It’s very, very common to see older men in public, like in grocery stores, mall, restaurant, etc, wearing those black Veteran baseball caps with various service ribbons related to the individual’s service. Here is a picture of what I’m talking about. Lots more examples here.
When I was younger, I once bought one of those hats for my grandpa as a gift (possibly for Veteran’s Day). He said he appreciated the gift, but refused to wear it, on the grounds that it constituted bragging. He was opposed to the idea of wearing his veteran status on his sleeve. (He still keeps the hat on a little shelf in his house, along with a large number of other Korean War related stuff.)
How do you feel about those kind of hats? And sometimes it goes far beyond hats, to shirts, jackets, stickers, and a multitude of other decorations - it’s not uncommon for me to see guys (along with their cars/trucks and possibly houses) completely decked out in military logos. The Marines seem to be the most likely to do this, in my experience.
My DH is a veteran of WWII. He served in the Air Force in Australia and New Guinea. I bought him one of those caps a few years ago, and he wore it proudly today for Veteran’s Day.
Twenty years ago he wouldn’t have worn it.
I think as the veterans get older they become more proud of their military service. When my DH wears the cap inevitably someone will shake his hand and thank him for his service.
It seems harmless to me. I don’t think anything bad about vets who wear stuff like that.
If they want to brag about their service a little, hey, I think they’ve earned that right.
I certainly would never want to do half the things that military folks have to put up with.
I like them. I often look at them and offer thanks. I don’t wear one and none of the people my age do, but it allows us to offer up thanks to the older generation of warriors.
A designated hitter. I’m not sure how JoThrive’s DH could have served in World War II and still be fit for Major League play after the DH became the rule in 1973 however.
I don’t like it, but it doesn’t get me worked up. I have no problem with people showing pride in their service. I don’t have problems with people tooting their own horn, and the ball caps are a small way to show off that pride. Besides, what else you going to do with those mini ribbons?
When visiting the Soviet Union in the late 80s, one still would see many old men wearing red ribbons, and it was understood these were fellows who fought in defense of the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War. They were given a great deal of deference, offered seats on the subways, and so on.
It strikes me as a tad incongruous as an American practice, though.
I remember reading a guidebook on the USSR for American tourists (the few who went I suppose), and this was specifically mentioned that the Sovs respected their veterans a lot and that the Americans should not find this odd.
My almost-80 year old step-father was career USN, starting as enlisted and ending as an officer, during Korea and Vietnam. He says some people can’t leave their past behind.
For a data point, my evil half brother has an entire wardrobe of Army Rangers paraphernalia. (He was in the Army for, like, six months. Certainly not the Rangers.) You should see his Bronze Star certificate! He’s holding it in his dating site profile.
I agree with your stepfather. I don’t wear anything ever, and in fact have given my uniform, ribbons, etc. to my grandson, who said he’d like to have them, never marched in any parade, or gone to any reunions. I retired in 1990, and since then have completely avoided places that seem to attract former military guys. It was 20 years of my life, but the day after I retired I was doing something else that required my full attention, and didn’t feel like reliving the past. At this point, the only thing left from that time are a few photographs, and I’m thinking of tossing most of them out. All I really need to keep is my DD214.
I’m proud of my service in the US Navy. (1968 - 1972) And, as was mentioned above, as you get older the pride seems to increase. I still keep in touch with some of my shipmates and we try to get together once a year or so. I didn’t keep my uniform but I did wear the peacoat till it wore out. I don’t have one of those Veteran hats but I’ve been thinking about getting one. I do have a couple stickers on the car (Navy logo and “Proudly Served”). A little late for a tatoo but looking back I wish I did get one way back when.
Not directly related but my license plates are: IX XI MMI and a “Never Forget” decal sits above them.
