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Bulldog1653

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Posts posted by Bulldog1653

  1. What a great topic! It’s great to read how everyone became a part of the Legion. My story is kind of common but still unique.

        I’ve always had a thing for Star Wars. When I was in first grade, my dad took me to see A New Hope on the big screen (if I remember right this was re released prior to ESB debuting). That turned into a tradition because when each of the original trilogy came out, we would go see it.

    I have carried on that tradition and have take. My family to see each of the new movies as they come out.

     In 2014, my employer at the time took us all to a Colorado Rockies game and it happened to be Star Wars night. I had a picture taken with 2 TK’s and a TX. I didn’t think anything of it and showed it to some family and friends. 

    A few weeks later, I thought about that picture and did some research to find out just who these guys were. My first thought was these guys were paid professionals because of just how good their costumes really were. I was shocked and intrigued when I learned it was a volunteer organization. After doing some digging and joining the Mountain Garrison forums, I found out there was a meet and greet that night and I went to it. 

    I joined them at their tables and got to meet and talk with all of them. Remember the TX I mentioned earlier, she was there and we became instant friends (Scubacat aka Torri Robbins). I decided to do an officer uniform to become a member and since my wife’s favorite color is black, that’s what I decided to do.

    I tell people that I was enlisted in the US Navy and it took me joining the Imperial Navy to become a commissioned officer lol. I have trooped well over a hundred events and have trooped in 6 different states.

    One thing I’ve learned is that if you know one 501st member, you know them all. I have never experienced a stronger bond and camaraderie anywhere else except for the military and that is a fact.

    I still troop in my officer uniform and I just recently got my Galactic Marine approved (53rd Fast Attack Company and proud). I couldn’t be happier to be part of this Legion and it is one hell of an honor.

     

  2. Regarding the salute, it's true that it's not something done/shown in the movies. However, I've done several troops where people (civilians) have saluted me an because I used to be in the Navy, I returned it automatically.

    There was a troop I was doing where a guy held the door open for me, stood at attention, and saluted me, saying "Good morning, sir".  Without even thinking about it, I automatically returned it and responded with "Good morning. Carry on." We both had a good laugh over that one.

    As far as military bearing goes, you definitely want to have that air of authority and confidence. Remember that you want to leave an impression on people when they take pictures with you.

  3. Hello all,

     

         After a lengthy absence, I'm back and this post caught my eye. First and foremost, I agree that a work in progress thread should be started. Any and all questions could easily be answered by veteran members with expertise.

         Secondly, I have to strongly disagree with the assessment of the CosPlaySky uniform. The uniform shown in my profile picture is from Cosplaysky. When I received it and submitted pictures for, it was immediately approved. Now, I do need to add the fact that this is a tailor made uniform and it cost me an extra $25 (I think). I was NOT taking the chance of having it rejected because of a problem with the way it fit me. The ONLY complaint I have with it is the zipper failed after my 15th troop (I'm on #36 now). I looked into having it fixed and found it would cost me quite a it to have it redone.

         As for the hat and belt from Cosplaysky, I can't speak intelligently about it because I never bought those items from them. Having said that, EVERYTHING I've heard about them steered me away from pulling the trigger. A friend of mine in my local Garrison (Mountain Garrison) makes the hats and it is DEAD on accurate. To give you an idea about how accurate it is, I was at Disneyland in September and was repeatedly asked about where I got it from. They were pretty impressed by the workmanship.

  4. I've only been official a short time but most of the time, people think I'm an Admiral (Staff Officer Commander) or something along those lines.

    Most of the time, I'm addressed as "sir"

    My unique story at a troop was at the Denver Zoo. I was in full uniform headed to the break room to relax and a staff member of the zoo holds the building door open and stands at attention, saluting. There were a few families in the area thinking it was cool. The guy at the door said something like "Good afternoon, sir". I returned the salute and answered "Good Afternoon. Carry on". Like I said, it was pretty surprising but a lot of fun to be able to do that for the kids. They all knew it was in good fun.

  5. I am now the proud owner of a Warrant Officer uniform!

    1st impressions:

    Jacket fits good, neck hooks are awkward (but that's just my big meathooks)

    Straight pants are a little snug at the waist (cardio?) Small pocket each side (does show below jacket, so just for photo ID or trading cards for kids)

    Jodphur pants fit good, but the flares are as expected, wide'n'flappy, but that's an easy fix.

    I'm going to frame the measurement sheet that came in the bag!

    Update:

    Watch the jacket's snaps, having to get one sewn back on at the waist by the dry cleaner, while I'm getting it pressed for my approval photos

     

    The snaps seem to be a recurring problem. I've had that happen a few times before and it's not just from the dry cleaners. We've had to re-sew them on a few different times.

  6. Exactly. Lucas didn't know much about military rank & didn't bother enough to create a realistic system before throwing these ranks on uniforms. All that mattered at the time was that the audience could identify these characters as military officers. 

     

    Despite what many fan-made lists might say, Commodore never appeared on a uniform or was spoken aloud on screen. So we do not recognize it.  

    In real life, it is not used by the US Navy any longer, but would be a rank roughly between Captain and Rear Admiral. 

    I know this is an older posting but I just caught it a minute ago.  While it is 100% correct that Commodore is no longer used by the US Navy, it was replaced by Rear Admiral (lower half), equivalent to a Brigadier General (1 star). 

  7. Hello all,

     

        I know this may seem like a dumb question but I haven't seen much info on this subject. I've flown on airliners for all of my life but I've never come across a time where I would travel with any kind of weapon, replica or not.

       My assumption on transporting blasters is that they would have to be in a checked bag/suitcase. Any clarification on this would be helpful and appreciated.

       Thanks in advance.

  8.     Salutes are supposed to be when covered (meaning a hat on for those of you who are unfamiliar with military terms) and outside. There are many movies that show saluting inside a building with no cover on (mostly World War II movies, shows, etc) but that has since changed. 

        For those of you who are interested, when you're in military uniform (at least with the US military), any time you enter a building, you are supposed to remove your cover/hat and put it on any time you're outside. (I speak from experience having these regulations drilled into my head

        I am well aware that this is cosplay and not a rigid requirement to salute, etc but I do think that it's important to have the bearing of a military officer/ crewmember. In my eyes, it makes it that much more realistic to people when you make an appearance.

  9. Keep in mind that I am still fairly new to this and still working on my Staff Officer Uniform. Having said that, if someone does salute me, I will return it (former US Navy) out of habit. If I am in uniform, I will salute during a National Anthem, etc.

     

    Side Note: Very interesting discussion/topic.

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