Need advice and opinions from those who served

[Bitter Clinger]

You might consider a R.E.D. patch (remember everyone deployed).

[ray1970]

Bitter Clinger- that patch looks pretty familiar. I'd still like to find the actual patch around here somewhere. Or at least a picture of it. I'll try to dig through some photos tonight and see what I find.

[TheGrey]

I have one of my dad's rank insignia patches from when he was in the Navy in the late 1960's. Your post reminded me I had it somewhere. Went and looked in a box out in the storage building where I thought it was but couldn't find it. Now I'm a little bummed I seem to have misplaced it.

If memory serves me it was three (or maybe two) red chevrons on the bottom with two curved red bars over them with a crossed lightning bolt and hammer between them. I think he was a carpenter and electrician or something like that.

I can't think of where else I might have put it. Haven't seen it in many years.

The trick for me finding items that are misplaced is to stop looking for that specific item, and dig for something much more urgently needed. Murphy's Law works wonders around here- I can't tell you the amount of, "So that's where it is!" stuff that I've come across while looking for something completely different.

[Doc45]

This is one of the shirts I wear regularly, also have the patch on a hat and sweatshirt. It was the prior unit my son deployed with last year.

[Honey Badger282.8]

Real men flew SH-60Bs and had to be winched down to land... Just kidding. Thanks for your service.

On a related note, my parents called the other day and told me they found a box of my 1970s prison looking dungarees. I told them that after two decades of storage, I probably won't be needing them again, and if I did, they'd need to sew two of them together for me to fit.

RAST, eff that noise. I'm happy with the 3-2-1-tail-main. I've got more sets of utilities than I do of the new aquaflage cammies though.

[asmo]

I have a shirt that I would like to wear more, but have the same concerns as ray.

I have never served, but I have worked closely with a number of military units in my life. I have a really nice shirt (and hat - but I don't like it much, and a nice plaque) that the 21st Special Operations Group (AF) gave me when I did a bunch of geek work for them. I wore it once in the US and numerous people asked if I was military (I said no), and ever since then I have refused to wear it. I don't want people to think I have done something I haven't; especially about serving.

[Irving]

I occasionally am asked what branch I served in when I use the military phonetic alphabet. I'm quick to let whoever is asking know that I never served.

[ray1970]

I occasionally am asked what branch I served in when I use the military phonetic alphabet. I'm quick to let whoever is asking know that I never served.

You need to use my phonetic alphabet to avoid that kind of confusion.

Apple, Bingo, Christmas, Dog, Elephant......

[StagLefty]

You need to use my phonetic alphabet to avoid that kind of confusion.

Apple, Bingo, Christmas, Dog, Elephant......

When you get old and cranky that changes to Asshole, Bastard, etc. I usually never get asked to spell anything anymore

[Bitter Clinger]

I have a shirt that I would like to wear more, but have the same concerns as ray.

I have never served, but I have worked closely with a number of military units in my life. I have a really nice shirt (and hat - but I don't like it much, and a nice plaque) that the 21st Special Operations Group (AF) gave me when I did a bunch of geek work for them. I wore it once in the US and numerous people asked if I was military (I said no), and ever since then I have refused to wear it. I don't want people to think I have done something I haven't; especially about serving.

I don't think hats or shirts are a big deal. I gave my dad a seabee hat from my regiment. The 30th naval construction regiment, when I was enlisted. My uncle gave him a USS Portsmouth hat. He wears them both from time to time, no harm as far as I'm concerned.