U.S. Campaign Tartans

**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.

**Friday** · 3rd August 08, 05:52 AM

If I were to wear a campaign tartan other than Vietnam and probably also on the vietnam I would wear either a yellow or black ribbon for a kilt pin.

**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

**Barb T** · 3rd August 08, 10:33 AM

And just a quick post to those who are designing tartans that folks might want to have pleated to the stripe (which is really common for those with military affiliation). Be sure that the tartan _can_ be pleated to the stripe and will look good with a tapered pleat. A couple months ago, I posted an example of a difficult tartan below:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/p...454/index.html (particularly, see the last posted pic, which best illustrates the problem).

The bottom line is this. If you have lots of stripes that are close together, it's hard for a kiltmaker to make a good-looking kilt pleated to the stripe. You need a single prominent stripe with adequate solid color on each side so that you can center it in a pleat 3/4-1" across without running into another set of stripes on either side. This can also work if you have a trio of very closely spaced narrow stripes with adequate solid color on each side. But again, a kiltmaker needs to be able to make pleats 3/4-1" across without running into an adjacent set of stripes or having a stripe vanish in the taper toward the top of the kilt.

The two proposed Viet Nam tartans both look problematic to me. Not enough tan on each side of the red stripes to pleat to the red stripe, and the RWBWR set of stripes is likely to be too wide to look good with a tapered pleat. And in the first version of the Viet Nam tartan, the BWR stripe in the black _might_ work (depends on the size of the sett), but the white stripe is so narrow that it will vanish at a distance, giving the kilt the dreaded lawn chair effect if pleated to the white stripe.

**Friday** · 3rd August 08, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

. . . Be sure that the tartan _can_ be pleated to the stripe and will look good with a tapered pleat. A couple months ago, . . .

The two proposed Viet Nam tartans both look problematic to me. . .

That nice lady is why I would take the idea to a kilt maker, such as the great Barb T for advice and comments before going forward with any tartan design. At this time I was just playing but thanks for the insight I will remember the next time I play.

**Howard Clark** · 3rd August 08, 06:11 PM

Carry on

**Birddog** · 3rd August 08, 07:59 PM

First, I would love the VSM tartan for my father and my uncle.
Along the thoughts of the current situations, I would like to see a tartan for the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. I, along with thousands of others, spent many months and even years overseas supporting the war, but won't qualify for the ICM or ACM. Dozens of missions into almost every airfield in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I would not qualify for those campaign medals because I didn't live on the ground in the two countries. By the grace of an insurgant with a lousy sense of aim, I did actually receive the ICM. My brothers and sisters who have spent all their time in the two sandboxes deserve their campaign medals, but let's also remember the thousands who brought them supplies, got them their mail, provided medical support, and provided combat air support or ship born support when they needed it.
For now, I'm withholding opinion on the who should wear it and who shouldn't part. I just thing this is a great idea.
Kevin

Oh, and many thanks to Barb for contributing from a kiltmakers perspective just to make sure that any of the tartans could make the best looking kilt possible! What a wise contribution.

**Mr. MacDougall** · 3rd August 08, 08:24 PM

I'm a Gulf Wars Episode One vet, and I'll add my "Hey, that's cool" to the pile.

Originally Posted by sharpdressedscot

My father served in the Gulf war and the recent wars in the Middle East, and he's retiring in a few months, that would be cool gift...but sadly he doesn't wear kilts

Maybe a tartan waistcoat?

**TORSCOT7007** · 3rd August 08, 08:25 PM

I think the pattern has merit, with the understanding this tartan is very similar to another pattern from Canada. One of the difficulties with a tartan pattern is the ability to make a kilt with this pattern in it that looks good on a person. I suggest that the Wizard of BC would be an excellent source for this topic.

I like the whole concept with the balance that some of the men and women who fought in thee theatre's were Canadian's and other military sources, Food for thought.

A proud Canadian military man who would love to see a new tartan for all those who serve.

RMWK

happy 150 BC Canada