Unit Patches

Now since your profile says you're only 13 years old, I'm assuming you aren't in the 101st Airborne. I wouldn't have a problem if you were a re-enactor or your loadout was a historical impression, but it's not. You put an insignia, that you didn't earn, on a modern uniform. I don't care if your ( family/ relative/ neighbor/ friend) was in that particular unit. You didn't earn that patch. The only way I find it acceptable is if you're a re-enactor, and I don't think too many people are re-enacting anything past the Vietnam conflict. I'm not going to tell to take it off but be careful; I'm not the only person out there who gets annoyed at this.

another first amendment hater... freedom of speech normally offends communists and liberals.

Yeah. Free country. Let him do what he wants.

Never said he couldn't, just said it wasn't fair to those who earned it.

Its just airsoft, its just a game with bb guns.

Yea man I'm a reenactor for the 101st and the 82nd. I also do 327th glider. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't offend anyone, just shows his pride for the unit.

russianairsoftkid wrote:Yea man I'm a reenactor for the 101st and the 82nd. I also do 327th glider. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't offend anyone, just shows his pride for the unit.

agreed, its just like wearing a team jersey with someone else's name on it, its not claiming that you earned it, just that you like the team, unit, etc...

cagcmc@gmail.com wrote:

russianairsoftkid wrote:Yea man I'm a reenactor for the 101st and the 82nd. I also do 327th glider. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't offend anyone, just shows his pride for the unit.

agreed, its just like wearing a team jersey with someone else's name on it, its not claiming that you earned it, just that you like the team, unit, etc...

Athletes usually aren't in a place where their live are in constant danger. I see what you're saying, but it's not the same.

Hippie wrote:

cagcmc@gmail.com wrote:

russianairsoftkid wrote:Yea man I'm a reenactor for the 101st and the 82nd. I also do 327th glider. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't offend anyone, just shows his pride for the unit.

agreed, its just like wearing a team jersey with someone else's name on it, its not claiming that you earned it, just that you like the team, unit, etc...

Athletes usually aren't in a place where their live are in constant danger. I see what you're saying, but it's not the same.

Airsofters are not usually in a place where their lives are in constant danger, it is a lot like that...

cagcmc@gmail.com wrote:

Hippie wrote:

cagcmc@gmail.com wrote:

russianairsoftkid wrote:Yea man I'm a reenactor for the 101st and the 82nd. I also do 327th glider. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't offend anyone, just shows his pride for the unit.

agreed, its just like wearing a team jersey with someone else's name on it, its not claiming that you earned it, just that you like the team, unit, etc...

Athletes usually aren't in a place where their live are in constant danger. I see what you're saying, but it's not the same.

Airsofters are not usually in a place where their lives are in constant danger, it is a lot like that...

I don't quite get what your trying to say here... Airsofters aren't in constant danger...so it's fine? Reword that for me..

i think the team jersey is a good comparison. you aren't necessarily claiming to be part of the team. just that you're a fan. however if you try to claim you are a part of the team, service brach, unit, etc then it is a problem. but if you get offended at the patch, wouldn't you be offended at wearing the uniform all together? i mean he didn't earn that either.

I'm going to leave it at this: People died wearing that patch, and others like it. I'd be fine if it was a 100% accurate to the real deal setup, but just putting of a "tacticool" uniform just for fun, to me, is disrespectful.

Here's my response to the whole sports jersey non-sense. Yes, you can buy jerseys. But sports teams are small, and if you know anything about sports, you know who's on what team. But there are thousands of members in our nation military, as well as foreign nation's armies. Picking out the real soldiers from the militaristic civilians is much more difficult.

Like I stated in my original post, I would find this fine if it was historical, meaning the uniform this, or any military patch was on wasn't a currently used uniform ( ACU, Multicam, MARPAT ect.) but modern uniforms should, in my opinion, have non-military patches or non at all.

Now, I can't make anyone do anything, but seriously, show some respect.

That's it. Now stop posting about what I said and give this kid back his thread.

