belittle the accomplishments of real SEALs. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you know?

The alternative is a team patch logo, similar to those of real SEAL Teams, sewn onto the breast pocket or something.

3. Most photos that I have seen of SEALs in the field, there are little or no markings. No rank, no tapes, no nothing. However, in my brain, I know that if we don't have a uniform with some sort of identifying marks, we'll just look like another gaggle of people in Woodies.

Thoughts on that.

If you'd like to take a look at the full gamut of where the team is at, I'm currently working on the website.

www.freewebs.com/seal-team-15

Also, if you're interested in joining, please send me a PM and let me know, See the Ratings page for what billets are available. I'm limiting the recruitment to 8 total team members, and myself and one other are already there, so I'm looking to have 6 more players by late spring.

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Someone's going to come along and hate on you for this

And someone's going to come along and hate on me for what I'm about to say . . . . . . Ever notice how the Budweiser symbol looks similar to the SEAL thing?


Find a Budweiser, and tell everyone that Bud sponsors your version of BUD/S
You get bonus points, if Budweiser actually sponsors your version of BUD/S...

[Sleepy]

Someone's going to come along and hate on you for this

That is why I ask the question, rather than make assumptions.

And, its my understanding that the slang for the SEAL badge is, in fact, the Budweiser. See Chuck Pfarrer - Warrior Soul.

I'm just gonna go play SOCOM 3 for a few hours. Need to get my daily dose of killin' camel jockies and saving the free world.

[Redmoney]

Its the Anhusier-Bush strike team

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Yeah. I'll put it this way - you're making a fictional unit, thats based off of real units. Theres a ton of keyboard commandos around here who are going to get their panties in a bunch. I would be with them, if you were just another idiot kid who thought that respect could be bought with a tough sounding name - "1337 SEAL Master Chief" or whatever. As you're not an idiot, and I can trust you do to things 'right', I think its a great idea. I mean, shit, you have water in your canteen - so the Seas are always with you, right?

I'll look for that guys book. I'll confess to having read all of Richard Marcinko's books before they became lame (and Pinky Prescott III is what made me think of the Budweiser , I mean who's tool did he have to suck to pass BUD/S?)

[Reyna]

For a little bit shadowfox actually kind of struggled with this because our competition team is moddled after a real US Army SF unit off of the 1st Special forces operational Detachment (DELTA 1st SFOD, which we poorly imitate ) but we found creative ways around it.

First off, unless you're dead set on having their exact patch, make your own design, or at least modify the existing ones to your own taste, if you change it, it can be close as long as its not exact. We took it to then next step as many other teams do and made our own patch had them created, velcroed and distrubuted, it costs about three bucks a patch depending on where you get them.

Secondly as far as rank goes, just don't wear it in public and you should be fine, thats our policy and it just saves hassle. In the field or in training, it really dosn't matter since you're with your boys.

And as far as service tapes go, Yes, put your team name, that is the safest bet, I've seen 100 other teams with it and ShadowFox is no different.

Its worked for us.

~Dirty

[Variable]

Nothing wrong with forming a Navy SEALs team, or being another gaggle of duders in woodland.
And as far as offending... someone will be offended no matter what. A Lot of people freakin hate airsofters in general no matter who you re-enact.

If it were me, I'd go with no tapes or insignia, since I have yet to see a genuine SEAL pic of dudes in the field wearing anything that IDs them as SEALs.

Btw, MP.net is your friend as long as you don't post there.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 638&page=7

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Its the Anhusier-Bush strike team

If you're talking about the King of Beers, at least spell it right.

Anheuser-Busch

got it? Good. Next time, King Anheuser-Busch is going to say say "Better Dead than Red!", and deny you access to the Beer Hall of Valhalla.

Btw, MP.net is your friend as long as you don't post there.
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/sh ... 638&page=7

+1

[Reyna]

If you're talking about the King of Beers, at least spell it right.

Anheuser-Busch

got it? Good. Next time, King Anheuser-Busch is going to say say "Better Dead than Red!", and deny you access to the Beer Hall of Valhalla.

Damn... thats harsh, might as well take off his sword arm...

[Redmoney]

my bad couldent remember how to spell it and had to guess, forgetting im on the enternet and could have looked it up

[Sleepy]

Well, as for wearing them in public, I'm working on a policy about that. Something along the lines of "no BDU Shirts in public areas". Maybe suggest team members pick up a a BDU blouse that doesn't have any markings on it.

Right now, I'm working on a team patch, but since I'm a shitty artist, right now its kind of basic, and I still haven't figured out how to make it look right subdued. I'll probably go that route.

While I've yet to see photos in the field of SEALs with identifying marks, I have seen photos of one guy in woodies on the beach with a full-color USA Flag on his arm, and another of an officer in DCUs, with LTs bars. The only SEALs I actually met while I was in were either in regulation BDUs or PT Gear.

[danneskjold]

Why wear insignia? They wont wear it the field, so if you were really trying to be authentic you wouldnt either.

[Pope_Alex_Kaeda_I]

Why wear insignia? They wont wear it the field, so if you were really trying to be authentic you wouldnt either.

part of me agrees with you on this.

Part of me says "but the insignia seperates his group from them" *while shooting a nasty glare at noobers*

[Variable]

Why wear insignia? They wont wear it the field, so if you were really trying to be authentic you wouldnt either.

part of me agrees with you on this.

Part of me says "but the insignia seperates his group from them" *while shooting a nasty glare at noobers*

I agree with you there, but Sleepy's team will be easily distinguishable from noobers because of their gear (not just gun+camo) and their actions. Just like WAR is easy to pick from all the other woodie noobers.

[Sleepy]

Why wear insignia? They wont wear it the field, so if you were really trying to be authentic you wouldnt either.

part of me agrees with you on this.

Part of me says "but the insignia seperates his group from them" *while shooting a nasty glare at noobers*

I agree with you there, but Sleepy's team will be easily distinguishable from noobers because of their gear (not just gun+camo) and their actions. Just like WAR is easy to pick from all the other woodie noobers.

All of this is true. Therein lies the problem.

See, I'm allowing this team to have some flexibility. If you look at the Requirements page on the website, you'll see that while I'm specific as to uniforms and what you need to carry, I'm not requiring the exact same loadouts. I plan on running a semi-old-school loadout (BHI LBV88, and an M4 that will someday be modeled after the Colt M653), but some members of the team may choose to run a CIRAS, and throw all the stuff they can on their M4. Its kind of footloose. Insignia would go a long way to helping to make sure people know who we are. I mean, how many people in this community will be wearing Petty Officer tabs on their uniforms, you know?