From the time I was 18 to 21 I worked as a land surveyor in lower Alabama. This job required that I work outside all year long regardless of the weather conditions. I needed clothes that could shield me from the elements and could take the punishment of working for 14 hours a day in conditions that often found me up to my arm pits in swamp water and swamp creatures.
I went to my local Army supply store and bought several pairs of the camo fatigues, a pair of combat boots, and a very warm camo coat. My party chief hated it because he had such a hard time finding me when we were in the swamps and he had to locate me while looking through the laser shooting distance measuring instrument (I don’t know what it is actually called. we always just called it an “instrument”). But I didn’t really care since I was comfortable. The clothes worked very well and lasted quite a long damn time.
The only article I still have is the camo coat. It is the warmest coat I have ever had and it can take huge amounts of abuse, as I would expect it to. And trust me, it has been abused. I was wearing this coat today when I stopped to buy smokes on my way to work this morning. While standing at the counter to pay, an old man (I would guess in his mid 50s) came up to me and stuck his hand out. I shook his hand expecting an introduction or something. I have always lived in the south and it may be a cultural thing, but when someone stick out their hand to shake, I shake their hand without even thinking about it. Before I can introduce myself he starts in saying how he really appreciates all the good things that me and my fellow soldiers are doing in the Middle East.
Just to paint the picture for you, I was wearing slacks, a button down shirt, a tie and dress shoes. The coat was simply the warmest coat I had. II didn’t go at all with anything else I was wearing and I don’t see how I could have been confused for a soldier. Especially since it is my understanding (someone correct me if I am wrong) that soldiers are expected to keep all parts of their uniform in rather good condition. My coat looks like it has been through hell and back.
Anyway, I smile at the old man and explain that I am not in the military. He then started yelling at me about how I am disrespecting the military by wearing my coat. He also tells me that I am an asshole for trying to solicit gratitude from people on the street.
I just shook my head, thanked the clerk for my smokes and left. The more I think about it though it really pisses me off. Why am I an asshole for trying to stay warm? Fuck that! You old dumbass dickhead.
As long as you don’t have rank insignia, unit patches, or other decorations that imply that you are or have been in, then you just met an angry old crazy dude. Shake it off, and keep warm with the jacket.
It sounds like he was embarassed at getting caught being stupid (assuming that anyone wearing anything remotely military is a soldier). People do tend to lash out in those circumstances.
Were you wearing any insignia or rank indicators at all?
If not (and I have no doubt you weren’t) you were doing nothing wrong and the old man was in error.
Hell, you can get pea coats from a number of manufacturers that look almost identical to those the Navy gives out. Putting one on doesn’t make you a sailor.
Yeah, I know a lot of dumb old men like that.
They think that it’s somehow non-macho to admit they made a mistake and instead become defensive and argumentative and turn it around on the person.
Old Man: Yes, I’d like a quarter pounder with cheese.
Employee: I’m sorry sir, we don’t have quarter pounders at Burger King. Would you like a double cheeseburger?
Old Man: You people are always giving me a hard time. I just want a hamburger. You know what I meant. This used to be a McDonalds. Why are your prices so high!!??
I have been looking for a pea coat. I love those things and they are damn warm as well. I may even use it for my “dress up” coat and keep the camo coat for my oil changing coat.
When I was in high school I bought a Navy wool shirt with the big flap on the back from a Surplus store to keep warm and dry on my scooter. I was a a stop sign on drizzly Seattle day and a man actually pulled a u-turn screeched up beside me and haranged me until the light changed about disrespecting the uniform. I still don’t understand this.
I just smiled and nodded, then putted away.
I wouldn’t read too much into this. Sounds like he was embarrassed for making a mistake.
Write a letter to their local newspaper, explain what happened, avoid giving exact names & addresses of the old geezer or his store, & then gently chide the town’s “lack of Xtian & community spirit” for “letting a poor old crazy man wander around unsupervised”.
He won’t get sent to the Fool Farm, but he will get pitying looks & whispered about behind his back. I know small towns.
mischief-lover, who is a very good looking young white man, and who periodically has blond hair (or purple, or green, or stripey), likes to wear wool coats. He has a couple of green wool coats, which happen to be used French army coats (discarded when they got too worn, I guess). On many occasions, he has gotten hassled for “being a Nazi”. Um… the coat’s French, the hair’s bleached, so aside from having a jawline to die for, what’s so “Nazi” about this man?
My Brother-in-Law is an Air Force officer and my sister sends us all kinds of neat stuff they find in the BX or local thrift shops. Good deals to be found there as officers pack up and have to trim down their belongings to get under the weight allowances for a long transfer. One item she sent me one time was an officers overcoat. All the insignia and rank markers had been stripped off, but this is a VERY nice overcoat. Meant to be worn over dress blues to protect them and keep the officer warm and clean in even nasty environs. It had a cover in the pocket that looked like a shower cap that you could pull over the officer’s hat and keep it protected as well. This is one of the highest-quality overcoat/trench coats I have ever owned. It makes me wish I had more time to peruse the second-hand shops near bases for similar finds.
Until recently, my winter coats have always been military surplus; my last one was a $60 Navy peacoat. While I’ve never had anyone mistake me for a servicemember, I have been mistaken for a police officer while wearing a surplus raincoat. Most memorable was the time when I was working at a grocery store in a store-issued bright yellow raincoat. Their coats normally have their logo on the back but this one didn’t. I was standing outside my store when a woman approched me from behind, wanting to report being a witness to a purse snatching a few stores down.
I wish to express my outrage at all these non-military types who have appropriated the uniform of our brave fighting men and women, and who are masquerading as soilders even as we speak. These people are a disgrace - don’t they know that our boys and girls are dying and bleeding for their right to wear military surplus clothing? What has become of our young people? Just today I extended my hand to a nice young man in a convenience store, wanting to thank him for his dedicated service to his country, his flag, and our Lord and Savior George Bush. Imagine my gall when I learned from him that he wasn’t a veteran, but merely a cigarette smoker!
Additionally, I believe the government should ban the use of the letters “Q,” “X” and “K.” I am not a crackpot.
Through a lot of high school I wore a coat I got from a surplus store. It was one of those wool trench coat style russian border guard coats you see in cold-war movies. Got it for 8 bucks, and damn it was warm for the weight(which was considerable all in all).
I got crap from people on the street for being a neo-nazi survivalist type. But one the other hand I’m a pretty big guy and they didn’t give me much shit.
That was a great coat, to bad I got too fat for it.
