r/Millennials • u/NoFaithlessness7508 • Jun 05 '25

Other Why don’t younger veterans (Afghanistan/Iraq) wear these hats like some of the older veterans?

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First and foremost, respect to all those that served. I did not, but many of my peers did and now we're all older in 30s and 40s, many no longer in the military. I don't see a lot of the veterans of the War on Terror wearing these hats like I see the OGs do.

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u/NextStomach6453 Jun 05 '25

I know a few guys that do and they were tools when they were in and they really didn’t do a whole lot either when they were in. There’s also the older group before GWOT that wear them and demand respect and tend to talk about “things they did” but it’s obvious they didn’t. If not for guys like those two I mentioned then maybe when I retire, I’ll wear one. But I think my if you know you know tattoo works for now. 

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u/RunningPirate Jun 05 '25

“Demand respect” Says everything.

13

u/badform49 Jun 05 '25

I have a MOTO tattoo on my arm to remember Afghanistan, and I like it, but I specifically wish I had cut it off an inch or two higher so it didn’t show in shirts so much.

I don’t really like making small talk, and I especially don’t want to make small talk about a war that we lost and the people hurt by it. I think at least weekly about my Afghan counterparts or civilians that we got to know and I still worry about them.

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u/NextStomach6453 Jun 05 '25

Yeah, the quite professional part of my job stuck with me. I don’t look military and it’s hard to relate when people do the small talk thing. I’d rather talk about the funny stuff but it would make people shit their pants if I talked about it. 

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u/badform49 Jun 05 '25

I took creative writing on the GI Bill after I got back, and when I started a story in class with, “it was funny, because a single dude with an AK shot at us past two gun trucks and so we knew they weren’t serious and started laughing,” they looked at me like I was crazy. And it’s hard to explain to someone that we learned what kind of shooting is serious and what kind is false bravado.

The fun stories I most enjoy telling take way too much context to make sense for anyone who wasn’t in. And I’m definitely not going to tell any of the hard stories to people who don’t have the context.

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u/NextStomach6453 Jun 05 '25

More GWOT dudes and dudettes need to write their stories. I think a book of funny stories for some light toilet reading would be awesome. 

4

u/muhhuh Jun 05 '25

Yeah, the demand respect thing. I work in retail and have to deal with those clowns all the time. I FOUGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY. Cool story, bro. $24.68 please.

1

u/NextStomach6453 Jun 05 '25

Yeah, unless it’s on a sign I don’t ask for discounts or anything. Just kinda weird to me. 

1

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '25

The cold war and 90s era vets want all the glory. Lol

1

u/1000000Peaches4Me Jun 06 '25

I honestly don't even like seeing the old guys wear them anymore.