Early on when I started playing I felt that my uniform was an extention of my accomplishments when I was in the Army. I figured "dammit, I earned these, I'm proud of what I did..." so they (my rank insignia, achievement awards and unit affiliations) were a part of my airsoft uniform. I have a different mindset now. Not that I feel differently about what I did or what I've earned, but that I don't feel the need show it. With only a few exceptions (like my name tape, and my branch of service) I have removed all insignia that is not airsoft related. I keep the Branch tape because I'm proud of my service and I feel it does no harm to display that fact. That is just how I feel. It's a personal choice. Others may feel differently. In actuality, we are all sort of wannabes. Whether or not we have served. We all participate in this hobby for a myriad of reasons. I enjoy a level of comraderie with my fellow airsofters that harkens back to the days when I was "in". It's not the same really, but it's as close as you can get as a civvie. Others of us have their reasons as well. The "game" part of it (the shooting, running, falling, having an aneurism... oops) is just a small part of the overall experience of airsoft. For me, it's the hanging around with friends during the AAR and after, sharing war stories over a cold beer and comparing gear and guns. It's seeing a bunch of my fellow countrymen (and women) gathered together, all dressed to kill, and honoring a fallen hero. We all love the game, but we also love the part of airsoft that is not the game. So for some it's the gear, others it's the game, still others it's the uniforms. For me... it's all of the above, and more.
TheRev