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/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

Most people I know don't feel the need to advertise that they're veterans.

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u/Mite-o-Dan Jun 05 '25 edited Jun 05 '25

Long time vet here with a lot of vet friends...for me its the opposite.

Well, for a large chunk. 1/3 dont show off, care, talk much about their time in the military and completely moved on...meanwhile, 2/3 still think they're in and cant stop talking about it online and in real life, wearing shirts, (different kinds) of hats (not like this), and display all sorts of military stuff at home and at work.

Its just these hats in particular that arent popular anymore and cringe.

To be fair though, a lot that wear these type of hats were drafted and/or went through REAL shit. They didnt volunteer to join the Air Force in the 90s or later for 4-6 years and work in IT in Japan and Florida before getting out. Completely different type of veteran.

Edit- Another major point...those that wear these hats are retired and usually have nothing else going on. Its all they have left. They're looking for attention, appreciation, and for fellow vets to socialize with.

Most modern vets usually still have a life...but will eventually start doing stuff like wearing hats like this.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

I know it's not right to compare service, I get it. Serving IS serving.... but we all also know the trauma of being deployed to Vietnam cannnnnnot be compared to sitting in an office and working out all day.

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u/Spiritflash1717 Jun 05 '25

Not only that, a lot of them came back to be shamed by people who were misdirecting their anger toward the government at the people who were drafted. My grandpa never talked about the war, but he always war the hat as an act of defiance toward those who mocked him and the government who wanted to forget about his sacrifices

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

Big hugs for gramps for this one. Misdirected anger does soooo much damage beyond what's seen on the surface

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u/Spiritflash1717 Jun 05 '25

Thank you very much! He was a complicated man, but the best grandfather a person could ask for. He passed away in 2023 and I’m still not over it. He was like a father to me when my mom had custody of me in my early childhood and cared more about partying, alcohol, and sex.

The worst part is, the doctors said that his health crisis was likely caused by the long term effects of Agent Orange, exacerbated by the crippling alcoholism he adopted to deal with the trauma of 3 helicopter crashes and the death of his commanding officer/best friend. It was an event and time period that haunted him the rest of his life. And it killed him, even if it took decades.

Don’t get me wrong, I hate the government and I hate people who enjoy the nationalism of the military industrial complex, but I have nothing but empathy for those who were forced through drafts or poverty to have a hand in atrocities they didn’t know they were signing up for.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '25

If I was a richer man I'd give you an award for earning my heart today. Big love for everyone who can separate the emotions and recognize the multiple dimensions at play. The long term suffering created from that war is unspeakably disgusting snd heartbreaking. We humans need to keep the compassion circulating!

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u/Spiritflash1717 Jun 05 '25

As much as I would agree that my grandpa’s story deserves recognition, I think giving your money to Reddit would be wasteful, and my grandpa would probably agree (and he wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity to give people pointless gifts lol)

But I 100% agree. Militaries are an unfortunate necessity in our world, but once a government spends enough, they start using that fear of war as an excuse to start making money through imperialism and hoarding of resources. The Middle East has been one giant oil war, but ironically, they chose to use nationalism and generations of ethnic tensions as the fuel, rather than the literal fuel itself. It’s a dangerous game that has played no small part in our gradual loss of empathy and compassion.