I'm not saying that I am in the unit at all, nor am I trying to make it look "tacticool". I am just showing my respect for the unit. Thats it

AK-Andrew wrote: If I see unit insignia worn as a combat patch I will ask you to remove it if it is not an earned patch. If person refused to remove the patch, I would have to remove it for them."

ok, i know some servicemen, heck my dad was in the army, and they are proud that we wear their patches, heck my first setup was my dad's buds that he wore while on active duty with all the patches sewn on, id love to see you try to remove that patch from my uniform, that would probably the most disrespectful thing that you could do to my dad's uniform...

all i'm saying is that wearing the patch isn't disrespectful... especially if you are to young to have earned it, your not saying that you earned it, but most of the guys out there are using their family members patches.

i think the better thing to do is if you're going to wear the patch then put it on something other than your shoulder.

just some kid wrote:i think the better thing to do is if you're going to wear the patch then put it on something other than your shoulder.

what if its sewn on the shoulder from when my dad wore it???

that's different because it's sewn on. you can take those off though. and do you still wear that uniform? if you have something else i'd wear that instead.

IMO, if its your own father's, sewn-on patches, then I dont have a problem with it.
In general I dont get riled about sew-ons...I see a few here and there on kids and I know they got them from goodwill, relatives, or wahtever, and I let it go...but velcro..thats differnt

its fine (IMO again) to wear the unit patches on the left shoulder velcro.

The right shoulder velcro should display a persons own "former units" or whatever they want...just not a US Army Divisional unit patch

Agree with the sewn on. My boys and I wear my BDU's on the feild with all the patches, but when we leave the field we do not wear the tops.

Leave the kid alone. He isn't intentionally wearing that patch to boast that he is a part of the 101st Airborne nor did he claim that he earned it. It has become a natural part of airsoft among younger audiences to wear actual existing unit patches. I've seem a kid once wear a 82nd Airborne patch on the left side with a ranger tab and a sniper tab, and a horizontal EOD patch on the pocket cover then a IR American flag and a special forces tab on the right side. It is more of a clear representation of the unit rather than a posing. Even Marines get all fuzzy-wuzzy about civies wearing their cammies when they play airsoft.

To a degree I would agree that you rip off the patch unless it was awarded to you or you were assigned to that specific unit, but there's a fine line in my head between impersonating and acting all "high speed" with your ranger tab and clearly just representing the insignia. I've seen Asia7th on airsoft games wearing the patch, he's been quiet about it, he hasn't boasted, he never said anything about being with the 101st, so I'm fine with that. But if you're a kid that went "Yeah I was in ranger school, sniper school, SF school and earned this tab, acting all operator on everyone" then I'll say something about it and be like any credentials to back up your claim.

I'm with Hippie on this one. And Alex, expressing that you don't like it when people wear patches is utilizing the first ammendment, not "hating" it. It goes both ways...

Hey, at least it is not RANK. That is the big no no.

Admin wrote:I'm with Hippie on this one. And Alex, expressing that you don't like it when people wear patches is utilizing the first ammendment, not "hating" it. It goes both ways...

asking someone to remove it goes beyond their first amendment rights. if the kid or adult wearing the patch doesn't comply, then what? a physical confrontation? if the kid removes it because of fear, then that is being "hated" on. there is a difference between expressing disapproval and intimidation. one is protected by the constitution, the other tries to suppress that right.

Freedom aint Free.

I will not stand for a symbol, sacred to me, to be misused. Ill ask the person to remove it, and if they do not comply, I will physically remove it.

To hell with what you think are your "rights".

I dont know how it is now, but when my unit recieved our combat patches it was a big deal. A way big deal earned in sweat and blood. Bigger than Rank advancement and many other individual achievements.

So to see you trivialize it and attempt to justify the misuse of the symbols by claiming Constitutional Right is offensive.

a fake bachelor's degree is something similar. if someone has a fake bachelor's degree on the wall, i don't ask them to remove it. it's their house and they can put whatever they want on it. it took me 10 years to get my bachelor's and it doesn't bother me that someone prints a fake one on and decorates their room with it.

being offensive is protected under freedom of speech. you're correct, nothing is free. many lives were lost for us to enjoy our freedoms. physically removing it from a person is considered assault. do you remember pledging an oath to protecting the constitution? i know i took that oath.