Isn't this post veering a wee bit off course?

Personal opinion back to the original post, and somewhat backed by several replies here and what some of my former Ranger buddies have told me:

I am a member of a WW2 Reenacting unit that portrays the 5th Ranger Battalion (the most decorated in the USAR during the war), famous because of D-Day, Irsch-Zerf campaign, etc.

With this little background info, several members of our unit are active duty and/or former real world Rangers, and they all know and understand that those of us who were not, are not wearing the uniforms and running around 'playing'. They themselves were not Rangers during the war either. None of them has any problem with us, or any other reenactor for that matter because they all understand the real reason behind our activities, that is to educate, to portray events in such a way that history is fun and at the public's fingertips.

Similarly, my view of those privately commisioned 'military' tartans (leatherneck and others) is that, since they are not official attire of their respective branches, there is nothing to feel weary about wearing them.

I dont know, it's like people you see on the streets everyday wearing army jackets, or cammo pants, or army hats, or riding their bikes wearing kevlars, etc.

Are we going to stop every one of them or wonder ourselves whether they are or were veterans or just civilians?

I was in my country of birth's Air Force and that is all the military claims I can make.
If tomorrow I decide to wear a tartan that some company decided to custom make and offer for sale.....well, I'll buy it and wear it if I like it.

No military pretensions on that, as for those who want to fake their service...there will always be those folks.

And they wear tartans, uniforms and medals. Out of our control really.

So, while I see similar attitudes in the kilted community as those in the reenacting world, I choose to simply wear MY kilt and let others wear THEIR kilts any way they see fit.

cheers