Restored Iltis and Dressing Up
Nice work on restoring the Iltis, the US style bridge classification sign you have mounted on the front of yours is something I have never seen mounted on a Canadian Iltis and for sure if I had, I would have taken a photograph of it.
As noble as your intentions are, I do find it more than a bit disturbing to see an American dressing up as a Canadian for your parades and such. To see comments that you post, "Here's my friend with his son. I bought a RCA Cadet Beret Crest for him kitted him out as a C9 Gunner. He had fun sawing the crowd the airsoft C9A1 I built from an M249 Para" disturbs me even more so. In your original post you stated that your intent was " As appreciation for my Northern Brothers fighting in the GWOT" and now you are kitting out your friends kids as quasi-Canadian Army Cadets (who do not deploy overseas and are are not even issued with C9s even in Canada) and going the route of 'circus atmosphere' that seems to quickly consume these re-enactor style events and parades.
I have no control with what you do with the things you purchase on eBay or are sent by friends; but I feel that it may be a much more appropriate 'tribute' to ditch the dress-up and display your vehicle for what it is, a restored Iltis. If you wish to show some appropriate South-west Asia items in a static display beside you vehicle then fine, but at least take the time to learn what the material is. For instance, in Canada, the insignia worn on berets are called Cap Badges, not crests...
|