A few thoughts on choice and selection: tartan, clans, etc.

[creagdhubh]

Just to perhaps prevent too much over-generalization... I happen to be an American that currently serves in our military. I will tell you that within the U.S. a great few individuals actually serve our Nation's military. This suggests to me that many people do not understand from the service member's point of view what it means to some units to "earn" their membership. Personally, I would discourage and suggest NOT to wear anything from a military unit that you did not (or do not currently) serve in.

For example, the 82nd Airborne is a large and popular unit. If I see someone wearing an 82nd Airborne patch, I expect that they themself served in that unit...not their parent or grandparent. If I find that they did NOT serve, I think that to be inappropriate. I would not say anything outright, because that could be rude and I do not wish to offend. However, if someone asked me if they should wear it because their grandfather was in the 82nd and jumped into Nomandy during WWII, I would say NO. There are plenty of t-shirts that say, "I love my granpa!", feel free to wear one of those.

I wear my dad's (and his dad's before him) jump wings. I do honor them by doing so. However, I went to jump school and earned those wings for myself--certainly not the same as the preceeding discussion. Had I not earned the right to wear Jump wings on my own, I would not (nor would I suggest any did) wear jump wings as a sign of honor for my dad and grandad. Just knowing what it took for them to earn those, I would find it ironically disrespectful to them to wear the wings they so rightly earned.

Just because people in the U.S. do like to wear things to honor their families, does not mean that we all widely approve of it. Ask my son if he could/would wear any of my military ensignia to "honor me" to school one day and he will tell you, "No. Those are my dad's."

And since this thread is actually about family tartans... my son will also wear the kilt I tell him to wear since it is the one our family wears. When he is old enough to buy his own, then he can do as he wishes. Although, I doubt he would wear something different from me.

Very well said! Oh, and I too attended jump school.

Cheers,