You might wonder why the US Navy SEALs would want a Scottish tartan. I do not have the answer to that question, although I did know a SEAL who was a prominent figure at the Grandfather Mountain Scottish Highland Games at one time.
In any case, a surprisingly large number of members of US military units have registered them in honor of their particular branch of service. The United States Marine Corps has the Leatherneck Tartan, which you can get in two quite different shades as you prefer. The US Army has a tartan, as do the US Special Forces, the US Army Rangers, and US Army Civil Affairs. The US Navy has a tartan as well. The US Air Force has one for the service, and one for its Reserve pipe band. Even the US Coast Guard has a tartan.
I'm probably even missing a few.
I guess a lot of Americans of Scottish heritage serve in the armed forces. In any case, though you rarely see a servicemember wearing a kilt outside of a Scottish Highland Games, it's more common than not for the option to exist.
4 comments:
I tend to think it's somebody wanting something and then trying to drag everybody else along. (Air Force bagpipe band--LOL).
Of course, if you get everybody to go along, then it is the thing, isn't it?
The people I see wearing them are members of the Scottish-American Military Society (SAMS). Still, even among those who are entitled to wear one, most people I know wear their family tartan to the games. That's what it's really about: clans are just extended families.
While I'm certain it's not a clothing issue item, and fairly sure it's not qualified as a tartan, I have also seen kilts in digital camo patterns.
My father wore his SAMS ensemble a few years to the Highland games here in Colorado, but has since reverted to wearing our clan colors. That SAMS outfit is sharp though. I should have expected you would know of them, but I'm still pleasantly surprised.
- Krag
Post a Comment