Since I posted this poll, it's about time I put in my two-penneth.
I've never served, but have been through various phases in my relationship with the military. My father and grandfather were RAF and I spent my youth obsessed with airplanes, guns and 'survival'. I got the Lofty Wiseman book when I was 10 and hardly put it down. I spent a lot of time running around woods or climbing trees, always in full combats with a toy gun in one hand. I was a cadet for a while and considered a 6th form/university bursary, but never went any further.
Towards the end of school and through university, I swung to the opposite pole. I became ardently pacifist, my main objection centering around the actual idea of killing someone than anything political. Throughout, I have always maintained the highest admiration for those who put their life on the line for what they believe is right. I just felt I couldnt be a part of it.
I was still interested in the outdoors, but study and career got in the way for a number of years before my recent renewed interest through bushcraft. I now find myself reappraising my position again.
I see bushcraft as a fundamentally peaceful activity, but for which we have numerous military sources to thank for our current level of knowledge. Some of the kit is good its bomb-proof although frequently heavier than is needed for normal use. It is often cheaper than high-street outdoor clothing.
I avoid military clothing now. I think there is a middle ground between the sore-thumb yellow anoraks and head-to-toe DPM. I dont want anyone to think Im military, particularly having done a lot of this stuff overseas. I also think we have to watch the way we are perceived by outsiders. I would rather people looked on the bushcraft community as nature-lovers, craftsmen and occasional hunters than weekend warriors or anti-establishment survivalists. When it comes to debates over knife-carrying or shooting rabbits with an air-rifle, were on a much better footing the less violent we look. As always, others may disagree and I wish I was un-vain enough just to say, I dont care what I look like, everything I wear is for its function, but Im not.