U.S. Campaign Tartans

**Conroy** · 1st August 08, 12:14 PM

Great idea. I have seen neckties designed along the line of campaign medals.

**TheKiltedCoder** · 2nd August 08, 09:56 AM

Hi, All,

First, I'd like to thank everyone for the thoughtful responses to my question.

I was a little surprised at sharp break in opinion between those who thought that only veterans of the specific campaigns should wear the respective tartan vs. those who though that they should be available for all as a means of showing respect.

My personal opinion is that I'd never wear an Iraqi Freedom or Afghanistan war campaign tartan because I did not fight in those campaigns, and I feel that respect for those that fought can best be shown by leaving them a way to show their participation in those campaigns themselves.

Like some of the non-universal clan tartans, there will be those that would be upset if you wore the tartan without having a close association with the clan. For me, I'd be pretty sad if I saw someone in a Desert Shield/Desert Storm Campaign tartan, and found that they weren't physically present in the Southwest Asia Theatre of Operations during that time.

However, the US is a free country, and the only binding regulation here is one's own conscience. Each of us has our own opinion and conscience, and those are ultimately the only things in this world to which we are answerable.

Anyway, after thinking more and reading the responses here, I feel even less right than I had before to try to get a project going to copyright and register all of these tartans. I saw a couple of folks earlier mention that they might be interested in getting together and going in as a group to get a tartan designed and made. Why don't those that are interested PM me, and we can see what kind of a headcount we can get. Then, we can contact Matt and see what he can do for us.

Sound like a plan?

**Riverkilt** · 2nd August 08, 12:41 PM

I like the idea. I'll back off on who should wear it.

I wasn't in War2 - but my father was and I carry his name. I was a Junior until he died.

I wear the Edzell/Navy tartan in his honor for his Navy service as a Hospital Apprentice during stressful prewar times. My three years service as "an officer in the qualified sense" as an NROTC Midshipman might qualify me to wear the tartan for myself, but I wear it for my father's service.

I wear the Royal Air Force tartan to honor his service as a Flying Sergeant during the tough times of 1942 including the Dieppe Raid. He clearly stated he went to help defend the ancestral homeland....and he did. And, I did receive permission of the copyright holder of this tartan to buy the fabric and wear the kilt based on my father's service in the RAF. He did also say that anyone who wanted to support and honor the RAF was welcome to buy and wear the tartan.

I wear the U.S. Army tartan to honor my father's service as a Captain in the Army Air Corps when we were still losing in North Africa and the luck/grace that allowed him to survive being shot down by the Afrika Corps at Kassarine Pass when there were few American planes in the theater. I also wear the Army tartan to honor my Uncle who fought across France and Germany as a Tech Sgt with a Thompson. His company was the first in to Dachau. ( There are accusations of American atrocities at Dachau after its liberation. Just before he died I asked my uncle if it was true that they shot all the Germans there. He smiled knowingly and said, "Only the Gestapo.")

I don't just wear those tartans for my father and my uncle or myself, I wear them for my family - my grandchildren and nieces and nephews to be able to tell them of their great grandfather's service.

I wear the Leatherneck tartan to honor my late little brother's service as a Drill Sgt. I suppose my brief cold war service "entitles" me to wear it for me...but I wear it for him.

Don't plan to either stop wearing these kilts or sell them off because someone else is of the opinion that I'm not "entitled" to wear them in honor of my late father/brother/uncles service.

If they made an Air Medal tartan kilt I'd probably buy it and wear it in honor of my father's air medals. I think the tartan fashioned after theater medals is a good idea. I wouldn't wear them.

I know there are "fashion" cold war service medals offered out there - non-military. If someone ever made a tartan following those colors I'd certainly consider it since I was a cold warrior - however briefly.

Yes, I have an opinion on this issue.

Ron

**Finn** · 2nd August 08, 01:39 PM

I like the idea. I'm a DS vet too. I'd NEVER wear any other campaign tartan/medal/tie.
As far as others wearing it... I'm not as fiery as I used to be.
Re: DS tartan... I like it, but agree that it needs just a bit of tweaking.
The Iraq tartan displayed here is for the "security consultants" like member Chase. Military members don't have one. Yet. Let's get one for the folks who've done their bit in the current nastiness.

