herk115
Active Member
If I may put in my $.02 worth (albeit a little late)...
As a former USAF aviator I belonged to several units and major commands, so I'm afforded a smorgasbord of different patches appropriate for wear on my jacket and flight suit, and don't have to ask myself "Gee, what looks cool today?" As someone put it a while back, "the coolest patches are the ones you earned."
So, when I see someone wearing a USAF jacket who obviously never served, I merely ask them, "Were you in the Air Force?" If they answer honestly, i.e. "No, I'm just a collector," then I tell them "Great! Cool jacket!" and move on. After all the guy (or girl) knows I earned my wings and he didn't, and if he's honest about it, I'm okay with it. It's only if the guy never served but tries to BS me that he did that I get upset. At the same time I avoid a public scene and merely mutter only for him (and maybe his girlfriend) to hear, "Shame on you," or something to that affect, anyway. And of course, like everyone else in this post, if the guy never swerved and is using the jacket to try to get a free lunch or something, then I totally agree he has crossed the line and should remove the jacket or at least its adornments...and maybe get a night in the slam. And if he's using it to try to score with a lady, well...if she falls for it, she deserves the clown.
As a former USAF aviator I belonged to several units and major commands, so I'm afforded a smorgasbord of different patches appropriate for wear on my jacket and flight suit, and don't have to ask myself "Gee, what looks cool today?" As someone put it a while back, "the coolest patches are the ones you earned."
So, when I see someone wearing a USAF jacket who obviously never served, I merely ask them, "Were you in the Air Force?" If they answer honestly, i.e. "No, I'm just a collector," then I tell them "Great! Cool jacket!" and move on. After all the guy (or girl) knows I earned my wings and he didn't, and if he's honest about it, I'm okay with it. It's only if the guy never served but tries to BS me that he did that I get upset. At the same time I avoid a public scene and merely mutter only for him (and maybe his girlfriend) to hear, "Shame on you," or something to that affect, anyway. And of course, like everyone else in this post, if the guy never swerved and is using the jacket to try to get a free lunch or something, then I totally agree he has crossed the line and should remove the jacket or at least its adornments...and maybe get a night in the slam. And if he's using it to try to score with a lady, well...if she falls for it, she deserves the clown.
