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For Veterans: A Hat Question
I love wearing baseball caps. For one, they are cheaper than a hairpiece. I have a wide collection of hats from work or places I have visited or from sports teams.
If I were to buy and wear a Space Force hat, is that Stolen Valor? I think the Space Force is awesome, and want to support them. What about buying a CVN-65 Enterprise cap, since my dad served on the Big E?
I’ve never claimed that I served, and do not want to give the wrong impression. What do you think?
Published in Military
This was actually an official unit hat when I was enlisted in the 70’s. 1 CEVG had detachments all over the place and the Korean detachment would have them made for us. Blue velvet embroidered baseball hats. I found it someplace a few years ago, hence the poor condition. A piece of Cold War memorabilia.
I’ve never had a problem with civilians wearing the hat of a service/ship they admire, nor have I seen any other veteran have an issue with it. It’s not like you’re wearing a “Vietnam Veteran” hat or something.
I might have a problem if someone was wearing an XYZ veteran’s hat if they weren’t really there. Still, are they deriving a benefit from it other than, “Thank you for your service”?
No problemo. Lost my carrier ball cap years ago. Now just a Navy cap. But anyone with relatives who served can wear them too in my world.
I didn’t realize they still had CA’s. Or are they calling frigates CA’s?
My husband, former USMC, has a Space Force hat. The patch says he was a shuttle door gunner. I don’t think he actually was though.
-DP
Vera needs air around her to fire.
Same question. My ship was a CVA, typical aircraft carrier designation. Then a CV when it got lots of anti sub squadrons on deck and could do double duty. Bombing the you know what of the other side and still getting after subs at the same time. Cool stuff.
CA-135 was a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser. WWII-era, It is best known for numerous cruises to the Far East in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Nine eight inch guns, 33 knot speed?
It’s new enough that no one will think your a vet. And the logos are pretty fun . . .
When launched and during Korea. There was consideration of converting it to a Talos-missile cruiser, but it never happened.
Ha ha. This almost 60 years ago. It was a heavy cruiser, decommissioned in1963 and scrapped. Parts of it were saved and are on display at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, CA.
Not a veteran, but when I went to the state fair a few years ago the Army had a neat little booth. They were giving timed physical fitness challenges – do push ups, flip a tire, that kind of thing, and they were yelling at me the whole time. It was great. And when it was over, they gave me a free T-shirt and asked me to wear it for the rest of the day. This is one single instance, but if those soldiers asked me to please wear their Army T-shirt in public, then I feel like that settles it.
Thanks for the Navy history update Seawriter. Was just a draft dodger on a carrier and knew little Naval history other than the battle of Midway.
Being a naval historian doesn’t require much in the way of valor. It doesn’t even require much in the way of memory, other than knowing where to find information. But naval history does fascinate me.
Not a problem as long as you don’t also have rank insignia on it, too.
That’s on account of your big brain…
Wear the hat, brother.
It’s homage, who minds a tip of the hat for that?
What sort of updated style are you after for Teh Kids, @danpierson? From what I’ve seen, that may mean faded as if 10 years daily wear and the bill edge badly frayed, right out of the box.
No. Wearing military headgear is not Stolen Valor.
I love it! Where can I find one?
I might be such a millennial (although really just barely) that a fake faded ball cap with frayed strings is probably exactly what I’m looking for. I can’t even wear the traditional version of my Baseball team’s ball cap, I have to get the fake faded trucker ones. You can make the millennial a flag waiving proud vet (like I am), but he’s still a millennial. Although I did find one understated trucker style hat I wear every veterans day:
If there is a problem with it, is there a statute of limitations.
Asking for a friend.
A statue of limitations?
Since it looks like you’re (maybe?) an Army vet, look to Ranger Up, Grunt Style, and Grunt Works. I’ve gotten great hats from them, but it’s episodic.
BTW, see how I linked directly to their headgear sections? Yeah. That’s me. I’m a giver.
Statute of limitations.
That third ‘t’ is important.
I found a design that I wouldn’t mind wearing.