Does everyone need something "shiny" to make themselves stick out from other branches/services?

I was ADA and we did just fine without sanitizing to make us stand out. It was enough just knowing the Air Force hated and feared us. Lol

Honestly, I feel like all these shiny trinkets the army make the unnecessary change to how a unit acts or reacts to a soldier. This in returns makes some soldiers in the unit not want to try because the unit will always look towards the soilder with the best chest candy anyways. Vice versa, the soldier with the most trinkets feel that they don't have to perform or act better than others.

I've seen tons of people with wings here at Bragg that are horrible at Physical Training or worst Toxic individuals, mind you...it takes a toll on the body, but that doesn't mean you should act like you run things just because you got an award or deployment someone else does not have.

The Army is a hodgepodge and the ones who have been awarded for duty need to get back to learning how they were taught to help the one's under them not only become better soldiers but better people.

Not necessarily to stick out from other branches/services, but often times to stick out from other Soldiers in your same field for the purposes of promotion, as has been mentioned by other RP members on this thread. Also, I have no shame in admitting that I was always driven to try more things during my time in the Army by the allure of shiny baubles. I obtain great personal satisfaction from medals, ribbons, badges, certificates, and my Stetson and spurs. For me it was an added incentive, an additional goal to pursue. Not everyone is motivated in the same way, so there are those that will do their duty to the best of their ability regardless of trinkets at the finish line, and I highly respect then for it. I was always going to do my job to the best of my ability no matter what, because that's how I was raised, but there is nothing wrong with a shiny prize in that Cracker Jack box, especially if you truly earned it through your own efforts.

In the military everybody wants to wear something which makes the special.

In answer to "How did this all start . . ", it was in the Union Army of the Potomac (in 1863) when distinctive cap badges were authorized for each Corps. Furthermore, each Division within the Corps (then designated 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc) were issued different color badges. For example, the is Division, IV Corps would wear a red triangle, the 2nd, white, the 3rd, blue. Other Corps had stars, crosses, trefoils, crescents, etc.
Why? Morale, of course!

I always thought the beret should be the SF item. I was proud to have the CIB but beyond that it is flash. I do notice that a soldier with a couple of years service now seems to have a half dozen rows of ribbons. I had five years and three rows including the bronze star and purple heart.

I believe the Cav stetson should be worn by the scouts in dress uniform.

I only saw badges. It designates the specialty & hard work the individual put in. Markmanship rank, parachutes, dolphins, wings, etc shows you who you a dealing with. I'll take an expert marksman over all others. I'll take combat badge over no badge.

I served in both the Marine Corps and the Army. I was a Recon Marine, there was nothing on my uniform that differentiated from a Cook. Not every Marine is infantry, much less Recon. The reason for uniforms is to show performance. Thank goodness for those shiny things.

U.S. Marines are the only ones that wear red white and blue. I do believe that is the most shiny thing of all however we are not divided. We are the most unified out of everyone in our beloved country. Wear your shiny objects with pride and continue to defend OUR United States Constitution!