Well?

[polak]

Well, I spied a Purple Heart on this fellow, and I am doubting he is an actual veteran. So, wear medals or not? I can understand Russian or British medals, but American?

[Rainer Schmidt]

I only authorize certain medals. Medals that were awarded for bravery are not issued by me. I refuse to acknoledge any re-enactor wearing a EK (Iron Cross)

Medals such as the defense medal, close combat badges, tank destruction, and a few others I do authorise. I also allow wound badges based on extreme injuries (One member lost his lip to a G43 bolt...during a re-enacting event)

[Go4Broke]

It could be that he's honoring a family member or memorializing a fallen soldier by wearing the uniform and the medals that that particular soldier earned.
I think in that case it's ok to wear the medals if you're actually representing someone and you know and have studied their history. I think that medals that the unit you're doing won are ok too like presidential unit citation and campaign ribbons and stuff.
Then again they're both wearing CIB's which is kinda iffy...

PS Where's this picture from?

[silencer]

I agree with go4broke. If they got the medal from a relative then they should be allowed to wear it, and only then. I do not belive that awarding medals for practically nothing should be allowed. However, losing your lip to a bolt, well thats severe so he should be allowed a medal. If someone acted as a sniper for a long time he should get a sniper badge. etc.

so only in certain cases.

[Gordak]

Yeah its just a matter of comonsense,

we gave a wound badge to a guy in our unit, when the feed cover of the 20mm cannon he was servicing fell on his fingers.
broken finger.
Trust me it hurt!!!!

We also tried to come up with a medal for when he fed us all soup, (Thank god I didnt have some), but the rest of the guys had to sit on the john instead of fighting.

So far as Tin, I wear nothing, Though my unit did award me the General assault badge for 4 years of attending every event, I decided not to wear it. I think its not only a matter of respect, but trying to offset all those heavily decorated reenactors.

I own a few original German photo albums, and, in the hundreds of pictures, I think there is 3 iron cross 2nd class ribbons and one EK first class (which a captian wears).

Yes, When you flip thru applesauce ty WW2 book, medals abound because people chose to include those "more interesting" pictures.
The truth is,
Medals were RARE.

So to sum it up, I don't have a (major) problem with guys who wear alot of tin, but personally wont wear any, Its a big enough thrill just to be in the uniform.
-Gordak

p.s. I would never wear a CIB, thats a very special medal.

[polak]

I can understand that, but the CIB, that's stepping on a few toes. Out of reverence, I only wear menial and "gimmie" medals. There are plenty of German medals that qualify as that, but I don't want to see some shrimp wearing a Gold wound badge and a Gold Tank Destruction badge. That's just lame.

[Gordak]

LOL, well yeah, Luckily its easy to take gold tank destruction badges, and gold wound badges and paint them a more common black . In fact, the real ones were usually gold (brass) underneath the black paint.

-Gordak

[Rainer Schmidt]

Heh, everytime I see a gold wound badge I get a little agrevated. I always have to stop myself from asking which limb was blown off in combat, or how the hell stupid were they to get injured that many time...Some things in re-enacting and airsoft should be either impossible to obtain, or would be dis-respectful to wear (The badges for bravery, etc)

Of cource, if the soldier has served and has earned thos metals, that would be a different story. I've got a buddy in one of the US units who did recieve a purple heart an' a few other decorations for the work he did do in the US military. That, I can understand.

[mauser98k]

lol, time to paint that wound badge black

[Gordak]

Whats wrong with that!!!! I wasnt cool till i Donned the Bling YO

;D

[CharleyNovember]

Wrong in so many ways Sam ...Funny but wrong...

[mauser98k]

Shawty be heatin up dat kool aid!

[Capt. Zak]

I only wear medals/awards on 2 occasions. When I wear my Patton uniform I have Pattons medals on. It's apparent I did not earn them, Patton did, so I don't see anything wrong with wearing a historic figures medals when representing them.

When I reenact German I wear an Eastern Front ribbon. I can justify this by logging over 32,000 hours working in 32 degree coolers & -30 degree freezers for the last 15 years. ;D But there is no tin on my uniform.

[polak]

Woah, is that an M-51 you're wearing?

[mauser98k]

I have an m51 and it has a different collar than his.

[Gordak]

its norwiegen, and all the medals were issued to me, for my sUpreeeme Ph0t0 5hopSKIllZ

-Gordak

[charleyfoxtrot]

What do you guys think about putting on/ making up modern badges/ medals. I know that th epaintballers are prone to this, but many of them are only halfway reenacting anyway. I do both paintball and airsoft, and personally I would like to include the patches on my uniform, but only at paintball/airsoft events. i certainly wouldn't were it to regular reenactment event.

[mauser98k]

Making up and/or putting on modern medals??? We don't wanna travel too far down farb street! ;D

[polak]

paintballers wear dress uniforms?! WHA?

[spitfire740]

I know it's crazy, but some paintballers do. the paint washes off, but it seems like such a hassel.

[charleyfoxtrot]

Yeah I'm going to one this weekend. The battle of Monte Casino Its the first one for me but I have seen pics of some guys that go all out. The biggest problem in paintball is there are few milsim guns, and most of those are modern. The few WWII ones I have seen a pretty bad looking, or are WAY expensive.

[2nd Bat]

I also have a Patton uniform and do Patton impressions for corporate events. The metals are all mine and my fathers and while they don't accurately depict his (Pattons) medals they sufficiently coat the tunic and give the idea. (Incidently it's one of my fathers tunics) Few people catch the CIB or airborne wings and when they do, I point out that they are a combination of my dads and my medals, they are (I believe) okay with it.

As a veteran I get a little frustrated with PX airsofters depicting modern soldiers with CIBs wings, ranger tabs and combat unit patches on their right shoulder. Reeanctors are a different story in my book as I see them as honoring past heroes thru their depictions. No one seeing a 22 year old in a WW2 uniform is going to think the individual is claiming "He was there!" I wore Colonels rank at an event and felt a little funny about it as I clearly never attained the rank but I reminded myself that I was playing a part. Besides I'm the most ancient looking Captain you'd ever see.

[Gordak]

very well said, I agree,

still, Personally, Im going to leave the CIB off unless I earn one, and jump wings unless I ever get the balls to go sky diving. This is a personal decision, and it might change, I wont look down on anybody for choosing to wear the stuff, so long as they dont act like an ass (see previous picture)
-Gordak

[airbornerocks]

As long as it isn't a 506th kid that's 10 with Sgt chevrons and Audie Murphy awards tied on him, it's ok.

[CharleyNovember]

It's like this....

But not as cool looking...

[Karl]

I say no ribbons/medals that are awarded for valor. Airborne wings are part of the impression, but just for the Class As. On my Class As I wear the ETO ribbon and weapon qualification badge(which is my grandfather's).

[CharleyNovember]

Gentlemen...please note this thread has been dead since spring of 2006...

[Karl]

oh......oops lol

[Cpl. Hicks]

Aug 30, 2009 20:20:48 GMT -5 CharleyNovember said:

It's like this....

But not as cool looking...

Ahaha, I didn't get it until I saw the dates...

[MAS]

who cares about the date it is still a vaild topic.

only ones for immpreassions like jump wings.