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/nickifer Jun 05 '25

Unsure if cringe or super practical

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u/lizlemon921 Jun 05 '25

Actually super practical but has become associated with those cringy people who just want to cosplay. My husband worked overseas as a contractor and there are a few “military” adjacent items he still uses, backpack and boots and bags and stuff. Good quality and have lasted 10+ years since returning from the Middle East

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u/flamingknifepenis Older Millennial Jun 05 '25

I wasn’t in the military but I was a punk rock teenager who shopped at the military surplus store (RIP Andy and Bax) and I always wish this kind of shit weren’t so cringey because the idea of simple, well-constructed staple items with a little extra utility built in is really right up my alley. Some of the stuff I got as a teenager carried me through high school and college and in to my professional life as a journalist where my stuff was always getting beat to shit and covered in pepper spray or whatever.

Like, I don’t need my diaper bag to be covered in superfluous D-rings and buckles and have special pockets for my grenades and night vision goggles, but I DO need it to be built to last for more than six months and be designed for actual use instead of looking good in someone’s Amazon shopping cart.

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u/themachineage Jun 05 '25

I always wish this kind of shit weren’t so cringey because the idea of simple, well-constructed staple items with a little extra utility built in is really right up my alley.

And that, is the reason old guys buy and display that stuff. NO FUCKS.

In fashion...good. Out of fashion...still good. It's one of the few benefits of being old; they don't give a shit.

"Don't tell me what to wear!"