I have written about this topic over a year ago, focusing on "Stolen Valor" where individuals pose to be veterans of real military units for sympathy or worse, monetary gain. These are individuals who go around wearing unit patches, fake medals, and uniforms. Some never served in the military, some actually came from the military but never served in the units they are representing, and some are also airsofters.

Whatever bad news that arises from the use of real military insignia from these people also tends to boomerang to the reputation of the units, especially for the men and women who worked hard to earn those patches, ranks or medals. It is one of the biggest disrespect that could be ever done to them by people who have never sacrificed to earn that patch or medal.

The airsoft community will always get special attention in the misuse of unit patches for the most obvious reasons: we wear military gear and get into make believe military battles. We talk military slang, mention military terms, and have military call signs. All airsoft players wear patches whether the funny morale patches or the most feared military units in the world.

Some veterans may take it as an affront for those who wear real military unit patches in airsoft but do not belong to those as one veteran expresses his disapproval of such practice in this video:

All of us here at Popular Airsoft do not wear unit patches at all in airsoft games and just stick to whatever crazy morale patches that we have but we won't be stopping you wearing a unit patch if you actually belong to that unit. Veterans won't stop you from buying such patches but they will just request to give the patch respect, which is after all the point that veterans and active ones will be telling you.

There are of course instances where civilians who never served can wear the patch such as being part of a reenactment, or a movie production, or an airsoft milsim event where there's a heavy role playing requirement which involves the names of real military units, or have been awarded by  the unit as an honoured member for contributions to the unit.

Other than those, if you never served in a real military unit, then it's best to refrain from wearing the patch. Besides, it would be such a shame when you get called out for being a fake if you do wear one in public and claim to be a member of the unit.