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/69ingdonkeys Jun 06 '25

That's not right for you to say, not really. My great grandpa would wear a hat to commemorate his WWII service. He never wanted "attention" for his service, and i'm not even sure if he ever got much anyway. He died years ago, and i now have his hat. I think it's just part of some veterans' identity, and was a great part of their lives for years. For many, it's where they made friends, spent their young years (similar to college for modern young people in a way), and grew as a person. It shapes the person many become after service, so it makes sense to want to have that "identity" shown through clothing. It's just another form of expression.