Legalizing Uniforms?

[God]

Hey, what if I "collect" patches? ie, my ACU jacket has a OD American flag, colored Brit. 101st Airborne(OD), the Indian head(I forgot what it's to...) and a patch I have no idea what is. Since it's obviously NOT a military patch set-up, is it publicly acceptable? Oh, and I have a SPC rank patch and I'll be getting a patch that says AIRSOFT and my last name...

[Blizzard]

Are these used for airsoft or everyday wear? In both instances I'd advise stripping it of everything, but if it's for everyday wear......that's kinda weird.

LOL, agreed. I strip it of everything usually (sometimes not the flag) and put my own nametape and team patches.


Don't wear your BDU's in public. You'll look like a bum.

[God]

Don't wear your BDU's in public. You'll look like a bum.

+1

[Switchback]

Don't wear your BDU's in public. You'll look like a bum.

Wait so it is not normal? I wear OD trousers around...but never MARPAT/woodland...that is wrong.

[Sahronax]

Well it would be more simple for all involved to just remove all the patches, but as I mentioned, BDU thread is very resilient and removing an patch leaves a painfully blatant blotch in the uniform which I would like to avoid, hence the original reason for my asking this. We are also talking name and US Army strips, current and prior service unit patches, American flag (perhaps), and branch and rank collar tabs. That is a considerable amount of damage to the uniform that, if at all possible, I would like to avoid.

[SilentStalker]

Use a seam ripper and cut the stitches from the back it seem to work the best for me when I am trying to salvage a uniform. Also there will be some color difference from the uniform and were the patch was and that is normal sun bleaching. Best of luck on your sales.

[lilwil]

No one active duty except recruiters should wear military uniforms in public. It is public property, and should only be worn/used when you are on the clock. After the uniform is retired, do whatever you want with it, with w/e patches you want, short of walking onto a base. No one except an idiot is going to think your in the military if your under 18 and walking around walmart in a uniform. I do it on saturdays just for amusement, and to get reactions. Got spit on last week and called a murderer. Yes, I have issues.

[BlacksunshineGAAS]

When you go to a sirplus store and pick up used BDU/ACU/etc they generally still have the name and US flag attached. sometimes patches. The legality issue arises when said person wearing the uniform Presents themselves as an active or previously active solider. Or tries to use said uniform to gain access to military bases. Considering that you as a civilian can walk into any sirplus store or go online and order all the parts to build your own "authentic" uniform, I doubt there is any legal issue there or would arise from just wearing the uniform in public.

[LoneWolf808]

My former Army father just told me to remove the Unit and Rank patches, and said that the Name plates and Flag patch is fine

Just dont wear the uniforms outside of the field and not to go around talking like im in the military (Kind of what several people above me said)

[Sahronax]

No one except an idiot is going to think your in the military if your under 18 and walking around walmart in a uniform.

Do not underestimate the number of idiots in the world...

My former Army father just told me to remove the Unit and Rank patches, and said that the Name plates and Flag patch is fine

That's essentially what my retired Army mother said, but my active Army father said otherwise, which is the source of all of my confusion in the first place...

[Mr. Technicality]

I'll add my own conflicting experience into the mix. A couple months ago my brother-in-law who is active-duty Navy gave me a bunch of old Woodland and 3-color Desert. He couldn't wear them since the Navy switched to the new NWU. He told me I could use them for airsoft or give them away to my friends. They still have all the patches on them. I'm going to assume from that that he doesn't care.

To sum it all up for you, no matter what you leave on somebody is going to be offended by it. There's no hard and fast law about it as long as your friends don't try to pass themselves off as military. If they do, that's their problem. Either leave them all on and save yourself the trouble or take them all off and save your friends the potential embarrassment. What I would do is tell your friends when the transaction is made that some people might be offended by them wearing the patches and that they might want to take them off. If they choose not to, then it's completely on them.

Now, if your parents want something removed before you sell the uniforms, that's a different story. Remove [your Dad's request] from his uniforms and [your Mom's request] from her uniforms.

[Tanto]

...I'm going to assume from that that he doesn't care.

To sum it all up for you, no matter what you leave on somebody is going to be offended by it. There's no hard and fast law about it as long as your friends don't try to pass themselves off as military.

Now, if your parents want something removed before you sell the uniforms, that's a different story. Remove [your Dad's request] from his uniforms and [your Mom's request] from her uniforms.

You just said what I couldn't put into words...

[Pharaoh 7]

Thanks to a Federal Judge in Colorado you can pretty much wear any type of uniform you want with what ever you feel like putting on it. He basically said in his ruling that the "Stolen Valor Act" (Google it) was an infringement upon a persons freedom of speech. So that being said, Joe Snuffy civilian can go to his local surplus store and put together an complete uniform for every branch, wear it to his hearts content and even make up BS stories about what he did in the military.

[ogrejager]

...until somebody beats the tar out of him and cuts off all the patches...unofficially.

[Reyna]

I'm currently serving and I personally don't care what the hell you put on your uniform. Ranger tab, special forces tab, EIB, whatever. Go crazy. Someone that's in the military can pick you out based on what you have and how you look, basically what Darius said. I don't see a problem with having a fully correct uniform for game impressions at all as long as thats only what you use it for. People who do that, impersonate soldiers to civilians, suffer their own guilt, and worse if they get caught. I myself have an late 90's/early 2000's Woodland BDU uniform based on a 5th group special forces uniform, IE correct patches, service insignia, rank, ETC but that's all I use it for.

That's how I feel about it.

Also, don't let anyone tell you that wearing camo in public is "wierd" if that's how you want to express yourself, DO IT. I myself don't wear it but thats because I don't find that camouflage wears on me well.