I shall bite back a two word response....I will....I really will.

Okay, first I was speaking of the Army tartan. There are apparently no copyrights to the Leatherneck tartan.

FOR ME...just me...my opinion...my heritage...the Army tartan is proud and honorable because it was designed to represent the U.S. Army - I believe the color designations have been well posted.

FOR ME...just me...I wear it to honor my father's service as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army in the early years of 1942 in North Africa when my country was losing. My father flew P-39s for the Army Air Corps back when there were few planes on the Allied front lines. He was shot down by ground fire at the Battle of Kassarine Pass while endeavoring to stop the assault of the Afrika Korps. I also wear it to honor my Uncle Don, a ground pounder who fought across France and Germany and was with the first company to liberate Dachau. And, I wear it for my Great Uncle Charlie who served in France with the U.S. Army in WWI - no small thing.

That's where pride and honor comes from when I wear that tartan. Now multiply that by millions of other heroic and not so heroic men who have served in the U.S. Army over the past few hundred years.

And, even though I was typing about the Army tartan and the response was about the Leatherneck tartan I believe that proud and honorable applies to all service tartans from all nations.

Pride and honor comes from history and the heart - not some set of rules. A device meant to honor history does not itself have to be dipped in blood to "qualify" to proudly honor service.

Still biting back that two word response...and still will not buy kilts made from cloth woven by bootleg mills and sold by vendors who "overlook" royalties to copyright holders.