As an electrician in Vietnam who served on a Marine Corps supply base, I guess I could be considered a REMF, and I certainly don’t have any problem with that as I was doing my part in that particular dust-up. Since I served with the Marines, I was authorized to wear the Marine Corps emblem on my campaign ribbon, which I did proudly.
Being in the rear doesn’t mean you don’t see some action, as was witnessed when a rocket removed five of our mates to the hospital, and a trip stateside once the horrific trauma (a lost eye, a lost testicle, and other unlovely damage) had been stabilized.
Someone wearing ribbons and emblems not earned is another story. These are people who have some sort of mental problem IMO, and are pathetic and unworthy of the slight attention my contempt would bestow upon them.
Chefguy, I’d have thought that “member of the US Marine Corps” and “REMF” were mutually exclusive groups. I suppose that if you want to refer to your past self as a REMF that’s your privilege, but I wouldn’t expect anyone outside the USMC to refer to a Marine as a REMF – or at least not without repercussions!
I think it depends on what you’re wearing and whether you’re trying to pass yourself off as someone you’re not.
People wear Grateful Dead patches and no one thinks they were part of the Grateful Dead. If some kid thinks the 101st Airborne Division is really cool and wants to wear a 101st Airborne patch who cares?
But wearing an emblem on your suit jacket attending the funeral of someone from the 101st and passing yourself off as having served in that unit is definitely pathetic and worthy of contempt.
Antonius Block, I think REMF is usually a derogative used for people you know are likely sitting back at HQ eating donuts. Combat guys I think, respect combat-support guys who they know are just as far out front as they are. When I was in Army Intelligence our motto was “always out front.” It’s not just talk. Our job was gathering intelligence behind enemy lines. Can’t get much further out front than that.
I was in some cool units, went to some neat schools and courses earned several prestigious badges, did a combat tour in Iraq I, and knew some real honest to god snake eaters. In my experience the people who get most excited about folks who wear unearned insignia are usually REMFs. PX rangers are a dime a dozen not really worth worrying about. Granted when I was in the army we would beat the shit out of posers, but I can’t see getting worked up about it on the net. Personally I think that if the OP really was authorized to wear the winged dagger he would either not care or would have told them to their face how he felt. This OP rings of civilian or REMF to me.
The question I have is were the REMF’s wearing the “Winged Daggers” on their “Blazers” to indicate membership in said organization, or were they wearing them out of respect to someone who did belong to said organization. IF the latter, the OP is upset about a tuoching tribute to his friend.
Ah, but if you didn’t earn it…well, you get in trouble for wearing it. Its against regulations to wear a decoration that you didn’t earn. Remember the Admiral that got in trouble for it about ten years ago? (I can’t remember his name)
WhatI think the OP is complaining about is something that cooks, technicians and whatever are authorized to wear, but he feels that they don’t deserve it. (If they weren’t authorized to wear it he could go to his chain of command for action instead of bitching about it here).
It is kind of small minded, however to be upset because the people he’s mad at aren’t combat arms troops. They’re still soldiers, airmen,sailors and marines. If they’re authorized to wear it, so be it…and it takes a lot of support to folks to support one guy in the field. They’re jobs are just as important as the OP’s. I think this post is half troll, half sour grapes.
No problem. Can you learn to write/spell/form sentences and thoughts coherently and succintly/captivate your audience/explain relatively obscure references while you’re at it? I’m sure you understand, seeing as you hold the belief that:
Revenant Threshold, I too have gotten that vibe, but I really don’t think he is a troll in the traditional sense.
Spot on. I have considered taking him to task for it in the Pit, but I quickly realized that would be an excercie in futility. I responded to one of his posts here even though I knew it was likely to be a waste of time. How do you converse with someone who’s apparent typing method is to take out his penis and start slapping the keyboard with it?
Truth be told, I am absolutely amazed that he has gotten this far with out a digital lashing; especially on this board.
If I understand the OP correctly, he’s talking about the winged dagger shown at the top of this wiki page, not a decoration. I don’t know if there are many cooks or techies entitled to wear that badge, since I believe most of those support functions are usually carried out by other units. It’s not uncommon to find assorted walter mitty types who ‘served in the SAS’ before embarking on their current careers as insurance salesmen or plumbers or whatever, and you can’t do much about it if they’re not in the services any more.
As to whether he’s a troll or not, I can’t comment - however that strange combination of ‘barely functional but garrulous English’ certainly sounds a lot like squaddies I have known.
OK now I get it. A friend of your was in the SAS and a bunch of cooks showed up wearing the winged daggers (I assume that they are entiteled to wear the insginia for one reason or another but they are not actually SAS combat troops) and you think that a mechanic or cook wearing a winged dagger dilutes the meaning. If you are saying that they aren’t even netitled to wear the insignia then you make a good point, if they are entitled but you just don’t like the choice to allow cooks to wear the insignia, then you’re being a crybaby.
