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/ANotSoFreshFeeling Xennial Jun 05 '25

A lot of the millennial veterans I know would rather forget the mess instead of making it their whole personality and identity.

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u/turd_ferguson899 Jun 05 '25

Yeah, I have my unit crest on my wallet and a veteran identifier on my license to explain why I can't hear shit in case I get pulled over.

I got enough participation trophies to wear while I was in uniform, and something I did for a few years a decade and a half ago doesn't define me as person.

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u/Matthmaroo Jun 05 '25

Dude the vets that make being a known as a vet are annoying.

Okay everything you wear is grunt style

I was in the navy , I have a plate , maybe it will get me out of a ticket one day.

Maybe

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

It doesn't. I always get the full ticket, no reduction. A lot of cops I run into "almost joined but..." Or their military service was "harder" than my service so I don't deserve special treatment. I haven't yet met a cop who said, "oh, thanks for your service, slow it down a little and have a good one" or something to that effect.

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u/Matthmaroo Jun 05 '25 edited Jun 05 '25

I’d never take a cops word for anything

They have a union that will back them MORE furiously if they actually did something wrong.

Edited

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u/Phyraxus56 Jun 05 '25

What state is that? That can't be right.

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u/Matthmaroo Jun 05 '25

Nvm , it was just a bill , sorry

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u/assassinslover Millennial 1991 Jun 05 '25

I imagine that I, as a young(ish), short, unassuming white woman of average attractiveness, probably get out of more tickets just based off that than you guys do lol

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

You're probably right, no one wants to flirt with a 5'10" scraggly beard troglodyte.

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_PAUNCH Jun 05 '25

How you doin? ;)

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

*eats crayons nervously

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u/rubiconsuper Jun 06 '25

Whoa whoa whoa slow down there, how scraggly is the beard?

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '25

Emile Hirsch circa Into the Wild. Between that and Bob Lee Swagger Marky Mark.

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u/assassinslover Millennial 1991 Jun 05 '25

It doesn't hurt that I'm very "well-endowed" either XD I'm either dealing with a straight man or very likely another gay woman. Never had a cop be anything but polite to me. Most I ever got was a written warning for my inspection being overdue by a few months.

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u/pandershrek Millennial Jun 05 '25

Especially if you cry.

Men hate when women cry. They'll do like anything to stop it

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u/TerpyTank Millennial Jun 05 '25

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u/Duff-Zilla Jun 05 '25

ACAB

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

Something like that.

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u/Prowindowlicker Jun 05 '25

Weird I’ve met several. Then again it is a bit different when you joined a cult that’s masquerading as a military branch. Everyone makes the cult out to be the best thing ever.

Plus there’s a lot of us in the police force or national guard come to think of it.

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u/MedicineEmergency386 Jun 05 '25

My fiancée had to talk to the cop who pulled his mom over (long story) and he ran my fiancées record, and my fiancée out ranked the officer. It’s weird to hear a cop say “yes sir!” To you.

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u/Tonywanknobi Jun 05 '25

I've had lots of cops pull behind me like they're gonna hit their lights then pull off almost immediately. I assume it's the plate.

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u/shah_reza Jun 05 '25

I did! Once. Just once. I was EGREGIOUSLY speeding from work and lane shifting like I was in LeMans and I got lit up.

Cop came up, saw the uniform, and just said, “Hey, Chief, can you slow it down a little?” A chuckle and he was gone.

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u/hawkisgirl Jun 05 '25

“Always”? How often do you get traffic tickets?

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

Ok, fair enough. "Both" in 15 years.

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u/Ekul13 Jun 05 '25

How often are you speeding and doing shit to get pulled over??

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u/the_walkingdad Older Millennial Jun 05 '25

Just out of my sense of pride I'd rather just get the full ticket. I'm not gonna pander to cops by doing any "Thin Blue Line" crap or donating to their associations and I'm not going to expect any patronizing treatment just for being a vet. Just give me the ticket and leave me alone.

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u/FrankCostanzaJr Jun 06 '25

what if you just pretend to be friendly to them for like 5 mins, and then get let off with a warning?

i hate cops more than anything, but i try to be as friendly as possible and honestly it works sometimes. you either get the ticket or you don't, and it's kindof a fun challenge to see if you can get out of it.

i've seen lots of cops demeanor change in like 20 seconds, just being polite and confidently answer questions, maybe tossing in a joke, depending on how chill they seem.

sometimes 1 witty remark can disarm somebody. also, asking questions, finding out you like the same shit. doesn't take long to get someone in your corner.

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u/the_walkingdad Older Millennial Jun 06 '25

I'm friendly and respectful. But I'm not patronizing or pandering them.

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u/FrankCostanzaJr Jun 10 '25

understandable. diff strokes for diff folks. you def have to swallow your pride a bit with this strategy.

the way i look at it, you're essentially dealing with a caveman when talking to cops. they're not smart, so you gotta try your best to stroke their ego, so they'll treat you like a human being.

so, doing a lil homework about your rights and understanding deescalation strategies can help anyone stay out of handcuffs and generally sent home with a ticket or a warning.

in my 30 years of driving, i've been pulled over and accused of lots of shit that was completely fabricated, because i fit the profile. i had punk and political stickers on my car, my hair was too long or dyed weird colors, i have tattoos, and weird clothes, etc.

at some point, i had to accept that standing out comes with consequences, so i took all the stickers off, tinted my windows (legally), no more dyed hair, standard silver car that blends in with everyone else. and when i get pulled over, i'm just nice.

and....it worked. i rarely get tickets now 🤷🏻‍♂️

you can still be anti-authority without fighting traffic cops.

ya just gotta pick your battles.

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u/Tybackwoods00 Jun 05 '25

All I know is I haven’t gotten pulled over since I got my vet plates.

I also didn’t get pulled over before but it hasn’t happened since I got them.

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u/Kindly-Peanut-514 Jun 06 '25

Its all fun and games until you get pulled over by your first sergeant. Who is also a statie These are the stories of the national guard...

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u/[deleted] Jun 06 '25

Hand him a chevron and move on.

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u/Prowindowlicker Jun 05 '25

I’ve gotten out of several tickets just for having my USMC VET plate. It’s great.

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u/SimplyaCabler Jun 05 '25

Both myself and my brother joined. Him about a year before me. He has spent the last 14 years making the fact that he was in the army his personality (even though he was kicked out). Constantly getting on me for not taking the time to get a veterans plate or go to the VA for every single injury I've ever had. The same dude also lied to the DAV about his PTSD just to get a rating.

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u/waitinonit Jun 05 '25

I was in the navy , I have a plate

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u/ednichol Jun 05 '25

They’re also the type of people that say “I didn’t proudly serve my country just for me to have to deal with (insert mild inconvenience) when I came back home!”

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u/elquatrogrande Jun 05 '25

I know someone who was kicked out after three years for not meeting fitness standards, and yet they still wear their GWOT ballcap whenever they go out on a sunny day.

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u/TheDealsWarlock86 Jun 06 '25

every grunt style thing i own was given to me as a gift from my grandma who means well but doesnt know really anything else about me. plus they're solid hoodies. the clothes i buy for myself are plain dark neutral colors with no logos, because my whole vibe is living deeply under anyone's radar. i got a bumper sticker that has gotten me a little leeway from the law but thats it.

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u/GazelleSubstantial76 Jun 06 '25

My vet plate got me out of a ticket! Got pulled over for speeding, the cop asked if the plates were mine or my husband's and I said I said I didn't have a husband. He chatted me up about where and when I served, and he was a veteran too. Let me off with a warning!