Question for veterans. Clothing, flags, patriotic paraphernalia, etc.

C50

C50

Well-known Member
Location
Ohio, USA
When I was a kid I remember my neighbor, a war veteran, chewing out another neighbor kid for having a US flag sewn to the pocket of his jeans. The veteran said he fought and was wounded fighting for that flag and it was insulting and disgraceful for the kid to have it on his ass. It's something I have always remembered.

I'm not a veteran, yet I get offended by the callous displays and treatment of patriotic symbols. Things like the flag being altered by different symbols and colors, or hanging in tatters from someone's truck, or thrown to the ground. Or all these people wearing military clothes who never served, or non veterans wearing T-shirts proclaiming "Fight or die" or "Protect our Freedoms", t-shirts with military symbols or solders.

I get part of the reason you fought was to protect our freedoms, yet I'm curious how you veterans feel about some of the things I have mentioned. Are you offended?
 
C50 said:
When I was a kid I remember my neighbor, a war veteran, chewing out another neighbor kid for having a US flag sewn to the pocket of his jeans. The veteran said he fought and was wounded fighting for that flag and it was insulting and disgraceful for the kid to have it on his ass. It's something I have always remembered.

I'm not a veteran, yet I get offended by the callous displays and treatment of patriotic symbols. Things like the flag being altered by different symbols and colors, or hanging in tatters from someone's truck, or thrown to the ground. Or all these people wearing military clothes who never served, or non veterans wearing T-shirts proclaiming "Fight or die" or "Protect our Freedoms", t-shirts with military symbols or solders.

I get part of the reason you fought was to protect our freedoms, yet I'm curious how you veterans feel about some of the things I have mentioned. Are you offended?
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What you have described is an "American Problem ". By that I mean that in other first world western countries, the military veteran is not elevated to some elite status in society. I am an ex Canadian Forces Member. I don't wear any clothing that broadcasts that fact EXCEPT on November the 11th each year. On that day I will be at the Cenotaph of my old Regiment, the 48th Highlanders of Canada, for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony along with a couple of hundred of the "Old Comrades ". On November the 11th I will be wearing my issued Balmoral Cap, with the Regimental badge on it. For the rest of the year, we don't feel the need to wear hats, t shirts and put decals on our vehicles.

Other Commonwealth nations do the same thing on November the 11th. Quiet reflection, and making the promise " They shall not be forgotten " and "Lest WE forget ". JimB.
 
I am a retired Marine and a Vietnam veteran. I never wear any apparel showing that I was in the Marines or in Vietnam. As for the flag, I display it the way it is supposed to be displayed. The way others display it is their first amendment right, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Do I think it’s ok to display the flag on the butt of a person’s pants? Of course not.

To me, the flag has always been a symbol with a lot of patriotic meanings attached to it and therefore; deserves to be held in high regard. Each time I walk through Arlington and see the graves decorated with flags over Memorial Day, I have to kneel and pray for my fallen brothers and sisters.

I like being at Arlington when they first open at 8 a.m. and the taps are played.
 
I remember once seeing a couple using a large American flag as a picnic "blanket." It felt strange to see, not sure why or how I felt. It was different, for sure.
 
Air Force veteran. Army retired. Often am I offended at the way the American flag is dishonored as a piece of clothing or in some other manner dishonored or used in an inappropriate manner. Often by people that may mean well, but having never served are misguided by what passes for "patriotism."

Personally, never wear or display items of my previous service. For me, it is a personal matter and prefer to keep it that way. Recently, have begun wearing my dog tags again. A way to keep my service close to my heart without a public display.
 
No matter which nation it symbolizes, a flag is a piece of cloth. You can imbue it awe and reverence, yet it is essentially a nation's 'logo'. When some use that flag on tee-shirts, underwear, towels, etc., it is because they feel part of that nation. They are its citizens. Flags are symbols; at times they can be solemn symbols, and not so much so, at other times. Flags symbolize all of us.
 
I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday who is a Marine veteran. He said it's more about attitude and respect than anything. A person sitting on a blanket with a flag symbol doesn't bother him, a person stomping on a flag pisses him off.

The military pretenders are what bother him most, the people or groups parading around screaming about freedoms and rights while really they are a bunch of thugs stirring up trouble. He said he'd like to ship those people to a war zone just to see them cry like babies.
 
Question for veterans. Clothing, flags, patriotic paraphernalia, etc.
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I have looked for veteran related items that are simple, not flashy or in-your-face. I have a sticker in the rear window of my truck, which I am comfortable with:

sticker.jpg


C50 said:
I spoke with a friend of mine yesterday who is a Marine veteran. He said it's more about attitude and respect than anything. A person sitting on a blanket with a flag symbol doesn't bother him, a person stomping on a flag pisses him off.

The military pretenders are what bother him most, the people or groups parading around screaming about freedoms and rights while really they are a bunch of thugs stirring up trouble. He said he'd like to ship those people to a war zone just to see them cry like babies.
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That's my pet peeve, I consider them to be a type of stolen valor thief.
 
My flag outside is sheaded a little, but every flag we put up had hole's in it in Vietnam, I strongly support the Purple Heart, and the Honor Flight., If we don't wear our hats , you don't know the person belongs to the same bortherhood as you, and had the same experence's. the picture is me meeting a WW 11 veteran at the grocery store, he wanted to tell me about his experence's.
 

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