3 button waistcoat with argyll

**slothead** · 24th January 16, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Glen

My tartan three button vest with a green argyll...

Glen got my attention, not with his waistcoat/vest, but by wearing his medals. What are the rules (I guess as they apply in the USA) about wearing military medals on civilian attire (whether it be a Prince Charlie attire or other formal wear (tuxedo)? Maybe this is not the best source to answer this question, so I will research this elsewhere as well, but I'd still like to get the forum's opinion.

**Glen** · 24th January 16, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by slothead

Glen got my attention, not with his waistcoat/vest, but by wearing his medals. What are the rules (I guess as they apply in the USA) about wearing military medals on civilian attire (whether it be a Prince Charlie attire or other formal wear (tuxedo)? Maybe this is not the best source to answer this question, so I will research this elsewhere as well, but I'd still like to get the forum's opinion.

Canadian rules are probably way different than yours...

https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=14980&lan=eng

**slothead** · 24th January 16, 11:13 AM

Thanks Glen. Yes the US rules are different as far as holidays, but otherwise they are fairly consistent. I found the US Air Force Instruction shortly after I posted in the XMarksTheScot forum. I found this referenced in a Veterans Administration google hit: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/afreg/p/afi362903.htm, but interestingly: "According to the VA, veterans don't need to wear their medals only if they're in a parade. "Wear them when you go play golf. Wear them when you go to the store." This seems to contradict the instructions in the official USAF Instruction 36-2903 (which sound amazingly similar to that in the Canadian document). I would feel pretty strange wearing full-size or miniature medals in a very casual situation, but ribbons wouldn't bother me (and anyway I've got as many ribbons as I do medals).

Thanks again,

**The Q** · 24th January 16, 11:19 AM

I couldn't find as good as an explanation of the UK rules for medals, but not suprisingly, I believe they are the same as Canada's except that;

For Rememberance parades, a near relative:
mother, father, brother, sister, wife, children and grand children:
may wear the deceased medals, on the RIGHT side of the chest.

The wearing of others medals can and does, land the " pretender" in court.

**Geoff Withnell** · 24th January 16, 05:38 PM

The various services in the US have different rules. The Marine Corps basically leaves the decision to the holder, for suitable military or patriotic occasions, admonishing that care should be taken not to dishonor the Corps or the award. This has been discussed at length in prior threads.

**slothead** · 24th January 16, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by Geoff Withnell

The various services in the US have different rules. The Marine Corps basically leaves the decision to the holder, for suitable military or patriotic occasions, admonishing that care should be taken not to dishonor the Corps or the award. This has been discussed at length in prior threads.

Thanks Goeff, my search turned nothing up here, but probably didn't search for the right terms. And yes, I agree that the branches each have their own instructions. The one that would apply to me is the USAF instruction.

Thanks again,

**OC Richard** · 27th January 16, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by The Q

For Rememberance parades, a near relative:
mother, father, brother, sister, wife, children and grand children:
may wear the deceased medals, on the RIGHT side of the chest.

That is very interesting indeed! I didn't know that.

So, only for Remembrance Parades? Does this apply only to people participating in the parade, or also viewing the parade?

Our nearest US equivalent, I suppose, would be our Memorial Day Parades.

I remember some celebrity, who was not American, being widely criticized here for wearing his grandfather's WWI medal at some event. Interesting to find out that in the UK this is an approved thing in certain circumstances.

**The Q** · 28th January 16, 12:20 PM

The information I read, isn't specific, other than saying "those attending", so even if you are not in the parade itself, you are still attending.
Knowing our loose interpretation of things, a memorial service for the fallen, or similar would also be permitted.

**freddie** · 5th February 16, 01:33 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

In the old days at least a black Argyll with silver buttons was regarded as being just as formal as any other sort of Evening jacket, so a formal waistcoat would be perfectly suitable.

Here it is, in a vintage catalogue, the "Dress Argyle" (sic)

Nice to see that the Dress Argyll was acceptable way back then. I much prefer it to the Prince Charlie due to my rotund shape, and I prefer gauntlet cuffs. I wore mine to my Mother's funeral and the only vest that I had was a three button one, which I wore with a long black tie and I didn't think it looked too bad.