**Friday** · 2nd August 08, 05:27 PM

As a Vietnam Vet. i would invite anyone to wear the (proposed) Vietnam Service Memorial Tartan.

Two possible versions:

Red, White, Blue for the US, Black for those that gave their all, green/yellow/red for the Flag of the Republic of S. Vietnam.

With out the black.

As for those that say "This sort of thing smacks of self-aggrandizement and posing." When I came back from over seas I was greeted by many who's self-aggrandizement and posing belittled my service. I would be upset by someone wearing military medals they did not earn, but would be proud that someone felt enough of the service of my fellow Vietnam Vet to wear a memorial tartan.

**TheKiltedCoder** · 2nd August 08, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by Friday

As a Vietnam Vet. i would invite anyone to wear the (proposed) Vietnam Service Memorial Tartan.

Two possible versions:

Red, White, Blue for the US, Black for those that gave their all, green/yellow/red for the Flag of the Republic of S. Vietnam.

With out the black.

As for those that say "This sort of thing smacks of self-aggrandizement and posing." When I came back from over seas I was greeted by many who's self-aggrandizement and posing belittled my service. I would be upset by someone wearing military medals they did not earn, but would be proud that someone felt enough of the service of my fellow Vietnam Vet to wear a memorial tartan.

I really like the second option (the one without the black) and it does a very good job of evoking the Vietnam Service Medal. You've got exactly the idea that I was talking about.

**kiltimabar** · 2nd August 08, 09:51 PM

I'd be proud to wear either one of those tartans--I earned it. I like the idea and the design of the Desert Storm tartan too; I like the look of a khaki-based tartan (the hideous Burberry notwithstanding), but I just couldn't wear it. That honor belongs to others.

**Drillagent** · 3rd August 08, 05:17 AM

I would have to go with Riverkilt on this one. The Vietnam kilt with the green background looks great and is true to the ribbon. I would wear that one because my father is a veteran of that war. Being a veteran of Iraqi Freedom myself, I would wear that one if we could get it to look like the ribbon and still look good.
I have a fly plaid, in my clan tartan, that I wore to Iraq and used as a scarf under my body armor. I also wore my clan badge pinned to the underside of body armor. Both I wore for luck, but everyone in my unit knew that if anything happened to me, the plaid would go to my son, and the badge to my daughter. I made it back alive with no scars (none visible anyway) so I wear that plaid and badge on occasion.
On that plaid I have four sets of military ribbons. My personal ribbons that I earned myself are at the bottom. The next up are my father's he earned from Vietnam. The next are my father-in-law's that he earned during the Korean war, and at the top are my grandfather's from WWII. I wear them not as my own, but to show that my family carries on the Scottish tradition of fighting for freedom and to honor those who go before me.
What I'm trying to say is if you want to wear the kilt in rememberance of a family member or good friend, then good on ya. But if I saw a younger man wearing the Vietnam tartan, I would ask myself two questions.
Is that person wearing it for a family member or friend, or is he wearing it because he likes the pattern? If he's wearing it because he likes the pattern, then he doesn't know the true cost in blood sweat and tears, he didn't earn it, and shouldn't wear it. Sorry if I offend, but that is my humble opinion.

**Rex_Tremende** · 3rd August 08, 06:05 AM

I haven't anything to say about who or why, but I do think that the thread counts on these need to be tinkered with a bit to make them more tartan-like. The VSMs here look to me like they'd come off the loom looking like a tweed.

Regards,
Rex.

**Drillagent** · 3rd August 08, 06:58 AM

I found the tartan maker website and played around a little bit. Let me know what you think of the Iraq Campaign Tartan. I'm also including a picture of the medal so you get an idea of how I used the ribbon for the tartan. The picture of the tartan came out with just this one sett, but I couldn't get a larger image. Follow this link for a better view of the tartan. http://www.tartanmaker.com/?page=showcase This is my first try, so go easy on me. lol