disrespectful to military?

[bruce]

is it disrespectful to the military to dress up in uniforms and stuff to play airsoft

[MilsimMike]

Why would it be disrespectful?

[r1p_c0rd]

cool! this could be an interesting discussion, dangerous but interesting... (what i'm about to say may be considered controversial...) i come from a military family. i watched my friends grow up and join the army, i watched terrified looking 18 year old civilians arrive on base having just signed up, and you know what i found interesting?... how few joined up to SERVE and PROTECT their country. maybe they want to fast track their legal or medical career, or they dropped out of school, or perhaps they didn't want to spend the rest of their lives in a office... whatever.

when i play airsoft, i'm not fantasizing about being a soldier, far from it. this for me is like an interactive video game. besides, i spend more time combat training than the average soldier and the fact that is that the average soldier will never actually see war first hand, why should what we do be considered disrespectful? i think our dedication to what we do and the respect we have for our team mates is something that should be encouraged. and i would just like to add that this website is testament to that respect and dedication....

[layzerboy4]

i agree with rip cord,

why do you think or how do you think it is disrespectful?

(they use airsoft in the army for training)

[Sathron]

I don't see how it would disown them in any way. Airsoft is a game, a game too have fun and some times play soldier. I have not been in combat, but I do know airsoft is nothing like real combat so In my eyes the only way to disown a soldier is to think you have been through what he/she had been through in a war by playing airsoft. In a way you are paying tribute too them.

[The Major]

If you play Milsim airsoft and wear military gear then you need to dress properly in your BDU's, show honor and respect to those you play with and when you do this you show respect to those who wear the same.
Remember, Showing military bearing while airsofting is a show of respect to all who serve in the world's military.

[r1p_c0rd]

Originally Posted by The Major

If you play Milsim airsoft and wear military gear then you need to dress properly in your BDU's, show honor and respect to those you play with and when you do this you show respect to those who wear the same.
Remember, Showing military bearing while airsofting is a show of respect to all who serve in the world's military.

a lot of people on this site ask for advice on guns and gear etc. And a lot of the responses are "well in MilSim you must do this..." or "you can't use that..." how many players actually play MilSim regularly if at all, for most people, general airsoft is the default.

I understand that some kind of uniform is useful for a team for obvious reasons, but personaly I think that to copy a loadout of a paticular army or unit would be closest to disrespecting the real military because copying their loadout is in a way implying that you are in some way comparable to that unit otherwise why use that loadout instead of another?

The reason any unit uses a particular loadout is because it best suits their purposes and their budget. They can not have a environment specific camo pattern for everywhere they operate as that would be too expensive, they can not mod their weapons to suit every situation for the same reason but don't you think that a soldier, given the choice, would rather customize his loadout to better match the situation he will be dealing with? Although I hate Blackwater and what it represents, they look more like airsofters than soldiers. Why? Because they have a lot more flexability with their loadouts, heavily modded weapons and miss matched uniforms.


not that i'm saying we should copy Blackwater, it's just interesting that these guys are esentialy real military but don't tend to copy any particular units loadouts when given the choice.... they wear and use what best suits their needs. (sweet foregrip mod, especially if the hand gun has a quick release catch!!! reload your a** off!....)

[Notoys4me]

Most of us in LE/military dont find it disrespectful unless you dare try to wear insignia. If you want to play with toy guns go ahead. What I find funny is

i come from a military family. i watched my friends grow up and join the army, i watched terrified looking 18 year old civilians arrive on base having just signed up, and you know what i found interesting?... how few joined up to SERVE and PROTECT their country. maybe they want to fast track their legal or medical career, or they dropped out of school, or perhaps they didn't want to spend the rest of their lives in a office... whatever.

when i play airsoft, i'm not fantasizing about being a soldier, far from it. this for me is like an interactive video game. besides, i spend more time combat training than the average soldier and the fact that is that the average soldier will never actually see war first hand, why should what we do be considered disrespectful? i think our dedication to what we do and the respect we have for our team mates is something that should be encouraged. and i would just like to add that this website is testament to that respect and dedication....

Just another guy who has cop/military fantasies and tries to live them out by playing with toys and role playing. The jealousy and rage directed towards DOD is a tell tale sign.

[RVSL]

I fail to see how this hobby/sport could be construed as disrespectful to military/law enforcement when many of my fellow "airsofters" are in fact policemen, and soldiers themselves.

In fact, my closest airsoft field is located with the grounds of the nation's largest provincial police school. A field which I might add is run by the police instructors themselves.

On Monday evenings I play with a group of army cadets (pol tahan bok) where we practise team tactics and signals (working with 2 languages here!).

Note to Vetofprey05 - With all due respect sir, if your contempt for what we do is so overwhelming negative, why on Earth did you join our forum? Hardly worth the effort, was it?

[Notoys4me]

Adults dressing up in military garb, playing with toys. Im glad I get to use the real deal!